My dear watson, the game is afoot....

Mystery Plant # 1 - As spring is here there are more and more "sprouts" are happening in Lambert Park. Here is a new, green sprout that is beginning to show itself. Do you know which plant it is?
And the winner is Sheldon Wimmer, who was the first to successfully identify this plant as the Death Camas. Don't even think about eating a plant with the word 'death' in its name! Every part of the plant, from the bulbs to the stems, to the leaves and flowers is poisonous to humans as well as livestock! Unfortunately some of the Utah pioneers thought it was a safer plant and dies using it for various purposes. When it blooms it will have a long stem and yellow and white flowers. See what the plant in bloom looks like by clicking here.
Thanks to all that guessed and congratulations Sheldon!
And the winner is Sheldon Wimmer, who was the first to successfully identify this plant as the Death Camas. Don't even think about eating a plant with the word 'death' in its name! Every part of the plant, from the bulbs to the stems, to the leaves and flowers is poisonous to humans as well as livestock! Unfortunately some of the Utah pioneers thought it was a safer plant and dies using it for various purposes. When it blooms it will have a long stem and yellow and white flowers. See what the plant in bloom looks like by clicking here.
Thanks to all that guessed and congratulations Sheldon!
Mystery Plant #2 - We had so much fun with the first Mystery Plant contest we thought we would do it again! This new sprout is enjoying the sunlight. Do you know what plant it is?
Hint - all these plants can be found growing in the wild in Lambert Park and are found on different pages of the Alpine Nature Center website. Hint - This is not a shady character and many may think of it as a coward because of its color. (Answers below) And the winner is Sylvia Buck, who was the first to correctly identify this plant as the Arrowleaf Balsamroot! There was a flurry of correct guesses but the first was from Sylvia! Congratulations! The Arrowleaf Balsamroot is one of the showiest flowers in the park and will be here for about a month. Another common name for this flower is Oregon Sunflower, Nearly all parts of this plant are edible for wildlife as well as humans! Click here to see what it looks like in bloom. (Answers to the hints: It likes to grow in direct sunlight and its color is yellow!) |