IdahoLark

@idaholark

Bird nerd, Tali's person, master naturalist, Boise State alum, 4th gen Idahoan and former Alaskan.

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IdahoLark@idaholark· 24d

So did Laura Petrie (I’m old).

IdahoLark@idaholark· 26d

I think that snow/freeze we got in late June was right about when bees should have been pollinating the plants. Unless drought stress made them vulnerable to whatever is going on in my patches. It's probably best for my spine if I don't pick at all this year. 😩

IdahoLark@idaholark· 26d

I'd love it more if it didn't mean another bazillion potential fire starts. 😩

IdahoLark@idaholark· 26d

A wee bit ‘o lightning out there.

IdahoLark@idaholark· 28d

In my happy place. #IdahoEscape

A hot springs pool is surrounded by old wooden buildings made from logs. On the left of it is a walkway made of flagstones. A forested mountain is in the background.

IdahoLark@idaholark· Jul 11

Thanks! She’s been a pretty cute poser since the day we got her.

IdahoLark@idaholark· Jul 11

One of my favorite things about Baumgartner Campground, located on the upper reaches of the South Fork of the Boise River, are all the woodland pinedrops to be found. These fascinating plants rely on mycorrhizal fungi around pine tree roots, rather than photosynthesis, for nutrients. #IdahoEscape

A collage of four photos of a white dog sitting next to stalks of pinedrops. The unbranched, red woody stems are topped by a spike of small, upside-down, urn-shaped flowers. There are cones from ponderosa pine trees and needed scattered on the ground, and tree trunks behind the dog.

IdahoLark@idaholark· Jul 10

This was from an earlier trip to Baumgartner, up at the hot springs. The kid gave me an idea on how to empty the pool when I want it to myself!

IdahoLark@idaholark· Jul 10

In addition to all the fun birds, we saw a few herpty things at Baumgartner Campground last weekend: a Columbia spotted frog and a gopher snake (or as we called them as kids, a bull snake). Like a good citizen scientist I entered my sightings in iNaturalist.

A frog is chillin' in shallow water with its hind legs spread apart and its head sticking out of the water. It has large spots on it, a creamy stripe on its upper lip, and large dark eyes.

A frog in shallow water is looking at the lady with the phone camera near eye level. Its hind legs spread apart and its head sticking out of the water. It has large spots on it, a creamy stripe on its upper lip, and large dark eyes.

A snake with a pattern of large brown spots on its back is undulating on the ground near some green lichen. The spots are darker brown towards the head and back half of the body, while the middle spots are much lighter. It looks like it is slithering towards the person with the camera, but was stopped and thinking about using a defensive posture.

The top view of a snake's head and part of its body. It has an interesting pattern of darker brown squares alternating with beige stripes on its back, and smaller dark brown spots on its sides and head. It is on top of pine needles with a few stalks of a sedge above and below it.

IdahoLark@idaholark· Jul 10

Lolita Farms, you say? Wouldn't be my first choice of a name. And I would never choose to drink raw milk from any dairy. I will never understand these idiotic, anti-science fads.

IdahoLark@idaholark· Jul 9

She would have loved this big one I found in Alaska.

IdahoLark@idaholark· Jul 9

I asked my sister if she knew about this book. Her response:

IdahoLark@idaholark· Jul 9

That cereal rye is becoming a real fire threat. My sister’s take a few years ago:

IdahoLark@idaholark· Jul 8

Even Mayor Kempthorne helped fill sandbags during that flood. I didn't realize that turning city streets into temporary canals was part of a formal flood-control plan, after the City didn't receive funding to dam Cottonwood Creek.

A February 25, 1986 Idaho Statesman newspaper about how Boise's East End was turned into a "miniature Venice" following a winter rainstorm that flooded Cottonwood Creek. Volunteers filled sandbags and diverted floodwaters down several streets to the Boise River.

IdahoLark@idaholark· Jul 8

My sister the botanist posted this today. She's discovered several new plant species in the Boise foothills (as well as other places and states). These fires always depress her. It's so hard for any native plants to compete against cheat grass after a fire. #IdahoFire

Post by Barbara Ertter: On top of all the other concerns, the current fire in the Boise foothills has burned right through the heart of the primary concentration of known populations of Boise Goldenweed (Pyrrocoma boiseana), which was recognized as a distinct new species less than a year ago. And unlike most of our other native herbaceous wildflowers in the Boise Front, which have already entered their summer dormancy stage, the Boise Goldenweed was just now coming into bloom. Meaning it is particularly vulnerable to fire at this time of year. Furthermore, it's optimum habitat is intact sagebrush-steppe, and that is exactly what tends to get permanently converted to non-native low-diversity grasslands after fires. I really hate feeling that each new species description I write is actually an obituary.

IdahoLark@idaholark· Jul 8

Boise’s Claremont Fire: announcement: #IdahoFire

Media Statement 3:35 pm 07/07/26: Claremont Fire Planned Burn Operation

Ensuring Safety Amid Unexploded Ordnance Risks

The Claremont Fire Incident Command is announcing a planned burn operation this afternoon or evening in designated areas affected by the wildfire. This operation is expected to produce significant smoke, and we urge nearby communities to remain aware. The decision to proceed with a controlled burn is based on firefighter safety concerns and the presence of unexploded ordnance (UXO) in the area. Our top priorities are the safety of our personnel and the public. Direct suppression tactics are not feasible due to the risk posed by UXO, which could endanger firefighters and responders. Instead, a managed burn allows us to contain the fire while minimizing exposure to hazardous conditions.

The US Army Corps of Engineers is actively involved in the clearance and identification of UXO, working closely with fire response teams to ensure all operations adhere to strict safety protocols. Specific areas will be closed to the public during this phase, and we ask for your cooperation in respecting these closures. All actions are coordinated across multiple agencies to ensure both effective fire response and comprehensive risk management. We appreciate your understanding as we prioritize safety above all else.

IdahoLark@idaholark· Jul 7

Probably my favorite bird sighting was of a fledgling American Dipper that already has its dippty-doo moves down pretty good while waiting and beeping for a parent to bring it food. 5/5 #IdahoEscape

IdahoLark@idaholark· Jul 7

The birding was fabulous at Baumgartner Campground, with most birds keeping busy by foraging for insects to feed their babies. Photos by my husband. 4/5 #IdahoEscape

A male Western Tanager is perched on a dead branch with a caterpillar in its beak. The bird has a bright red head, yellow belly, and black wings, tail and back.

A male Yellow-rumped Warbler is perched behind green leaves with a spider in its beak. It has gray wings with a white patch, a white belly, black flanks, a grey head with a black mask, and a bright yellow throat and patch of yellow on its side. You can't see the yellow rump in this photo.

IdahoLark@idaholark· Jul 7

2/2 Traffic on the road across the river was insane on the 4th. We entertained ourselves by watching to see who had the biggest flag, while I also grimaced at the kids speeding on the one-lane stretch of bumpy dirt road. I wish parents didn't treat their ATVs as kids' toys. They can be deadly. 2/5

A silver pickup truck has a load of people riding in the back, one of whom is holding a large American flag. They are on a dirt road just above a river.

A red side-by-side off-road vehicle is traveling down a dirt road just above a river. A large American flag on a pole is attached to the back of it.

A collage of children riding off-road vehicles on a dirt road along a stepp hillside just above a river. One is of a boy--maybe 11 or 12--crouched down on a small dirt bike. The other three photos are of children that looked to be in the age range of 9 to 12 riding on an ATV. In two photos there are two children riding it, including a shirtless boy and a girl in sandals. The last is a blurry photo of all three kids on the vehicle. All are wearing helmets, thankfully.

IdahoLark@idaholark· Jul 7

It was an interesting weekend at Baumgartner Campground, including not 1 but 2 life flight evacuations. First was for a helmetless ATV rider found wrecked, unconscious, and bleeding profusely from his ears. The 2nd was a woman who passed out while hiking. Who knew there were EMS side-by-sides? 1/5

A red off-road red vehicle with four doors and a hard top called a side-by-side. Decals on its side read "Elmore County" and "Elmore Ambulance Service." It is parked in paved lot surrounded by tall green trees.

Two Elmore County ambulances are parked in a paved lot surrounded by tall pine trees. Several pickup trucks are parked to the right.

IdahoLark@idaholark· Jul 7

Great photo in the @idahostatesman.com this morning of the Claremont Fire next to Boise. I'm betting it was caused by a fool with fireworks, or an off-roader's hot muffler or exhaust. The last update says the fire has grown to 2,500 acres and is 0% contained. #IdahoFire

A fire is burning in the hills just above a number of homes on lower ridge lines. An airplane is dropping red fire retardant at the edge of the fire closest to the homes. Gray smoke is billowing to the left of the large blackened area. The City of Boise sits at the base of the hills. A few buildings and a white tennis dome can be seen amongst the trees.

IdahoLark@idaholark· Jul 7

Welcome to the final show.

IdahoLark@idaholark· Jul 7

Crap! I hate this time of year.

IdahoLark@idaholark· Jul 7

Looks like the James Comey seashell bandit was on the South Fork of the Boise River recently. The manhunt will begin soon.

IdahoLark@idaholark· Jul 6

So hard to go from this—to the Thunderdome. #IdahoEscape

A crystal clear swimming hole on a mountain river is surrounded by large granite boulders and trees. A white dog is swimming in the river and a man is fishing from a large rock near the far side.

Two lanes of cars and trucks on Idaho’s I-84 interstate

IdahoLark@idaholark· Jul 2

Party on, ‘murica!

An alternate version of Andrew Wyeth’s painting “Christina’s World,” depicting a woman in an inclined position on the ground in a treeless, mostly tawny field. Instead of looking towards a house and barn on the horizon, she is looking across the empty field towards the U.S. Capitol, a ferris wheel, and the America 250’s fair tents.

IdahoLark@idaholark· Jul 1

So much fun to attend a yard concert at the neighbors' house, even if it gave me serious big yard envy.

People in camp chairs are sitting with their backs toward the camera. There are yellow flowers between them and a group of four musicians playing guitar, stand-up bass and dobro on a deck next to a house.

IdahoLark@idaholark· Jun 30

Hard pass.

The reader board for a Del Taco restaurant says “Fart Flavored Fun.”

IdahoLark@idaholark· Jun 29

2/2...our "we WILL tread on you" legislature banned any flags not on their pre-approved list. So the City wrapped the flagpoles at the courthouse in rainbow colors. And, every single tree on the boulevard's median got wrapped in Pride colors. 👏👏🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

Trees in a grassy road median are wrapped in colorful ribbons representing the colors of the Pride rainbow flag.

Two trees in a grassy road median are wrapped in ribbons representing transgender and black/brown Pride colors.

IdahoLark@idaholark· Jun 28

Saturday evening giggle.