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Castilleja hispida “Harsh Paintbrush” Orobanchaceae

Lolo National Forest, Bitterroot Mountains, MT
May 10, 2015
Robert Niese

There are three or four species of paintbrushes with red bracts in the Pacific Northwest. The two most common are the Harsh Paintbrush (C. hispida) and the Common Crimson Paintbrush (C. miniata). C. hispida has a dense coat of long, hispid hairs (which look lovely when back-lit!) and will always have lobed leaves on the upper third of their stems. Conversely C. miniata is often less hairy and will have unlobed leaves on the entire stem (sometimes with small lobes on the upper-most portion). The two can also be differentiated by their calyces which are pointed in C. miniata and blunt in C. hispida.
Fun Fact: All paintbrush species are parasites, growing on the roots of other plants to survive.

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Cicindela oregona “Western Tiger Beetle” Carabidae

Olympic National Park, WA
June 6, 2013
Robert Niese

Look for these awesome predators on sandy river banks west of the Cascades. They are lightning fast and voracious hunters, but that doesn’t detract from the beauty of their iridescent exoskeleton!

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Erodium cicutarium “Stork’s Bill” Geraniaceae

Missoula, MT
April 23, 2015
Robert Niese

Erodium is famous for its fascinating dispersal mechanism. Their fruits are shaped like a stork’s bill (hence the common name) and separate into five seeds with a wirey tip upon maturity. As the seeds dry out, they begin to curl up into a corkscrew-like shape. If they are resting on soil as they begin to dry, this curling process will drive them into the ground. You can watch this self-planting mechanism here or check out the GIF below. It’s really freaking awesome!

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Osmoderma subplanata “Leather Beetle” Scarabaeidae

Missoula, MT
July 30, 2014
Robert Niese

These large (3 cm), circumboreal beetles get their name from the leathery odors they emit from their exoskeleton (Osmo- means smelly, -derma means skin). Adults spend most of their lives feeding on the decaying centers of fallen logs.

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Alyssum desertorum “Desert Madwort” Brassicaceae

Missoula, MT
April 23, 2015
Robert Niese

Desert Madwort is a common weed east of the Cascades. Although it is an invasive plant (native to Eurasia), the madwort has been incorporated into the diets of many important PNW species. For example, Pronghorn Antelope consume large quantities of madwort in the winter when other food is scarce. And harvester ants have been known to collect copious quantities of madwort seeds in the fall, and will sometimes collect every single seed that was dropped in a given season.

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Balsamorhiza sagittata “Arrowleaf Balsamroot” Asteraceae

Blackfoot River Recreation Corridor (BLM), MT
April 23, 2015
Robert Niese

Arrowleaf Balsamroot was first collected by Meriwether Lewis (of the Lewis and Clark Expedition) when he was exploring the northern Rockies in 1806. These particular specimens appear to have been munched by some deer (notice that the left side is missing some flowers).

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Anaphalis margaritacea “Pearly Everlasting” Asteraceae

Fort Casey State Park, WA
December 17, 2013
Robert Niese

Pearly Everlasting, so named for its persistent white inflorescences that hang around well into winter, is a lovely wildflower native to most of North America. It is often seen in the fall/winter bouquets sold by Pike’s Place Market’s famous flower vendors in Seattle. The dried inflorescences and leaves have also been used as an incense, especially around baby cribs.

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Phlox gracilis (Microsteris gracilis) “Midget Phlox” Polemoniaceae

Missoula, MT
April 23, 2015
Robert Niese

This diminutive flower is an abundant resident of grassy prairies, roadsides, and open forests throughout the Pacific Northwest. Its weedy nature and minuscule, 2-5mm broad flowers make it easy to overlook, but, upon closer inspection, it is a positively adorable native plant. In some locations, the tiny petals have deep lobes and fuchsia markings. Some hillsides here in Missoula have this pale lavender variety as well as a single-flowered, hot pink form.

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somuchscience:

Leucocelis sp. “Flower Chafer” (Cetoniinae) Scarabeidae

Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
January 17, 2015
Robert Niese

This adorable little flower chafer is a relative of the famously massive Goliath Beetle.

Update! This appears to be a flower chafer in the genus Leucocelis. Likely Leucocelis niansana. Thanks for the ID help!

This is definitely not the Pacific Northwest, but in case you’d like more natural history photos and articles, check out my work over at SoMuchScience!

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Pulsatilla patens (Anemone patens) “Prairie Crocus” Ranunculaceae

Blackfoot River Recreation Corridor (BLM), MT
April 23, 2015
Robert Niese

These beautiful spring flowers are most abundant in the early spring and often bloom around Passover earning them the common name “Pasque Flower” (pasque is an old Latin word for Easter). The prairie crocus is in decline throughout its range, but is protected as a threatened species in Washington where it is restricted to only a few locations in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest.