Our inaugural episode of Boise Biophilia!
In this episode we talk about winter annual weeds – uninvited and unpopular plants with an unconventional life cycle. By sprouting in the fall, staying small and green all winter, then flowering and setting seed as soon as it warms up in the spring, winter annual weeds have adopted a strategy that makes them very successful at sticking around. One winter annual weed that we all love to hate is cheatgrass.
But hey, some winter annual weeds, like miner’s lettuce and chickweed, are edible. Plus, some very resourceful people are making beer out of cheatgrass. So it’s not all bad.
Resources:
- Missouri Botanical Garden: Winter Annual Weeds
- University of Nebraska Extension: Winter Annual Weeds
- NPR: Fires and Invasive Grass Threaten the West
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This episode aired on Radio Boise from February 12 – 18, 2018.
Boise Biophilia 