Mountain Grass

I made my garden on a stony slope. And I'm pleased with what now flourishes here. The rocky earth suites me. I am a proud citizen of steep and stony country. I've never felt quite at home on the fertile plains. The hills harbor their own kind of abundance. When I cleared the brush from …

Native Tree Willows

My valley is defined by the enormous reservoir formed behind Grand Coulee Dam. There is almost nothing left of the former floodplain ecosystem on this stretch of the Columbia River. Ethnographies of the local indigenous cultures reference many uses for willows. Willow taxonomy is complicated, and it is unclear which willow species were utilized. Most …