Al Larson Photography

We’ve had freezing weather for several months and snow is predicted this week. Even though Winter is only half gone I’m looking foreward to Spring. This photo of blue camas was taken in May of last year just a few miles north of Ola in Gem county. May is the ideal time to take a trip to Sagehen Reservoir to see birds and wildflowers. I have been on field trips to this area nearly every year for the last forty. I have never grown tired of Nature in full bloom.

I never paid much attention to this plant before except to identify it at our home in Boise, ID. It apparently came by way of the irrigation ditch or was transported by a bird. I have discovered a lot of these plants along Daggett Creek on our ranch.

Notice the unique notched leaves and the red berries. The flowers are lavender with a yellow center. Do not be tempted to eat the berries. They are deadly poison as are the leaves.

I dug into my files for this one. In the Spring there are so many wild flowers in bloom that I can’t resist taking photos. Here is one of the many paintbrush species. I like the sunlight on the flower and the darker background of the shaded juniper. I love including a lichen-covered rock to help balance the picture. It adds a sort of wildness and antiquity to the scene.

Two zuchinni starts were planted in our garden this year. One produced normal-shaped fruit (long and slender). The other one yielded this plump, rounded, melon-shaped thing shown in the photo (about 12 inches long and 8 inches wide). What happened here?

I enjoy shooting photos of flowers. They stand still. You don’t need a blind. They are also very beautiful. There are several stands of Gloriosa Daisies in our yard. They burst into magnificent beauty this time of year. I also like to include wildlife in the picture. Notice the bee on the lower center blossom.

The fancy decoration on the end of this log is fungus. Or is it mushroom? A closeup of the fungus portion of this photo makes an interesting abstract. It is of my opinion that this growth is one of the many forces in Nature that helps break down the wood fibers in decomposing logs.

A couple of years ago while treking through the brush at Lake Lowell I encountered this fascinating growth on the trunk of an aging willow tree. The primary reason for this venture was to check and repair wood duck nest boxes. However, when one encounters an object such as this, one’s attention is quickly diverted.

Is this a fungus or a mushroom? Or is it both?  I’ve often been asked, “Is it good to eat?”, when berries, fruits and mushrooms are found. Personally, I’ve never been hungry enough out in the wilderness to find out except for maybe currants, huckleberries or cherries. In this case I would definately pass it up. It may be a recipe for a belly-ache or maybe even suicide.

Mountain Ash may be found in the mountains not too far from Boise. This photo was taken a few years ago in autumn on Clear Creek between Pioneerville and Coulter summit. This native shrub grows up to approximately six feet tall. The berries ripen in the fall just in time to be visited by robins, waxwings and other fruit eating birds. This means your visit must be timed just right to see this colorful display before the birds have their feast.

Ah.., what beautiful scenes we have here in Idaho. Keep a wary eye upon the narrow twisting mountain roads but also be aware of the passng scenery. This flowering shrub, Syringa (Philadelphus lewisii), is Idaho’s state flower. It may be found throughout most of the state. Although this flower was generally accepted as the state flower since the early 1890s it was officially adopted by the state legislature in 1931. This photo was taken in mid-June 2005. Notice how the shape of the river below draws the viewer’s eye toward the flower. 

This four-petaled flower is white with a yellow center. It has a very pleasant aroma. It seems to thrive on rocky slopes above rivers and streams. Close to the city of Boise we find this plant along Highway 21 between Diversion Dam and Discovery State Park in early June. A week or two later it is found in profusion along the same highway on Mores Creek past mile marker #22.

Exploring the deserts of Idaho will give a person a different perspective on what is often called a “barren waste.” Beauty lies at your feet in the spring with nearly every step. Here we have the beautiful Bitterroot (Lewisia rediviva). The leaves of this plant appear quite early in the season but wither away as it bursts into bloom. It looks like the blossoms rise directly from the soil.