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 →

Curious About … Shrub-steppe Lithosols?

I wish we had a more endearing term that “lithosols” to describe Columbia Basin habitats of thin, rocky soils!. Here, the wind deposits has deposited bits of soil in-between a pavement of lichen-encrusted basalt rocks. Each spring, a diverse display of native wildflowers create splashes of color worth exploring. Continue Reading →

Major Vegetation Zone Classifications for Washington’s east-side Cascades

6 Viewpoints:  Major Vegetation Zone Classifications  for Washington’s east-side Cascades:         Watchable Wildflowers: A Columbia Basin Guide: B.L.M. Woodland Park ZooWashington Wildlife  Plants of Southern Interior B.C. & the Continue Reading →