Mule Ears
(Wyethia amplexicaulis)

This is another plant with bright yellow flower heads which resemble sunflowers. It blooms on our foothills in the spring. The leaves are very glossy, and appear to have been varnished. They are supposedly shaped like a mule's ears.

The plant's scientific name (Wyethia) was for Nathaniel Wyeth, an early fur trader. He established Fort Hall, a trading post near present-day Pocatello, Idaho. In 1834 Wyeth accompanied a botanist on an expedition across the country, and this plant was collected and described.