Soil Amendments

(photo of the CSR team preparing to apply soil amendments) Soil amendments, also called soil conditioners, is a material added to soil to improve plant growth and health. A conditioner or a combination of conditioners corrects the soil’s deficiencies in structure and/or nutrients. The type of soil amendment added depends on the current soil composition, [...]

2010 GIS Day

In honor of GIS Day 2010, CSR GIS department visited the Filer school district this month to present an activity using GIS in decision making. The activity was based on the building of an imaginary dam across the Snake River. It highlighted both the anthropogenic benefits a dam provides and the environmental consequences of building [...]

The Problem with Cheatgrass, Bromus tectorum

(photo credit) Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) is a winter annual. As such, it is an early colonizer and specifically invades disturbed areas, especially overgrazed and burned sites. Being the winter annual it is, cheatgrass is dry during the summer and fall months, providing a large fuel load during the fire season. The presence of cheatgrass increases the [...]

Native Focus: Trifolium macrocephalum, Large-head Clover

Native Focus: Trifolium macrocephalum, Large-head Clover, is unusual in a number of respects. While most clovers grow in moist soils or as weeds in disturbed areas, this species is certainly not weedy and grows only in thin , rocky (lithosol) areas that become very dry during the hot summer. Clovers characteristically have three (tri) leaflets [...]

Soil Compaction and its Effect on Plants

Soil compaction is the movement of soil particles, including sand, silt and clay, closer together. This is caused by external forces, such as traffic driving off road in muddy/wet conditions, or even our own footfalls. Even a falling raindrop causes a little soil compaction. As the soil is compacted, it becomes denser and its air pockets become smaller. It is less able [...]

Monarch Butterfly, ID State Insect

The Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) was designated the official state insect of Idaho in 1992. Both the caterpillar and adult Monarch butterfly are brilliant in color as a warning to predators – the Monarch ingests toxins from the milkweed plant which are poisonous.

CSR Biology in the Classroom

The CSR Biology manager, Zenyth, was in the classroom this past month speaking to a 4th grade class in Filer, ID. Big questions were asked such as, “What is native?” and “What is a weed?”.  Zenyth shared the story of a rose being a weed in a cornfield and that a weed is a plant growing [...]

Invasive Focus: Russian Olive, Elaeagnus angustifolia

(photo credit) (photo credit) Invasive Focus: Russian Olive, Elaeagnus angustifolia, is a deciduous tree or shrub growing to 35 ft. in height. Russian olive is easily recognized by the silvery, scaly underside of the leaves and slightly thorny stems. Leaves are alternate and 1/2 in. wide. Small, yellowish flowers or hard green to yellow fruits [...]

CSR’s Team SageGrouse

Conservation Seeding & Restoration Inc has the privilege of employing many talented people, in and out of the office. As such, Team SageGrouse was formed. If you have never checked out the CSR sponsored teams, please click on over to the Team SageGrouse Blog and do so. We have a lot of fun together!

Native Focus: Elymus elymoides, Bottlebrush Squirreltail Grass

Native Focus: Elymus elymoides, Bottlebrush Squirreltail Grass, is a perennial grass with tufted grey/green rough leaves. Clusters of seed with long awns in purplish dense spikes when young, opening to dry plumes in shape of bottlebrush when mature. Elymus elymoides like dry to moist open sites, often rocky, and can grow at a wide variety [...]