Thyme buckwheat - David Hagen

Goldenweed - Jim Farrell
ages. Blooming from early spring into late summer, depending on the species, desert buckwheats provide an important nectar source for shrub-steppe bees and butterflies. The seeds of desert buckwheats are a favorite food for many birds and rodents.

Plants & People

It's easy to forget the importance of plants in our lives. The approach to the Douglas Creek-South Watchable Wildflowers site takes you past fields of cultivated crops: orchards, alfalfa, and wheat. Where the land is more rugged, stock animals graze. an integral part of our lives, plants are vital for basic human activities like washing and eating, shelter, medicine, and clothing.

Humans have been recording the history of plant uses since early times. Expeditions to uncharted lands usually included botanists. Until recently, doctors of western medicine studied botany, because plants were the only source of ingredients for the most effective treatments. Enjoying the beauty of wildflowers is just one of many reasons why protecting native plant species benefits us all.

 

Puccoon - Joe Duff

Can you find?

Goldenweed (Haplopappus stenophyllus) - Look for this plant in dry, rocky soils. Small, narrow leaves crowd the base of this plant, almost hiding the nearly leafless stems that bear vibrant yellow flowers in late spring.

Puccoon (Litlhospermum ruderale) - The small. pale yellow flowers of puccoon appear in late spring, partially hidden at the base of the leaves. Puccoon is common in the shrub-steppe, and is easily identified by a cluster of long, leafy stems springing up from a solid, woody root.