By Elizabeth Enslin on January 6, 2010
Moss growing behind my ears, moss for brains, hiding under moss….
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Posted in Around the Northwest, Images, Recent, Wild Plants | Tagged moss, photography, winter
By Elizabeth Enslin on December 28, 2009
I’ve spent most of my life among Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga sp.) Although I love other trees and plant communities, Douglas fir forests still speak to me of home. In the Pacific Northwest, they’re ubiquitous from the Cascades to the coast. Douglas fir and other conifers of the region are why I’ve never felt at ease in the deciduous forests of eastern North America (as lovely as they are), where bare branches in winter make me especially homesick….
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Posted in Around the Northwest, Biodiversity, Recent, Species of the Week, Wild Plants | Tagged Pacific Northwest, photography, wild
By Elizabeth Enslin on December 25, 2009
I used to be the Christmas tree enthusiast in the family. I’d drive around Seattle for hours looking for the perfect tree, set it up, decorate it….
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Posted in Recent, Sustainable Gardening, Wild Plants | Tagged holidays, nature, Sustainable Gardening, wild
By Elizabeth Enslin on November 20, 2009
It was hard to leave our yurt in northeastern Oregon with Western larch (Larix occidentalis) in full copper-yellow glory. But when the flanks of the mountains there blaze with what looks like a procession of candles, it’s time to get ready for a harsh winter or move to lower elevations….
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Posted in Around the Northwest, Recent, Species of the Week, Wild Plants | Tagged inland northwest, inspiration, seasons
By Elizabeth Enslin on October 27, 2009
This time of year, I’m one of many throughout the West enthralled by – and worried about – one of our most striking fall color trees: Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides ). Utah and Colorado have acres and acres of aspens. In northeast Oregon, we have smaller groves dotting the more prevalent bunchgrass slopes and ponderosa
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Posted in Around the Northwest, Seasons and Rituals, Species of the Week, Wild Plants | Tagged beauty, climate change, land stewardship
By Elizabeth Enslin on August 14, 2009
I’m excited to try my new steam juicer on this first crop of wild elderberries. Mixed with a little honey, the juice disappears pretty fast in our home. But later batches may make it into jelly, wine, or apple pies.
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Posted in Biodiversity, Sustainable Food, Wild Plants | Tagged food, photography, wild food
By Elizabeth Enslin on August 9, 2009
Here’s a small taste of Saturday’s hike on Zumwalt Prairie, the largest Nature Conservancy reserve in Oregon and the last remnant of bluebunch wheatgrass/idaho fescue-dominated prairie in North America. Thanks to the Wallowa Land Trust for organizing a great outing and to the local Nature Conservancy office for leading it.
Looking east over section of Zumwalt
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Posted in Around the Northwest, Pacific Northwest travel, Travel, Wild Plants | Tagged photography, wild, wildflowers
By Elizabeth Enslin on July 22, 2009
One of the things I like about writing regular posts on various species is that it challenges my own tendency to overlook or take for granted species that are common, mundane, or unpopular. Last week, I had the good fortune to take a brief vacation in the high desert country of Central Oregon. I decided it was time to learn more about a plant I see everywhere throughout the Great Basin but know little about: Artemesia tridentata, or sagebrush.
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Posted in Species of the Week, Wild Plants | Tagged desert, exploration, nature, photography, plants
By Elizabeth Enslin on May 26, 2009
I hate lawns. I dug up most of mine on a city lot in Portland, Oregon and replaced it with fruit trees, berries, vegetables, and flowers. In the parking strips, I planted drought tolerant species. Now on our property in Northeastern Oregon, I’m battling a much larger swath of smooth brome and other introduced pasture grasses to establish an orchard and kitchen garden.
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Posted in Species of the Week, Wild Plants | Tagged beauty, Sustainable Gardening, wild
By Elizabeth Enslin on May 26, 2009
Some more photos of our beautiful spring in Flora, Oregon:
When I get more internet time, I will fill out the captions on the photos with a bit more information.
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Posted in Biodiversity, Homesteading, Wild Plants | Tagged nature, photography, Sustainable Gardening, wildflowers
Fringe Magazine
High Desert Journal
In the Mist
Opium Magazine
Oregon Literary Review
The Smoking Poet
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