by Cameron Linton | Oct 23, 2018 | Biology, Education, Houseplants
As you wander around the desert or peruse the succulent section of your local garden shop, you might start to wonder why desert plants have such fat leaves. Cacti are famous for their spines, but they (and other desert plants) have other trademark characteristics. The...
by Cameron Linton | Oct 19, 2018 | Biology, Education
Anyone who’s ever visited a rainforest in the tropics or the Pacific Northwest will findi it impossible to ignore how tall the trees are. A defining characteristic of a tree is definitely the fact that trees are taller than bushes — but why are trees tall? Let’s...
by Siri Undlin | Oct 18, 2018 | Biology, Education, Plant Identification
We’re never too old for fairy tales. Folk stories about gingerbread houses, witches cauldrons, glass slippers, and cursed frogs have shaped our imaginations and cultures since humans first gathered around the fire. To this day, they continue to delight, enchant, and...
by Jackson Morrison | Oct 10, 2018 | Biology, Education, Flowers, Plant Identification
Wildfire seasons are becoming longer and more intense throughout western North America. As climate change continues to make such extreme weather events more common, it is important to know what to expect from land that has previously been burned. And it’s not...
by Cameron Linton | Sep 19, 2018 | Biology, Plant Identification
Poison oak, or Toxicodendron diversilobum or Toxicodendron pubescens, is another relative of poison ivy and poison sumac. There are two species of poison oak: eastern and western. Both species are common across North America in a variety of habitats, making it a good...
by Cameron Linton | Sep 15, 2018 | Biology, Education, Plant Identification
Though Buckthorn is nowhere near as scary as Giant Hogweed, it’s still a serious invasive species that causes all sorts of problems where it grows. Buckthorn is shorthand for the genus Rhamnus, which includes about 110 species of shrubs and small trees. Unfortunately,...
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