Rocky Mountain Bee Plant, Beginning to Drop Seed

Rocky Mountain Bee Plant, Cleome serrulata, is now beginning to go to seed. The seed pods will split open and drop little black seeds. If you open an immature seed pod, you will see the seeds are whitish in color. *In times of drought early Spanish-Americans made tortillas from the barely palatable but nourishing seeds.
*Lady Bird Johnson

Cascades Butterfly Project

Photo of the Viceroy Butterfly (Limenitis archippus) by Piccolo Namek

“Volunteer Citizen Scientists are being recruited for the Cascades Butterfly Project, a long-term effort in six locations in the Cascades Mountains to help biologists identify and count subalpine butterflies. North Cascades National Park and Mount Rainier National Park are among the participating locations.

Subalpine meadows are projected to shrink dramatically due to the effects of climate change, but the rate and magnitude of this change are unknown. Butterflies make ideal indicator species because they are particularly sensitive to climatic changes, and are relatively easy to identify in the field by scientists and volunteers alike.

The Cascades Butterfly Project incorporates both inventory and monitoring. Inventories are being collected across the landscape as volunteers upload photos of butterflies from any of the six protected areas on the Butterflies and Moths of North America project website, which provides a means of mapping butterflies across North America, but also provides specific location selections to support the Cascades Butterfly Project. “

Learn more on the National Parks Traveler

Pale Evening Primrose, Oenothera pallida

Pale Evening Primrose (Oenothera pallida) growing in a CSR production field located in Buhl, ID. These pretty native plants are being grown for a Restoration contract in Utah.

Biological Control Agent: The Stem Boring Weevil (Mecinus janthinus)

Entrance holes as the weevil bores into the Dalmation Toadflax

Larva of the stem-boring weevil

CSR Stewardship Team is using a biological control agent, the stem boring weevil Mecinus janthinus, to cause dramatic declines in Dalmation Toadflax populations in the Picabo ID area. Most damage is done by the larva as they feed in the stem, “mining” it out.

Salazar Announces $53 Million in Grants

Photo credit: Center for Biological Diversity , Peninsular bighorn sheep.

Salazar Announces $53 Million in Grants to Support Habitat Acquisition and Conservation Planning for Endangered Species

WASHINGTON — Secretary of the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar today (Aug 24, 2011) announced more than $53 million in grants to 17 states to support conservation planning and acquisition of vital habitat for threatened and endangered fish, wildlife, and plants.

The grants, awarded through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (Service) Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund (CESCF), will benefit numerous imperiled species ranging from the Peninsular bighorn sheep to the Karner blue butterfly.

“Our solid partnerships with states are key to Interior’s continued success in preventing the extinction of hundreds of threatened and endangered species, and recovering species, such as the bald eagle, brown pelican, and American alligator,” Secretary Salazar said. “These grant awards will support important state efforts to build and strengthen conservation partnerships, and to conserve and protect vital habitat for threatened and endangered animals and plants.”

Authorized by Section 6 of the Endangered Species Act, the competitive grants enable states to work with private landowners, conservation groups, and other agencies to initiate cost-effective conservation planning efforts and acquire and protect habitat to support the conservation of threatened and endangered species.

“Ensuring the survival of imperiled species depends on long-term partnerships and voluntary landowner participation,” said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe. “The vital funding provided by these grants empowers landowners and communities to safeguard habitat for threatened and endangered species and foster conservation stewardship efforts for future generations.”

This year, the CESCF will provide approximately $28.6 million through the Habitat Conservation Plan Land Acquisition Grants Program, $10.7 million through the Habitat Conservation Planning Assistance Grants Program, and $14 million through the Recovery Land Acquisition Grants Program. The three programs were established to help advance creative partnerships for imperiled species conservation recovery.

A complete list of the 2011 grant awards under these programs (Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 15.615) is available online.

Continue reading complete news release: August 24, 2011 News Release

Native Grasses Take Hold

First year grasses at a restoration site.

Native seed rows that are holding space. The more water, light, space and nutrients a native grass can use equals the less available for undesirable weeds.

Band-winged Meadowhawk (Sympetrum semicinctum) Submitted OdonataCentral

OdonataCentral is a public website that keeps worldwide records of data on dragonflies and damselflies. Users can search by locality or species to find what species have been seen in an area, and submit new records of sightings and photographs to increase the database.

CSR’s Julie Riddle documented a visitation by a band-winged meadowhawk (Sympetrum semicinctum) to our native landscape, and has submitted this to OdonataCentral. If approved, CSR is proud to report that this is the first sighting of this species in Twin Falls County!

Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants

Book info shared from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden

The indispensable guide for everyone who loves dazzling gardens and cares about the health of North America’s remaining wild landscapes.

In this handbook, plant professionals and home gardeners alike will discover hundreds of spectacular native plants for every region, specially chosen as alternatives to the invasive species that are degrading and destroying the continent’s natural habitats. These beautiful wildflowers, shrubs, and trees not only serve as alternatives to invasive plants but also offer food for butterflies, birds, and other wildlife.

What’s Inside:

• Native trees, shrubs, vines, herbaceous plants, and grasses organized by plant type for easy reference
• Easy-to-identify alternatives to the worst invasive plants used in horticulture
• “Attributes at a Glance” box highlights each plant’s most attractive features
• Hands-on growing tips

Native Grass Seed: Flagstone Mix

CSR’s Flagstone Seed Mix includes three native grasses to achieve effective coverage of areas between stepping stones. This mix is similar in characteristics and range to the Native Turf Grass Mix and blends well with areas of Native Turf.

Mix includes: Blue Grama (Bouteloua gracilis), Idaho Fescue (Festuca idahoensis) and Prairie Junegrass (Koeleria macrantha).

What is an Invasive Plant?

Photo credit: invasive.org,  John D. Byrd

What is an Invasive Plant? Answered by The Untied States Arboretum:

An invasive plant has the ability to thrive and spread aggressively outside its natural range. A naturally aggressive plant may be especially invasive when it is introduced to a new habitat. An invasive species that colonizes a new area may gain an ecological edge since the insects, diseases, and foraging animals that naturally keep its growth in check in its native range are not present in its new habitat.

Some invasive plants are worse than others. Many invasive plants continue to be admired by gardeners who may not be aware of their weedy nature. Others are recognized as weeds but property owners fail to do their part in preventing their spread. Some do not even become invasive until they are neglected for a long time. Invasive plants are not all equally invasive. Some only colonize small areas and do not do so aggressively. Others may spread and come to dominate large areas in just a few years. Below are some categories to illustrate degree of invasiveness.

Invasive plants:

• Produce large numbers of new plants each season.

• Tolerate many soil types and weather conditions.

• Spread easily and efficiently, usually by wind, water, or animals.

• Grow rapidly, allowing them to displace slower growing plants.

• Spread rampantly when they are free of the natural checks and balances found in their native range.

Learn more about Idaho’s invasive weeds on the Idaho Weed Awareness Campaign