Penstemon payettensis

Penstemon payettensis, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

A gem from this past summer, as I attended the American Penstemon Society meeting in Boise, Idaho. The day before the meeting started, Paul Blischak (one of my graduate students) and I did a short field trip up into the Boise Mountains. There we found four species of Penstemon in just a short while, including this lovely species.

For more information about it, check out the blog post I wrote: http://wolfelab.wordpress.com/2013/07/17/penstemon-payettensis-todays-featured-beardtongue/

Penstemon payettensis

Penstemon payettensis, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

A beautiful species from Idaho. This was from the American Penstemon Society field meeting last June.

Penstemon attenuatus var. militaris

Penstemon attenuatus var. militaris, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

This species is in section Penstemon subsection Proceri. I photographed it on Moore's Mountain, which is in the Boise Mountains of Idaho. It was super abundant in a meadow near our lunch spot (the "our" being the American Penstemon Society group I was with).

Penstemon wilcoxii

Penstemon wilcoxii, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Another beautiful penstemon from the Boise Mountains of central Idaho. I can feel the cool mountain breeze as I remember this place. I'll need that memory today. We're at the leading edge of a heat wave for the midwest.

Penstemon payettensis

Penstemon payettensis, a photo by andiwolfe on Flickr.

Just one of the many beautiful penstemons found out west. This plant was seen in the Boise Mountains of Idaho last month.

Every time I travel through the western cordillera my spirit is renewed. Penstemons are just an excuse to get a mountain fix - at least that's what it seems like sometimes. It's hard to live in a geologically-challenged area. Ohio is definitely not a mountainous state, but there are other advantages to living here. Ohio State University and Columbus are examples....