Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument - Wildflowers

Because Idaho lies on the west side of the Continental Divide, its climate is more affected by prevailing winds from the Pacific Ocean than the continental fronts of the Great Plains. Hagerman in southern Idaho is part of the Sagebrush Steppe. Much of this area is under cultivation or used for livestock grazing. Extreme grazing allowed weedy, less palatable plant species to replace the natural vegetation. Unfortunately, much of the Sagebrush Steppe has been overgrazed and thus altered, in some cases sometimes irreversibly so.

The Monument still supports tall sagebrush and various grasses. In moister areas, it supports bitterbrush, lupines, and balsamroots. In the drier sandy areas, species of rabbitbrush and several species of desert buckwheat are common. Less common are the beautiful and colorful desert wildflowers. The Hagerman area is fortunate to display a number of seasonal wildflowers enlivening its sagebrush-covered vistas.

A species of wild current found on the monument is the golden current ( Ribes aureum ), an attractive shrub with golden yellow flowers. The desert evening primrose ( Oenothera caespitosa ) with its large white and pink flowers is a charming and fragrant species. The buttercups ( Ranunculus testiculatus ) pretty flowers of yellow cheer are a positive sight. The upland larkspur ( Delphinium nuttallianum ) is a showy flower with large dark blue or purple coloration. All parts of this plant contain poisonous alkaloids. Early settlers used the seeds as poison baits in exterminating lice.

In the Figwort flower family the Monument enjoys the beautiful bright red desert paintbrush ( Castilleja linariaefolia ), the common but lovely Indian paintbrush ( Castilleja spp. ), and the dark blue penstemon ( Penstemon cyaneus ). The blazing star ( Menzelia laevicaulis ) often steals the show with its brilliant lemon yellow flowers. The five or more petals collectively form a nearly perfect star. The white-stem blazing star ( Mentzelia albicaulis ) also shines brightly on the Monument.

Phlox is a Greek word meaning flame. The long-leaf phlox ( Phlox longifolia ) with their pink flowers peeking cheerfully through the sagebrush are delightful to see with their white flowers, which turn to pink or light blue as they age. Hood's phlox ( Phlox hoodii ) forms dense carpet-like mats covered with white-petaled flowers that fade to pink or lilac at maturity.

As our grand finale, one cannot find a more majestic flower than the Prince's plume ( Stanleya pinnata ). It is a tall and striking flower often reaching over 3 feet. It contains several stems, each with a plume-like cluster of small bright yellow flowers.