Author Archives: mallardwebwl

This a nice photo of a mariposa lily (Calochortus macrocarpus) flower.  It is common in our dry sagebrush and grassland ecosystems although livestock grazing has reduced its historic abundance considerably.  The thick, fleshy bulbs were eaten raw or cooked by indigenous people but due to current declining abundance, harvesting of plants is discouraged.  The leavesContinue reading “Can someone identify this plant which I saw on the grassland?”

Both tundra swans and trumpeter swans can be seen in most years on lakes and ponds in the Williams Lake area during their migrations northward.  Trumpeter swans are usually seen first, often while there is still ice on the lakes and ponds but some open water is present.  They are seldom seen in the springContinue reading “Are the swans we see at Scout Island mostly tundra swans or trumpeter swans?”