There are giants in the mountains near the West Coast of the U.S. These giants are sugar pine trees (Pinus lambertiana), sometimes known as the “King of the Pines”. They grow in mixed conifer forests of the coastal and inland mountains of the Pacific Coast in southern Oregon and northern and western California. There is…
Category: Flora
Quakies
Quaking aspens, Populus tremuloides, sometimes known as trembling aspens or Quakies, are the most widely distributed native tree in North America. In the U.S., they are most prevalent in the northern areas of the Northeast and Upper Midwest. However, they have a significant presence in the mountain areas of the western U.S. Most quaking aspens…
General Grant National Park?
On October 1,1890, Congress established two new national parks – Yosemite and General Grant. The much smaller General Grant National Park was four square miles on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada about 64 miles due east of Fresno, California. The park was established for the purpose of protecting two groves of giant sequoia…
Mountain Meadow Harmony
For my first post on the notable flora of the American West, I have chosen to write about lupine and arrowleaf balsamroot. They are often companion species found blooming together throughout much of the West. In my opinion, lupine is the wildflower that most represents the American West. Arrowleaf balsamroot would not be far behind….