Celebrating Wildflowers
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Plant of the Week: Mountain Bog Gentian
Also known as Rainier pleated gentian or Explorer’s gentian, mountain bog gentian (Gentiana calycosa) is a native mountain perennial... ”
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Pollinator of the Month:
Monarch Butterfly
Among the most recognized, studied, and loved of all of North America’s insects.
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Beauty of It All: Terrific Trilliums
Trilliums hold a special place in the hearts of naturalists, botanists, horticulturalists, and outdoorsmen and outdoorswomen worldwide. Read more about trilliums…
Ethnobotany…plants sustaining people
Ethnobotany is the study of how people of a particular culture and region make use of indigenous (native) plants. Read more about ethnobotany…
Explore Rare Plants on our National Forests and Grasslands
“Caring for the land and serving people”, the mission of the U.S. Forest Service, means caring for rare plants and their habitats, and helping people learn about these special plants on our national forests and grasslands. Read more about rare plants….
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Celebrating Wildflowers is dedicated to the enjoyment of the thousands of wildflowers growing on our national forests and grasslands, and to educating the public about the many values of native plants.
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Celebrating Wildflowers News
Running buffalo clover saved from extinction -- Service removes eastern plant from list of endangered species!
Posted Aug 27, 2021
Photo by Marci Lininger; USFWS.
Running buffalo clover, a perennial plant native to parts of the eastern U.S. and once thought to be extinct, is thriving and is now considered recovered. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is pleased to announce a final rule removing Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections for the species.
“The recovery of the running buffalo clover is a great example of the success of conservation partnerships,” said Charles Wooley, regional director of the Service’s Great Lakes Region. “We applaud the efforts of our state, federal and private conservation partners who came together to ensure its long-term future and who persevered in searching for and discovering new populations.”
Once found in nine states, running buffalo clover was believed to be extinct prior to 1983, when one population was found in West Virginia. In 1987, the Service listed running buffalo clover as endangered. Since then, additional populations have been identified, including 21 populations reported after the agency’s 2019 proposal to delist the plant. Running buffalo clover is now known to occur in 175 populations in Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Of the known populations, 88 are on public lands or privately owned lands with conservation agreements. Read more…
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack Issues USDA Proclamation Recognizing National Pollinator Week, June 21-27, 2021
Posted June 21, 2021
WASHINGTON, June 21, 2021 – Today, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack issued a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) proclamation to recognize the designation of the week of June 21 – 27, 2021 as National Pollinator Week.
Read the full proclamation…
Pollinator species, such as birds, bats, bees, and other insects, play an important role in producing more than 100 crops grown in the United States. Honey bee pollination alone adds more than $18 billion in value to agricultural crops annually and are critical to ensuring our diets are plentiful with fruits, nuts, and vegetables.
“The health of these agricultural contributors is critical to the vitality and sustainability of U.S. agriculture, food security, and our nation’s overall economy. Pollinators are also essential for healthy, biodiverse ecosystems across public and private lands, including our agricultural lands and our National Forests and grasslands,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “I applaud pollinator conservation efforts happening across our nation. I recognize we have a lot more work to do to protect these important agricultural contributors and creating awareness about the importance of pollinators is a continued step to ensuring pollinators thrive.”
USDA recognizes the critical role pollinators play in agriculture and supports pollinator health through research, data collections, diagnostic services, monitoring, pollinator habitat enhancement programs, and pollinator health grants.
Learn more about USDA Pollinator work, as well as work by the Forest Service.