Shrub-steppe Plant Adaptations
Compared to mobile animals, plants can’t walk away when the weather gets severe and water is scarce. Plants employ several strategies that allow them to cope with water shortage Continue Reading →
Tag: big sagebrush
Curious About … Growing up in Sagebrush Country?
What is it like to spend childhood nestled in a landscape filled with sagebrush? Today, I’m sharing stories of two women who put pen-to-paper to say how growing up in Wenatchee’s shrub-steppe made a lasting impression as they were coming-of-age. Continue Reading →
Curious About … Liking Shrub-steppe?
Plan to visit the CDLT Jacbson Preserve in the Wenatchee Foothills to experience a shrub-steppe ecosystem Continue Reading →
Wildfires affect on local landscape
Last summer on July 7, 2014, my husband and I landed in Fairbanks, Alaska after a 10-day wilderness river trip. We turned on our cell phones and found text messages Continue Reading →
Central Washington’s Rebounding Pygmy Rabbits
Situated north of Ephrata on state-owned lands in a sagebrush-covered coulee, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is successfully running an innovative, semi-wild pygmy rabbit recovery program, now in Continue Reading →
The Amazing Tale of Sagebrush Galls
If you’ve stopped trailside to look at a big sagebrush (Artemesia tridentata), it’s likely you’ve noticed grape-like growths attached to a leaf or stem. Some are round, smooth and reddish, Continue Reading →
Unlocking the needs and habits of our mule deer
The foothills are softly greening up, bright yellow buttercups are in bloom, and male western meadowlarks sing loudly from atop sagebrush. From our human perspective, the harsh conditions of winter Continue Reading →
In appreciation of sagebrush
In our arid region of low rainfall, cold winters and hot dry summers, big sagebrush grows 5-8 feet tall, forming a canopy above a sea of grasses, smaller shrubs, and wildflowers. Wildlife species from birds to mammals to insects utilize sagebrush for food, shelter, and nesting materials. Continue Reading →
We can help keep nature in balance
Since early March, our foothills have been ablaze with a sequence of blooming wildflowers. Starting with sagebrush buttercup, over 50 different kinds have bloomed and set seed during the three Continue Reading →