For some of our research, we want to know what plant species grow at our field sites. A few of our technicians have taken courses in plant ID where they learned some basics about plant structure, and maybe how to identify a few of the common plants we see here in Utah. However, our work often requires more knowledge than that. This is when we utilize some of the handy tools that we have collected over the years. We wanted to share some of these resources with you, in case you are a fellow plant nerd.

Here are a few books that we regularly use in the field:

Calochortus nuttallii - Sego Lily — *Calochortus nuttallii -* Sego Lily

Weeds of the West - R. Parker, R. Lee, B. Nelson, D. Cudney, L. Burrill, T. Whitson, and S. Dewey
Wildflowers and Other Herbaceous Plants of Utah Rangelands - USU Extension
Grasses and Grasslike Plants of Utah - USU Extension
Vascular Plants of Northern Utah - Richard J. Shaw

This field season we will also be testing some apps to help us identify unknown plants. We’ve found that pictures are the most helpful way to identify plants and these apps combine keys and pictures together to identify plants species in an interactive way. The “Utah Wildflowers” app is a free option that is beginner friendly and easy to use. You don’t need to know anything about plants to use it, and the app helps to define some of the more technical terms so you can learn. And… if you think that a key is just something you use to start your car, this app will introduce you to plant keys. This app lays out the key in a very intuitive way, you won’t even know you’re using one. We definitely recommend that you download this app for your next hike in Utah. Everybody loves the cool friend that can name all of the wildflowers while you’re out and about - trust us!

Stelleria longipes - Longstalk starwort — *Stelleria longipes -* Longstalk starwort

But why do we need to know what plant species are out there? Well, not all plants are created equal. Each plant species has unique traits that help to tell us what is going on in that system. For example, some plant species thrive in systems with heavy disturbance (like grazing), so if we see a lot of those plants, we know that this area has been hit hard by livestock. Other plants can be great soil stabilizers because of their extensive root structures. If we see these plants along a stream bank, we can understand the stability of the streambank.

Being able to correctly identify plant species can tell us a lot about the forage quality of the range for the livestock, but it also tells us a lot about what kind of habitat is out there for wildlife. For some species, such as the Greater Sage Grouse, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and other researchers have identified key forb species that the sage grouse need to thrive. Our crew needs to be able to identify these special plants so we can determine if areas include healthy habitat for sage grouse.

Learning the plant species in your area can be VERY overwhelming. You have to be super detail-oriented and extremely patient. We have spent thousands of hours doing our research about the plants in our area so that we can finally feel confident about what we are identifying. We spend weeks looking at plants in the field, at all stages of growth. And when we are really stumped, we bag up a sample and take it home where we have unlimited access to resources on the internet. If you need to bag up a sample, we recommend getting a damp newspaper and adding it to the ziplock bag with your sample to prevent drying. Don’t forget to label it with the date collected, location, and any details that could help you identify it!

Plant Identification