April 2022 - 22

Some studies have shown lupine is the
second-most consumed food by mule deer
in August after geraniums. Randall has seen
grouse eating lupine in the fall.
Lupine is not just beneficial for wildlife.
It fixes nitrogen in the soil after fire, and acts
as a healing agent preparing the soil for other
plants, said Bonnie Heidel, lead botanist with
the Wyoming Natural Diversity Database.
Where: Mountains throughout Wyoming.
When: Summer.
Helpful identification tips: Showy, purple
flowers with hairy leaves. It can grow 20 to
30 inches tall.
Wild strawberries
Fragaria virginiana
We aren't the only ones who look for tiny
wild strawberries tucked close to the ground
under broad, green leaves. The berries' burst
of sugary sweetness are unlike anything we
can find at the store, and their white flowers
are dainty solutes to the sun in mid-summer.
For wildlife it's those green leaves that
hold the appeal, Randall said. They stay green
long after the first frost, which means they
hold their nutritional content and water.
They're also a good source of food when the
wildflower buffet of summer begins to wane.
" Animals will shift their diet to what is
Lupine can be toxic early in its growth, but as summer progresses and the seed heads shatter it provides nutrition for a
variety of wildlife species. (Photo by Wes Uncapher)
Lupine
Lupinus
Many people think of lupine as toxic,
avoided by wildlife and livestock. They're
not wrong. Lupine is toxic early in its life,
Randall said, but as summer progresses and
the seed heads shatter, the plant becomes less
toxic and turns into an important source of
nutrition for Wyoming's wildlife, though
some species of lupine remain toxic all season.
" Lupine is particularly interesting in the
mountains. It will hold its green and lush
quality much longer after the first frosts have
settled in than other plants, " Randall said.
" In the high country we will get frosts in
August and early September and a lot of the
flowers begin crisping up and quality goes
down. But lupine will really hold its green
and forage quality much longer. "
22 | April 2022
maximizing the benefit to them, " Randall
said. " And of course they know that. "
Where: Most Wyoming mountains in moist,
sunny spots.
When: May to July.
Helpful identification tips: Spreads in
runners and has leaves with three toothed,
oval leaflets and white, saucer-shaped flowers.
Prairie smoke
Geum triflorum
This early-spring flower is also called Geum
triflorum prairie smoke, old man's whiskers,
prairie plume or avens.
Like the pasqueflower, its stems and leaves
are covered in little hairs to keep it more
insulated from the effects of spring snows and
frosts. Its reddish, purple heads bow down
like bells and petals protect nutritious seed
pods inside.
When the flowers eventually dry, and pedals
drop to the ground, long plumes attached to
the seeds help them float away in the wind,
according to Diantha and Jack States' book
" Wildflowers of Wyoming. "

April 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of April 2022