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  • Golden currants ripening in the late afternoon sunshine in Cowiche Canyon, just to the west of Yakima, WA. These native wild edibles were (and still are) used as food for many of the Native American tribes across North America.
    Golden Currant
  • Easily the most beautiful of all of the native currants that grow wild in the Pacific Northwest, the waxy current is also one of the most flavorless. I actually ate one of these after the shot and there was no sweetness or taste, just texture which I thought was very strange. Apparently not so to the hummingbirds, who take advantage of these early spring bloomers to feed on the nectar of the tubular white flowers where they might be the only flowers available to them at the time.
    Wax Currant
  • Wild golden currants vary in taste from plant to plant, much like other berry-producing plants. These currants range from light yellow to orange, red, and even black. Personally I think the orange and red ones are the sweetest, and the yellow ones (those that are fully ripe) are a bit bitter. All of them have large seeds inside, that are easier eaten than spit out. These were photographed (then eaten) in Cowiche Canyon, just to the west of Yakima, WA.
    Golden Currant
  • Fairly widespread across most of North America, excluding the Southeast and the extreme Northeast, the golden currant is a member of the currant and gooseberry family. In early spring, this plant is covered in hundreds of beautiful small bright yellow flowers. By late spring and early summer, the limbs of this small water-loving shrub become heavily laden with golden yellow/orange edible fruits, such as these growing next to Cowiche Creek, just west of Yakima, Washington.
    Golden Currant
  • Although not truly native, this naturalized orchid can be found in just about every wooded area in South Florida.
    African Spotted Orchid (Oeceoclades ..ata)
  • The flowers of the California pitcher plant open downward unlike many other species of our native pitcher plants, and this is believed to to keep water out, while allowing pollinators in. Wet flowers tend not to get pollinated. This makes sense as they are native to Northern California and Southern Oregon and if there's one thing the Pacific Northwest gets, it's a lot of rain. These were found growing in a peat bog in rural Josephine County, Oregon near the California border.
    Flower of the California Pitcher Plant
  • The flowers of the California pitcher plant open downward unlike many other species of our native pitcher plants, and this is believed to to keep water out, while allowing pollinators in. Wet flowers tend not to get pollinated. This makes sense as they are native to Northern California and Southern Oregon and if there's one thing the Pacific Northwest gets, it's a lot of rain. These were found growing in a peat bog in rural Josephine County, Oregon near the California border.
    Flower of the California Pitcher Plant
  • The flowers of the California pitcher plant open downward unlike many other species of our native pitcher plants, and this is believed to to keep water out, while allowing pollinators in. Wet flowers tend not to get pollinated. This makes sense as they are native to Northern California and Southern Oregon and if there's one thing the Pacific Northwest gets, it's a lot of rain. These were found growing in a peat bog in rural Josephine County, Oregon near the California border.
    Flower of the California Pitcher Plant
  • This South African native succulent perennial with its very attractive bright pink and/or yellow flowers has found its way to both California and Florida thanks to the ornamental plant industry and has particularly found a foothold along Southern California highways, earning it the nickname "highway ice plant." Originally used as a soil stabilizer due to its matting, ground-cover nature it has unexpectedly spread into several sensitive ecological habitats such as coastal communities and desert dune habitats where it quickly outgrows and outcompetes threatened and endangered plants. This one was found growing in a sprawling mat across the sandy beach in Los Angeles, California next to the Del Rey Lagoon.
    Ice Plant Flowers
  • This South African native succulent perennial with its very attractive bright pink and/or yellow flowers has found its way to both California and Florida thanks to the ornamental plant industry and has particularly found a foothold along Southern California highways, earning it the nickname "highway ice plant." Originally used as a soil stabilizer due to its matting, ground-cover nature it has unexpectedly spread into several sensitive ecological habitats such as coastal communities and desert dune habitats where it quickly outgrows and outcompetes threatened and endangered plants. This one was found growing in a sprawling mat across the sandy beach in Los Angeles, California next to the Del Rey Lagoon.
    Ice Plant Flower
  • This South African native succulent perennial with its very attractive bright pink and/or yellow flowers has found its way to both California and Florida thanks to the ornamental plant industry and has particularly found a foothold along Southern California highways, earning it the nickname "highway ice plant." Originally used as a soil stabilizer due to its matting, ground-cover nature it has unexpectedly spread into several sensitive ecological habitats such as coastal communities and desert dune habitats where it quickly outgrows and outcompetes threatened and endangered plants. This one was found growing in a sprawling mat across the sandy beach in Los Angeles, California next to the Del Rey Lagoon.
    Ice Plant Flower
  • This South African native succulent perennial with its very attractive bright pink and/or yellow flowers has found its way to both California and Florida thanks to the ornamental plant industry and has particularly found a foothold along Southern California highways, earning it the nickname "highway ice plant." Originally used as a soil stabilizer due to its matting, ground-cover nature it has unexpectedly spread into several sensitive ecological habitats such as coastal communities and desert dune habitats where it quickly outgrows and outcompetes threatened and endangered plants. This one was found growing in a sprawling mat across the sandy beach in Los Angeles, California next to the Del Rey Lagoon.
    Ice Plant Flowers
  • This South African native succulent perennial with its very attractive bright pink and/or yellow flowers has found its way to both California and Florida thanks to the ornamental plant industry and has particularly found a foothold along Southern California highways, earning it the nickname "highway ice plant." Originally used as a soil stabilizer due to its matting, ground-cover nature it has unexpectedly spread into several sensitive ecological habitats such as coastal communities and desert dune habitats where it quickly outgrows and outcompetes threatened and endangered plants. This one was found growing in a sprawling mat across the sandy beach in Los Angeles, California next to the Del Rey Lagoon.
    Ice Plant Flower
  • This South African native succulent perennial with its very attractive bright pink and/or yellow flowers has found its way to both California and Florida thanks to the ornamental plant industry and has particularly found a foothold along Southern California highways, earning it the nickname "highway ice plant." Originally used as a soil stabilizer due to its matting, ground-cover nature it has unexpectedly spread into several sensitive ecological habitats such as coastal communities and desert dune habitats where it quickly outgrows and outcompetes threatened and endangered plants. This one was found growing in a sprawling mat across the sandy beach in Los Angeles, California next to the Del Rey Lagoon.
    Ice Plant Flower
  • This South African native succulent perennial with its very attractive bright pink and/or yellow flowers has found its way to both California and Florida thanks to the ornamental plant industry and has particularly found a foothold along Southern California highways, earning it the nickname "highway ice plant." Originally used as a soil stabilizer due to its matting, ground-cover nature it has unexpectedly spread into several sensitive ecological habitats such as coastal communities and desert dune habitats where it quickly outgrows and outcompetes threatened and endangered plants. This one was found growing in a sprawling mat across the sandy beach in Los Angeles, California next to the Del Rey Lagoon.
    Ice Plant Flower
  • This South African native succulent perennial with its very attractive bright pink and/or yellow flowers has found its way to both California and Florida thanks to the ornamental plant industry and has particularly found a foothold along Southern California highways, earning it the nickname "highway ice plant." Originally used as a soil stabilizer due to its matting, ground-cover nature it has unexpectedly spread into several sensitive ecological habitats such as coastal communities and desert dune habitats where it quickly outgrows and outcompetes threatened and endangered plants. This one was found growing in a sprawling mat across the sandy beach in Los Angeles, California next to the Del Rey Lagoon.
    Ice Plant Flower
  • This South African native succulent perennial with its very attractive bright pink and/or yellow flowers has found its way to both California and Florida thanks to the ornamental plant industry and has particularly found a foothold along Southern California highways, earning it the nickname "highway ice plant." Originally used as a soil stabilizer due to its matting, ground-cover nature it has unexpectedly spread into several sensitive ecological habitats such as coastal communities and desert dune habitats where it quickly outgrows and outcompetes threatened and endangered plants. This one was found growing in a sprawling mat across the sandy beach in Los Angeles, California next to the Del Rey Lagoon.
    Ice Plant Flower
  • Found only in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, the hooded pitcher plant is one of the smaller of our native pitcher plants found at the edges of bogs and wet pinelands. Like all carnivorous plants, nectar glands inside the hood and white translucent "windows" attract insects where a series of hairs inside the pitcher (a modified leaf) encourages the insect downward into the tube until it cannot turn around and escape. These insects will in turn be dissolved and deliver the essential nutrients that are needed in such a plant that grows in such nutrient-poor soils. This one was found and photographed during the summer rains in the Osceola National Forest in North Florida.
    Hooded Pitcher Plant
  • Perhaps the most beautiful of North America's threatened carnivorous plant species, the white-topped pitcher plant is native to Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and the western tip of North Carolina. This surprising find in Georgia's Grady County is possibly the part of the state's easternmost population, and covered a very rural area in a pine forest no bigger than an acre.
    White-topped Pitcher Plant (Sarracen..lla)
  • Found only in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, the hooded pitcher plant is one of the smaller of our native pitcher plants found at the edges of bogs and wet pinelands. Like all carnivorous plants, nectar glands inside the "hood" attract insects where a series of hairs inside the pitcher (a modified leaf) encourages the insect downward into the tube until it cannot turn around and escape. These insects will in turn be dissolved and deliver the essential nutrients that are needed in such a plant that grows in such nutrient-poor soils. This is the blossoming flower that is ironically also pollinated by flying insects. This one was found and photographed during the summer rains in the Osceola National Forest in North Florida.
    Hooded Pitcher Plant
  • Found only in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, the hooded pitcher plant is one of the smaller of our native pitcher plants found at the edges of bogs and wet pinelands. Like all carnivorous plants, red coloration and sweet nectar glands inside the "hood" attract insects where a series of hairs inside the pitcher (a modified leaf) encourages the insect downward into the tube until it cannot turn around and escape. These insects will in turn be dissolved and deliver the essential nutrients that are needed in such a plant that grows in such nutrient-poor soils. This one was found and photographed during the summer rains in the Osceola National Forest in North Florida.
    Hooded Pitcher Plant
  • This particularly beautiful pitcher plant next to one of its flowers is very striking and not easily confused with other of our native pitcher plants. The green tubular leaves that trap insect prey are hooded, which keeps water out (unusual from most pitcher plants that collect rainwater) and insects in. This particular shape gives it another commonly used name - the cobra lily. This one was found growing in a peat bog in rural Josephine County, Oregon near the California border.
    California Pitcher Plant
  • With a number of colorful and descriptive common names such as elkweed, green gentian, monument plant, and deer's ears, Frasera speciosa is a tall mountain-loving flowering plant that is hard to mistake for anything else. Found in most of the Western American states, and is commonly eaten by deer, moose, elk, and domestic livestock. Traditionally, the roots were cooked as food and the leaves were smoked a by Native Americans. This one was found blooming in the White River National Forest, just outside of Aspen, Colorado.
    Monument Plant Close-up
  • Close-up detail of the tiny flowers of the piggyback plant, also known as youth-on-age. This common forest groundcover forb is native to the Pacific Northwest's wet forests, and is often found on the sides of creeks and streams. It gets its unusual name from the fact that small growths will appear at the base of the leaves that will eventually fall off as a tiny new plant - foregoing the seed process.
    Piggyback Plant
  • With a number of colorful and descriptive common names such as elkweed, green gentian, monument plant, and deer's ears, Frasera speciosa is a tall mountain-loving flowering plant that is hard to mistake for anything else. Found in most of the Western American states, and is commonly eaten by deer, moose, elk, and domestic livestock. Traditionally, the roots were cooked as food and the leaves were smoked a by Native Americans. This one was found blooming in the White River National Forest, just outside of Aspen, Colorado.
    Monument Plant
  • This Chihuahua Desert native agave is about to go into flower! Not a large agave, the slimfoot century plant ranges in size from one to three feet in width, but it's flowering stalk can reach an impressive 15 feet by the time the flowers are ready to be pollinated!!
    Slimfoot Century Plant
  • Close-up of the flower of Schnell's pitcher plant (Sarracenia flava var. rugelii) found growing in the Apalachicola National Forest in Northern Florida. This stunning carnivorous insect-eating plant is found in seepage bogs across  the East gulf coastal plain from Alabama to Virginia, and is a subspecies of the more common yellow pitcher plant.
    Flower of Schnell's Pitcher Plant
  • White-topped pitcher plants growing in a North Florida bog among a healthy population of threadleaf sundews - another carnivorous plant.
    White-topped Pitcher Plant (Sarracen..lla)
  • Seen from above, the California pitcher plant (Darlingtonia californica) grows well in sunny, wet places with poor soil nutrients. Unusual for pitcher plants, the water contained inside the covered (or hooded) pitchers is drawn in from the roots instead of using rainwater. This may possibly be a way to keep from diluting the enzymes in the "trap" that are used to dissolve and break down the trapped insects in a climate where there is so much rainfall.  These were found growing in a peat bog in rural Josephine County, Oregon near the California border.
    California Pitcher Plant
  • Close-up of the hairs underneath the "umbrella" part of the pitcher plant that guide the unsuspecting insects into the trap, or pitcher. Look closely and you can see the 13-14 gnats tangled among these hairs.
    White-topped Pitcher Plant (Sarracen..lla)
  • The beautiful and intricate design of red veins in the white-topped pitcher plant.
    White-topped Pitcher Plant (Sarracen..lla)
  • The elegant and beautiful white-topped pitcher plant growing in a Liberty County seepage bog. This location is possibly the easternmost population in Florida.
    White-topped Pitcher Plant (Sarracen..lla)
  • The vanilla plant gets its name from the vanilla-like scent emitted when dried. This is an extremely common plant in South Florida and can be found in many types of habitat.
    Vanilla Plant
  • Also known as elkweed and green gentian, the monument plant is found in both the Cascade and Rocky Mountains. This close-up of one its flowers was found and photographed near Colorado's Maroon Bells just outside of Aspen.
    Monument Plant
  • Top stalk chopped down, this monument plant growing in the White River National Forest just outside of Aspen, Colorado is blooming with flowers nearly at ground level on a chilly summer morning at over 8000 feet in elevation.
    Monument Plant
  • A field of California pitcher plants (Darlingtonia californica) growing in a wet bog in full flower! The flowers of this carnivorous plant open downward unlike many other species of our native pitcher plants, and this is believed to to keep water out, while allowing pollinators in. Wet flowers tend not to get pollinated. This makes sense as they are native to Northern California and Southern Oregon and if there's one thing the Pacific Northwest gets, it's a lot of rain. These were found growing in a peat bog in rural Josephine County, Oregon near the California border.
    California Pitcher Plants
  • A field of California pitcher plants (Darlingtonia californica) growing in a wet bog in full flower! The flowers of this carnivorous plant open downward unlike many other species of our native pitcher plants, and this is believed to to keep water out, while allowing pollinators in. Wet flowers tend not to get pollinated. This makes sense as they are native to Northern California and Southern Oregon and if there's one thing the Pacific Northwest gets, it's a lot of rain. These were found growing in a peat bog in rural Josephine County, Oregon near the California border.
    California Pitcher Plants
  • A field of California pitcher plants (Darlingtonia californica) growing in a wet bog in full flower! The flowers of this carnivorous plant open downward unlike many other species of our native pitcher plants, and this is believed to to keep water out, while allowing pollinators in. Wet flowers tend not to get pollinated. This makes sense as they are native to Northern California and Southern Oregon and if there's one thing the Pacific Northwest gets, it's a lot of rain. These were found growing in a peat bog in rural Josephine County, Oregon near the California border.
    California Pitcher Plants
  • This huge batch yellow flag iris was found growing along the Yakima River in great profusion the eastern bank of the Yakima River, just north of Selah, WA. Although incredibly beautiful, they are considered a pest as they completely take over river banks. Because they lack the diseases and wildlife that eat them found in their native Europe, they can multiply unchecked - crowding out North American native plants that don't enjoy such an easy advantage.
    Yellow Flag Iris
  • Although very beautiful and showy, the yellow flag iris is a pesky invasive European import that is known to block waterways and choke out native plants and wildflowers. This one was found growing along the Yakima River in great profusion, on the eastern bank of the Yakima River, just north of Selah, WA.
    Yellow Flag Iris
  • These very beautiful bittersweet nightshade berries found ripening on the vine are native to Europe and Asia, and arrived roughly in the 1860's and were used by the Makah Indians as a medicine for stomach issues. Now naturalized throughout most of North America, this relative to the potato is an invasive weed that can grow in huge thickets and can compete with native plants. This plant is known to be VERY DANGEROUS to both humans and other animals and has caused people to die. It is said that once the berries are fully ripe (when they are bright red) that the amount of solanine - the toxic alkaloid, is greatly reduced. Seeds are spread by the common song sparrow and a few other birds that eat them, who are unaffected by the poisons the berries carry.
    Bittersweet Nightshade
  • These very beautiful bittersweet nightshade berries found ripening on the vine are native to Europe and Asia, and arrived roughly in the 1860's and were used by the Makah Indians as a medicine for stomach issues. Now naturalized throughout most of North America, this relative to the potato is an invasive weed that can grow in huge thickets and can compete with native plants. This plant is known to be VERY DANGEROUS to both humans and other animals and has caused people to die. It is said that once the berries are fully ripe (when they are bright red) that the amount of solanine - the toxic alkaloid, is greatly reduced. Seeds are spread by the common song sparrow and a few other birds that eat them, who are unaffected by the poisons the berries carry.
    Bittersweet Nightshade
  • These very beautiful bittersweet nightshade berries found ripening on the vine are native to Europe and Asia, and arrived roughly in the 1860's and were used by the Makah Indians as a medicine for stomach issues. Now naturalized throughout most of North America, this relative to the potato is an invasive weed that can grow in huge thickets and can compete with native plants. This plant is known to be VERY DANGEROUS to both humans and other animals and has caused people to die. It is said that once the berries are fully ripe (when they are bright red) that the amount of solanine - the toxic alkaloid, is greatly reduced. Seeds are spread by the common song sparrow and a few other birds that eat them, who are unaffected by the poisons the berries carry.
    Bittersweet Nightshade
  • These very beautiful bittersweet nightshade berries found ripening on the vine are native to Europe and Asia, and arrived roughly in the 1860's and were used by the Makah Indians as a medicine for stomach issues. Now naturalized throughout most of North America, this relative to the potato is an invasive weed that can grow in huge thickets and can compete with native plants. This plant is known to be VERY DANGEROUS to both humans and other animals and has caused people to die. It is said that once the berries are fully ripe (when they are bright red) that the amount of solanine - the toxic alkaloid, is greatly reduced. Seeds are spread by the common song sparrow and a few other birds that eat them, who are unaffected by the poisons the berries carry.
    Bittersweet Nightshade
  • These very beautiful bittersweet nightshade berries found ripening on the vine are native to Europe and Asia, and arrived roughly in the 1860's and were used by the Makah Indians as a medicine for stomach issues. Now naturalized throughout most of North America, this relative to the potato is an invasive weed that can grow in huge thickets and can compete with native plants. This plant is known to be VERY DANGEROUS to both humans and other animals and has caused people to die. It is said that once the berries are fully ripe (when they are bright red) that the amount of solanine - the toxic alkaloid, is greatly reduced. Seeds are spread by the common song sparrow and a few other birds that eat them, who are unaffected by the poisons the berries carry.
    Bittersweet Nightshade
  • These very beautiful bittersweet nightshade berries found ripening on the vine are native to Europe and Asia, and arrived roughly in the 1860's and were used by the Makah Indians as a medicine for stomach issues. Now naturalized throughout most of North America, this relative to the potato is an invasive weed that can grow in huge thickets and can compete with native plants. This plant is known to be VERY DANGEROUS to both humans and other animals and has caused people to die. It is said that once the berries are fully ripe (when they are bright red) that the amount of solanine - the toxic alkaloid, is greatly reduced. Seeds are spread by the common song sparrow and a few other birds that eat them, who are unaffected by the poisons the berries carry.
    Bittersweet Nightshade
  • These very beautiful bittersweet nightshade flowers here in the Mercer Slough of Bellevue, Washington are native to Europe and Asia, and arrived roughly in the 1860's. The berries were used by the Makah Indians as a medicine for stomach issues. Now naturalized throughout most of North America, this relative to the potato is an invasive weed that can grow in huge thickets and can compete with native plants. This plant is known to be VERY DANGEROUS to both humans and other animals and has caused people to die. It is said that once the berries are fully ripe (when they are bright red) that the amount of solanine - the toxic alkaloid, is greatly reduced. Seeds are spread by the common song sparrow and a few other birds that eat them, who are unaffected by the poisons the berries carry.
    Bittersweet Nightshade
  • These very beautiful bittersweet nightshade berries found ripening on the vine are native to Europe and Asia, and arrived roughly in the 1860's and were used by the Makah Indians as a medicine for stomach issues. Now naturalized throughout most of North America, this relative to the potato is an invasive weed that can grow in huge thickets and can compete with native plants. This plant is known to be VERY DANGEROUS to both humans and other animals and has caused people to die. It is said that once the berries are fully ripe (when they are bright red) that the amount of solanine - the toxic alkaloid, is greatly reduced. Seeds are spread by the common song sparrow and a few other birds that eat them, who are unaffected by the poisons the berries carry.
    Bittersweet Nightshade
  • These very beautiful bittersweet nightshade berries found ripening on the vine are native to Europe and Asia, and arrived roughly in the 1860's and were used by the Makah Indians as a medicine for stomach issues. Now naturalized throughout most of North America, this relative to the potato is an invasive weed that can grow in huge thickets and can compete with native plants. This plant is known to be VERY DANGEROUS to both humans and other animals and has caused people to die. It is said that once the berries are fully ripe (when they are bright red) that the amount of solanine - the toxic alkaloid, is greatly reduced. Seeds are spread by the common song sparrow and a few other birds that eat them, who are unaffected by the poisons the berries carry.
    Bittersweet Nightshade
  • This interesting perennial native plant to the American Southeast is also a member of the nightshade family, and related to the tomatillo. When the fruit becomes ripe, the large berry is surrounded in a bright orange papery sheath called a calyx. These were found and photographed on Sanibel Island in Southwest Florida.
    Walter's Groundcherry
  • This interesting perennial native plant to the American Southeast is also a member of the nightshade family, and related to the tomatillo. When the fruit becomes ripe, the large berry is surrounded in a bright orange papery sheath called a calyx. These were found and photographed on Sanibel Island in Southwest Florida.
    Walter's Groundcherry
  • This interesting perennial native plant to the American Southeast is also a member of the nightshade family, and related to the tomatillo. When the fruit becomes ripe, the large berry is surrounded in a bright orange papery sheath called a calyx. These were found and photographed on Sanibel Island in Southwest Florida.
    Walter's Groundcherry
  • Early springtime in the Pacific Northwest and this dwarf Oregon-grape (Mahonia nervosa) will start to bud soon. They have the most beautiful leaves with holly-like leaflets. Not a grape as we know it, but this native plant produces edible blue berries that are quite sour!
    Dwarf Oregon-Grape Leaves
  • A close relative of poison ivy, smooth sumac is a very widespread shrub across nearly all of North America (excluding the Arctic and Maritime provinces of Canada) that grows in a wide variety of habitats. The bright red berries (as seen here) follow nondescript green flowers and are not only edible, but provide a bountiful harvest for all kinds of wildlife. One thing particularly beautiful about this native plant are the alternate compound leaves that turn a bright waxy red in the fall.
    Smooth Sumac Berries
  • A common native plant and wildflower found in deserts, prairies and other open dry habitats, the desert prince's plume is a member of the mustard family. It can be found in every western continental state excluding Oklahoma, Washington and Alaska, and does not appear to grow in any of the Canadian provinces. This was photographed in California's Mojave Desert in Joshua Tree National Park.
    Desert Prince's Plume
  • Considered an invasive species in North America, the Peruvian primrose-willow was introduced into the Sunshine State and many other places around the world for its beautiful yellow four-petalled flowers. These days it is a serious problem due to how fast this tall very bush grows and how easily it spreads, outcompeting coastal native plant species in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and the Texas Gulf Coast. This one was photographed in the Fakahatchee Strand in Collier County, Florida.
    Peruvian Primrose-Willow
  • The wax currant, also known as the squaw currant, is found accross most of western North America in drier, more arid habitats such as sagebrush steppe or talus slopes. This one was photographed in Cowiche Canyon just outside of Yakima, WA.
    Wax Currant
  • Almost ready to eat! These golden currants are about to burst with tart, fruity goodness along the banks of Cowiche Creek as it flows through the desert steppe in Central Washington.
    Golden Currant
  • The golden currant is one of the most attractive found across most of North America, excluding the American Southeast and Canada's Maritime provinces. Commonly associated with dry, gravelly streams and creeks, the bright red berries are particularly good for making jelly!
    Golden Currant
  • Wax currants in full flower in Cowiche Canyon in Yakima, WA. While these are particularly beautiful, the fruits may cause a burning sensation when eaten. These are often found growing with the closely-related golden currant which is not only edible, but delicious!
    Wax Currant
  • Golden currents grow in profusion along Cowiche Creek just outside of Yakima, WA. These beautiful flowers when pollinated will produce delicious, edible red currants that are important historically and locally as a food source for people and wildlife.
    Golden Currant
  • sweet, foraging, food, berries, fruit, botany, nature, natural, beauty, beautiful, color, green, beauty, plant, beautiful, blooming, white, flora, wild, plants, fresh, color, plant, botany, native, wildflowers, wildflower, West Coast, flora, hairy, furry, hair, hairs, Gaultheria shallon, leathery, shrub, heather, Ericaceae, native, North America, salal, shallon, Gaultheria, Plantae, Angiosperms, Eudicots, Asterids, Ericales, Ericaceae, Gaultheria, , Gaultheria shallon, dicot, Ericaceae, perennial, shrub, subshrub
    Salal Berries
  • Angiosperms, Asteraceae, Asterids, beautiful, beauty, biennial, bloom, blooming, blooms, blossom, blossoms, botany, bud, bull thistle, Carduoideae, Cirsium, Cirsium vulgare, color, common thistle, Cynareae, dicot, flora, flower, flowers, forb, fresh, green, herb, invasive, native, natural, nature, non-native, Olympia, Onopordum acanthium, pink, plant, Plantae, plants, ruderal, Scotch thistle, Scottish thistle, spear thistle, summer, thistle, Thurston County, vulgare, Washington, west coast, wild, wildflower, wildflowers, Woodard Bay Conservation Area
    Bull Thistle (Cirsium vulgare) 2
  • Angiosperms, Asteraceae, Asterids, beautiful, beauty, biennial, bloom, blooming, blooms, blossom, blossoms, botany, bud, bull thistle, Carduoideae, Cirsium, Cirsium vulgare, color, common thistle, Cynareae, dicot, flora, flower, flowers, forb, fresh, green, herb, invasive, native, natural, nature, non-native, Olympia, Onopordum acanthium, pink, plant, Plantae, plants, ruderal, Scotch thistle, Scottish thistle, spear thistle, summer, thistle, Thurston County, vulgare, Washington, west coast, wild, wildflower, wildflowers, Woodard Bay Conservation Area
    Bull Thistle (Cirsium vulgare) 1
  • One of many gorgeous native western flag irises found growing in the L.T. Murray State Wildlife Recreation Area in Kittitas County, Washington. Historically important to many of the Western Native American tribes, this native iris was used to treat a number of ailments such as toothache or a boost to infant vitality via a poultice.
    Western Blue Flag Iris
  • Smooth sumac spreads rapidly once the first plant becomes established in an area. This native member of the cashew family produces very beautiful bright green leaves in the spring that turn to bright scarlet in the winter. Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest traditionally smoked these dried leaves for medicinal uses, such as treating ulcers.
    Smooth Sumac
  • The prairie coneflower is a very beautiful member of the daisy family and is found nearly all across North America except Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Kentucky, Virginia and Northeastern United States and Canada and can be found in open prairies and along roadsides. Historically, it has been used as by Native Americans as a cold infusion to treat fever, as an emetic to induce vomiting, and even as an aid to wean nursing babies. The colors of the petals can vary from pure yellow to reddish-brown, or any variation of these colors. Historically, it has been used as by Native Americans as a cold infusion to treat fever, as an emetic to induce vomiting, and even as an aid to wean nursing babies. These were found growing in an open prairie in rural Cibola County in New Mexico, about an hour west of Albuquerque.
    Prairie Coneflower
  • The prairie coneflower is a very beautiful member of the daisy family and is found nearly all across North America except Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Kentucky, Virginia and Northeastern United States and Canada and can be found in open prairies and along roadsides. Historically, it has been used as by Native Americans as a cold infusion to treat fever, as an emetic to induce vomiting, and even as an aid to wean nursing babies. The colors of the petals can vary from pure yellow to reddish-brown, or any variation of these colors. Historically, it has been used as by Native Americans as a cold infusion to treat fever, as an emetic to induce vomiting, and even as an aid to wean nursing babies. These were found growing in an open prairie in rural Cibola County in New Mexico, about an hour west of Albuquerque.
    Prairie Coneflower
  • The prairie coneflower is a very beautiful member of the daisy family and is found nearly all across North America except Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Kentucky, Virginia and Northeastern United States and Canada and can be found in open prairies and along roadsides. Historically, it has been used as by Native Americans as a cold infusion to treat fever, as an emetic to induce vomiting, and even as an aid to wean nursing babies. The colors of the petals can vary from pure yellow to reddish-brown, or any variation of these colors. Historically, it has been used as by Native Americans as a cold infusion to treat fever, as an emetic to induce vomiting, and even as an aid to wean nursing babies. These were found growing in an open prairie in rural Cibola County in New Mexico, about an hour west of Albuquerque.
    Prairie Coneflower
  • The prairie coneflower is a very beautiful member of the daisy family and is found nearly all across North America except Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Kentucky, Virginia and Northeastern United States and Canada and can be found in open prairies and along roadsides. Historically, it has been used as by Native Americans as a cold infusion to treat fever, as an emetic to induce vomiting, and even as an aid to wean nursing babies. The colors of the petals can vary from pure yellow to reddish-brown, or any variation of these colors. Historically, it has been used as by Native Americans as a cold infusion to treat fever, as an emetic to induce vomiting, and even as an aid to wean nursing babies. These were found growing in an open prairie in rural Cibola County in New Mexico, about an hour west of Albuquerque.
    Prairie Coneflower
  • The prairie coneflower is a very beautiful member of the daisy family and is found nearly all across North America except Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Kentucky, Virginia and Northeastern United States and Canada and can be found in open prairies and along roadsides. Historically, it has been used as by Native Americans as a cold infusion to treat fever, as an emetic to induce vomiting, and even as an aid to wean nursing babies. The colors of the petals can vary from pure yellow to reddish-brown, or any variation of these colors. Historically, it has been used as by Native Americans as a cold infusion to treat fever, as an emetic to induce vomiting, and even as an aid to wean nursing babies. These were found growing in an open prairie in rural Cibola County in New Mexico, about an hour west of Albuquerque.
    Prairie Coneflower with Incoming Storm
  • This beautiful native member of the pea family has an interesting story. Like all lupines, they have toxic properties, that vary from species to species. The silky lupine is highly toxic to sheep, and moderately toxic to cattle and horses. That said, bighorn sheep rely on it heavily as a food source, as do white-tailed deer, Columbia ground squirrels and other birds, mammals and insects. It seems that while it is toxic to imported domesticated non-native animals, it is completely safe and nutritious for native wildlife that has evolved alongside it.
    Silky Lupine
  • This plant needs no introduction to most of us. I learned about it the hard way while unknowingly walking through a huge patch of it in shorts. While not native to North America, this "uncomfortable" is an unfortunate import from Europe, Asia and Western Africa where it has been stinging people and animals forever and now can be found growing in every state (except Hawaii) and province of the United States, Canada, and even in parts of Northern Mexico. As an act of delicious revenge, when the leaves of the stinging nettle are added to boiling water, the tiny stinging hairs break down resulting in a very healthy and nourishing food source, similar to cooked spinach. This one was found growing above the forrest cliffs of Whidbey Island in Washington State's Puget Sound.
    StingingNettle2020-1.jpg
  • Easily one of the coolest plants to be found in the Chihuahuan desert, and goes by a long list of common names, such as the Rose of Jericho, resurrection plant,  dinosaur plant, siempre viva, stone flower, doradilla, resurrection flower and many more. This attractive member of the spikemoss family looks almost like a lush, green fern during the rainy season in its native habitat of Northern Mexico, Texas and New Mexico, but during dry spells, it desiccates into a brown dormant ball that looks like a tumbleweed, only to rehydrate back to bright, vibrant green after it rains again. These were found in abundance after the springtime rains in West Texas' Big Bend National Park.
    Resurrection Moss
  • Close-up detail of the western fairy slipper orchid. Like its counterpart - the eastern fairy slipper (Calypso bulbosa var. americana), the western fairly slipper (Calypso bulbosa var. occidentalis) is an incredibly unusual and beautiful native orchid is one of the first to bloom in the mountainous areas with rich soils and undisturbed evergreen forests. Historically, the corms (similar to a bulb) were eaten as an occasional food source for Native Americans in the Pacific Northwest. This one was photographed along the shore of Lake Wenatchee in Washington's Cascade Mountains.
    Western Fairy-Slipper (Calypso bulbo..lis)
  • Closeup of salal flowers next to Deep Lake near Enumclaw, WA. Found in many places across the Pacific Northwest, this common native woody shrub is found in forests and woodlands and is of great historical importance to the native tribes who have inhabited the region for thousands of years. The delicious, intensely sweet edible berries that will come later in the summer were used to make dried cakes that would provide nourishment throughout the winter. It is said that cakes of pure salal were reserved solely for the chiefs to eat, and anyone else had to have theirs mixed with other local berries, such as huckleberries or elderberries as was the custom.
    Salal
  • An unusually bright red salmonberry at peak ripeness grows on the edge of Deep Lake near Enumclaw, WA. These native fruits are extremely common throughout the Pacific Northwest and have been important historically as a food source for thousands of years among the different tribes of Native Americans of the region.
    Salmonberry
  • Easily one of the coolest plants to be found in the Chihuahuan desert, and goes by a long list of common names, such as the Rose of Jericho, resurrection plant,  dinosaur plant, siempre viva, stone flower, doradilla, resurrection flower and many more. This attractive member of the spikemoss family looks almost like a lush, green fern during the rainy season in its native habitat of Northern Mexico, Texas and New Mexico, but during dry spells, it desiccates into a brown dormant ball that looks like a tumbleweed, only to rehydrate back to bright, vibrant green after it rains again. These were found in abundance after the springtime rains in West Texas' Big Bend National Park.
    Resurrection Moss
  • Easily one of the coolest plants to be found in the Chihuahuan desert, and goes by a long list of common names, such as the Rose of Jericho, resurrection plant,  dinosaur plant, siempre viva, stone flower, doradilla, resurrection flower and many more. This attractive member of the spikemoss family looks almost like a lush, green fern during the rainy season in its native habitat of Northern Mexico, Texas and New Mexico, but during dry spells, it desiccates into a brown dormant ball that looks like a tumbleweed, only to rehydrate back to bright, vibrant green after it rains again. These were found in abundance after the springtime rains in West Texas' Big Bend National Park.
    Resurrection Moss
  • This beautiful native honeysuckle is commonly found in forests and disturbed areas throughout the Pacific Northwest. As an important food source for hummingbirds, the sweet nectar also attracts moths at night. Native tribes have used the vines for making baskets, and the leaves were used in women's health as a tea to encourage lactation and ease cramps.
    Orange Trumpet Honeysuckle
  • Easily one of the coolest plants to be found in the Chihuahuan desert, and goes by a long list of common names, such as the Rose of Jericho, resurrection plant,  dinosaur plant, siempre viva, stone flower, doradilla, resurrection flower and many more. This attractive member of the spikemoss family looks almost like a lush, green fern during the rainy season in its native habitat of Northern Mexico, Texas and New Mexico, but during dry spells, it desiccates into a brown dormant ball that looks like a tumbleweed, only to rehydrate back to bright, vibrant green after it rains again. These were found in abundance after the springtime rains in West Texas' Big Bend National Park.
    Resurrection Moss
  • A close-up view of the interesting fused leaves that form a disk around the honeysuckles flowers (or buds in this case). This native vine is found all over much of the western United States, including British Columbia in several types of coastal to lower-elevation mountain habitats. This particular one was found growing in wild profusion in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest on the eastern side of Washington State's Cascade Mountains.
    Western Trumpet Honeysuckle Buds
  • A close-up view of the interesting fused leaves that form a disk around the honeysuckles flowers (or buds in this case). This native vine is found all over much of the western United States, including British Columbia in several types of coastal to lower-elevation mountain habitats. This particular one was found growing in wild profusion in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest on the eastern side of Washington State's Cascade Mountains.
    Western Trumpet Honeysuckle Buds
  • Close-up of the tiny green flowers of the stinging nettle. While not native to North America, this "uncomfortable" is an unfortunate import from Europe, Asia and Western Africa where it has been stinging people and animals forever and now can be found growing in every state (except Hawaii) and province of the United States, Canada, and even in parts of Northern Mexico. As an act of delicious revenge, when the leaves of the stinging nettle are added to boiling water, the tiny stinging hairs break down resulting in a very healthy and nourishing food source, similar to cooked spinach. This one was found growing above the forrest cliffs of Whidbey Island in Washington State's Puget Sound.
    StingingNettle2020-2.jpg
  • Close-up of the tiny green flowers of the stinging nettle. While not native to North America, this "uncomfortable" is an unfortunate import from Europe, Asia and Western Africa where it has been stinging people and animals forever and now can be found growing in every state (except Hawaii) and province of the United States, Canada, and even in parts of Northern Mexico. As an act of delicious revenge, when the leaves of the stinging nettle are added to boiling water, the tiny stinging hairs break down resulting in a very healthy and nourishing food source, similar to cooked spinach. This one was found growing above the forrest cliffs of Whidbey Island in Washington State's Puget Sound.
    StingingNettle2020-3.jpg
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  • orchid, native, terrestrial, beautiful, beauty, natural, nature, botany, orchid, plant, flower, Orchidaceae,  beautiful, beauty, bloom, blooming, blooms, blossom, blossoms, botany, bud, color, field, flora, floral, flower, flowers, fresh, green, macro, natural, nature, plant, plants, terrestrial, wild, wildflowers, flora, wild, bog candles, Platanthera dilatata, Platanthera dilatata var. albiflora, Plantae, Tracheophytes, Angiosperms, Monocots, Asparagales, Orchidaceae, Orchidoideae, Platanthera, Platanthera dilatata, Habenaria dilatata, Limnorchis dilatata, Orchis dilatata, Piperia dilatata, tall white bog orchid, bog orchid, white, green, Monocot, Orchidaceae, Perennial, Forb, herb, scent bottle, bog candle, boreal bog orchid, white orchid, white rein orchid, Platanthera dilatata var. albiflora, white bog-orchid, leafy white orchis, scentbottle
    Platanthera dilitata var. albiflora-...jpg
  • The incredibly beautiful and vibrant western azalea is a member of the rhododendron family and native to America's west coast from Southern Oregon area south to Mexico's Baja California. It is found in the forests of the coastal mountain ranges, and the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges. This one was spotted blooming near a peat bog just over the California border in rural Josephine County, Oregon. The incredibly beautiful and vibrant western azalea is a member of the rhododendron family and native to America's west coast from Southern Oregon area south to Mexico's Baja California. It is found in the forests of the coastal mountain ranges, and the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges. This one was spotted blooming near a peat bog just over the California border in rural Josephine County, Oregon.
    Western Azalea
  • This beautiful, yet non-native ornamental invader is found in scattered populations across the United States and Canada. Unlike our native green mint and dead-nettle species, this native of Turkey, Iran, and Armenia has very attractive furry silvery leaves, which explains why it made its way to North America in the first place, as it was once popular in gardens with families with children. This one was photographed in Northern Arkansas.
    Lamb's Ear
  • The incredibly beautiful and vibrant western azalea is a member of the rhododendron family and native to America's west coast from Southern Oregon area south to Mexico's Baja California. It is found in the forests of the coastal mountain ranges, and the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges. This one was spotted blooming near a peat bog just over the California border in rural Josephine County, Oregon. The incredibly beautiful and vibrant western azalea is a member of the rhododendron family and native to America's west coast from Southern Oregon area south to Mexico's Baja California. It is found in the forests of the coastal mountain ranges, and the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges. This one was spotted blooming near a peat bog just over the California border in rural Josephine County, Oregon.
    Western Azalea
  • The incredibly beautiful and vibrant western azalea is a member of the rhododendron family and native to America's west coast from Southern Oregon area south to Mexico's Baja California. It is found in the forests of the coastal mountain ranges, and the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges. This one was spotted blooming near a peat bog just over the California border in rural Josephine County, Oregon. The incredibly beautiful and vibrant western azalea is a member of the rhododendron family and native to America's west coast from Southern Oregon area south to Mexico's Baja California. It is found in the forests of the coastal mountain ranges, and the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges. This one was spotted blooming near a peat bog just over the California border in rural Josephine County, Oregon.
    Western Azalea
  • A common western member of the lily family photographed here in Northern Oregon, this plant was historically a critical food source many groups and tribes of North American native Americans. It is documented that Lewis and Clark depended on the cooked bulbous roots of this plant for survival on their historic journey to find an overland route to the Pacific Ocean.
    Common Camas
  • Often referred to as a weed, the very common yellow woodsorrel is found almost all over North America, with the exception of Labrador, Alberta, California, Oregon, Nevada and Utah. Commonly found growing in flowerbeds, lawns, etc. - all parts of this native beauty is edible. I grew up chewing on this plant because I love the intensely citrusy tanginess of it.
    Common Yellow Woodsorrel
  • Newly budding bitterroots growing at the top of the hills near Whiskey Dick Mountain near the Columbia River in Eastern Washington. A sometime food source of many of the Native Americans who inhabited the Western plains and sagebrush deserts where the bitterroot grows, the first European explorers found the roots too bitter to be palatable, so the first to arrive - the French named this plant the "racine amer" translated literally as bitter root. Not are these some of the most beautiful of all the flowering plants of the summer, these are also the toughest!
    Bitterroot
  • Chia is a common member if the mint family found throughout much of its native range in the Southwestern United States. Very popular in today's health food trends, it has a long history of use among American Indian tribes, and was often planted alongside corn. The tiny nut-like seeds were mixed with water and herbs to make a minty beverage, they were ground and mixed with water to make a sticky poultice for wounds, and today it is often used as a treatment from diabetes. This particular plant was photographed in a washed-out arroyo in Southern California's Joshua Tree National Park.
    Chia
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    Red Huckleberry-10
  • Newly budding bitterroots growing at the top of the hills near Whiskey Dick Mountain near the Columbia River in Eastern Washington. A sometime food source of many of the Native Americans who inhabited the Western plains and sagebrush deserts where the bitterroot grows, the first European explorers found the roots too bitter to be palatable, so the first to arrive - the French named this plant the "racine amer" translated literally as bitter root. Not are these some of the most beautiful of all the flowering plants of the summer, these are also the toughest!
    Bitterroot
  • Also known as the orange mountain dandelion, this native relative to the (non-native) common dandelion is found across most of Western Canada and the United States in mountain valleys and subalpine altitudes. The leaves are edible and can be used for fermented beverages! This one was found and photographed in the mountains above Aspen, Colorado in Pitkin County on a hot summer day.
    Orange Agoseris
  • Also known as the orange mountain dandelion, this native relative to the (non-native) common dandelion is found across most of Western Canada and the United States in mountain valleys and subalpine altitudes. The leaves are edible and can be used for fermented beverages! This one was found and photographed in the mountains above Aspen, Colorado in Pitkin County on a hot summer day.
    Orange Agoseris
  • The cardinal flower is an extremely beautiful member of the lobelia family native to most of the United States (excluding the Pacific Northwest, the northern Rockies states, and the Dakotas) and Eastern Canada. It is primarily found in somewhat wet soils, near marshes, streams, rivers, floodplains etc. and is such a vibrant red that it is easily spotted from a distance. This particularly large plant stood about five foot tall, and even though I found it growing in a depression of a dried-up creek, it still stood tall in the forest near the Apalachicola River in the Florida Panhandle on a very hot and sweltering summer day.
    Cardinal Flower
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