Category: Species Spotlight
A closer look at high desert flora and fauna.
Letter to the Editor: Not like the other birds
We received a curious letter recently and wanted to share it with our desert conservation community. Dear Human News Media, April has arrived and I am cringing because I know what’s coming. You’ll describe me as a “chicken-sized bird” or even worse, a “football-sized bird,” share a video of my mating dance, and move...
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Signs of Fall
Autumn is a time of transition in Oregon’s high desert. The cooler days and cooler nights bring a wave of rust-red and brilliant yellow hues into this generally sage-green and dusky golden brown plant life, and everything from butterflies to elk is on the move. Read on for more of the cyclic and seasonal...
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Species Spotlight: Quaking Aspen
Author: LeeAnn Kriegh | Published: September 15, 2020 | Category: Species Spotlight Why Aspen Quake The day I fell in love with Central Oregon, I woke to the sound of a quaking aspen’s leaves rustling outside my bedroom window. A breeze was stirring, and I looked out to see the leaves flashing green-silver against...
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Signs of Summer
Across Oregon’s high desert, plants and animals spend the summer months “searching” — for shade, for water, for food, for safety from predators. Below, you’ll find a snapshot of cyclic and seasonal natural phenomena you might see taking place across Oregon’s high desert in June, July and August. We invite you to share your...
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Species Spotlight – Pronghorn
A long list of charismatic animals inhabits Oregon’s high desert. Species such as the Greater Sage-grouse, bighorn sheep, cougars, burrowing owls and even the occasional black bear or wandering moose (okay, just one moose), can all be found exploring the characteristic rimrock, sagebrush, and open spaces of the state’s eastern half. In fact, many...
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Drawn to Nests
One day in spring of 2014, I started drawing bird nests. I didn’t stop for almost a year. These drawings began as a way for me to explore my curiosity about birds’ nests without causing any harm to the birds themselves. My work on this series made me more aware of the impacts we...
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Signs of Spring
By Scott Bowler and Lace Thornberg After months of rejuvenating itself in subtle ways, Oregon’s high desert begins pulsing with undeniable signs of spring’s arrival in March, April and May. Spring’s ‘arrival’ varies widely. By mid-April, a few rounds of wildflowers will have already come and gone along the banks of Whychus Creek, outside...
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See the World from a Butterfly’s Point of View
I wonder if butterflies might get annoyed by all the poetic language they attract. They’re “tiny rainbows,” “flying flowers,” or “ephemeral angels.” We use them as metaphors for transformation and as symbols of beauty, joy, and immortality. But what are they really? My fear is that all the chatter about beautiful butterflies reflecting the...
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Species Spotlight: Burrowing Owl
A Funny Little Owl By LeeAnn Kriegh Pronghorn are perhaps the most graceful animal native to the high desert country of Central and Eastern Oregon. Golden Eagles are the most majestic, Greater Sage-Grouse the most emblematic. And Burrowing Owls? They’re the funniest. Let us never overlook the fact that we’re talking about owls who...
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Three Tiny Creatures of Oregon’s High Desert
Racing pronghorn. Soaring golden eagles. Charging salmon. Oregon’s high desert pulses with the movement of these great creatures, but it’s good to remember that the desert’s iconic animals, birds and fish are no more vital to this ecosystem than any other species. They’re just easier to see. In fact, the little guys that live in the...
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