U.S.A. - Idaho - Boise

BOISE, IDAHO
Idaho's capital city is a place where you can enjoy just about anything. It combines the hometown atmosphere with high tech companies. There are endlessrecreational opportunities, along with cultural activities and picturesque parks.

Sent by Sijbrich from Boise, USA.

Boise (/ˈbɔɪsi/) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho, as well as the county seat of Ada County. Located on the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, the population of Boise at the 2010 Census was 205,671, the 99th largest in the nation. Its estimated population in 2013 was 214,237 (read further)

U.S.A. - Idaho - State Flower

IDAHO
A Syringa bush grows along a bank of the Salmon River in Idaho. The Syringa is Idaho's state flower.

Sent by Tracy from Boise, Idaho.

The Syringa (Philadelphus lewisii) was designated the official state flower of Idaho in 1931. Syringa is a woody shrub growing to nine feet tall with with clusters of white, fragrant flowers.

Native American Indians found many uses for the syringa - the wood was used for root digging sticks and to make pipe stems, harpoon shafts, bows, arrows, and snowshoes. The bark and leaves were used to make a soap. (Source)

U.S.A. - Idaho - State Capitol Building

BOISE, IDAHO
Finished in 1920, it is the only state capitol building heated with geothermal hot water. The exterior walls were constructed of natural sandstone plentiful to the area. Large shade trees and manicured gardens add color and beauty to this magnificent structure. 

Sent by Tracy from Boise, Idaho, USA.

The Idaho State Capitol, located in Boise, is the home of the government of the state of Idaho. In 1863, Lewiston, Idaho was the original site of the capitol until Boise was made the capital of the state in 1890 - also the year when President Benjamin Harrison signed Idaho into statehood. A few years after Idaho gained statehood the construction on the original capitol building began in the summer of 1906. The architects who developed the building were John E. Tourtellotte and Charles Hummel. Tourtellotte was a Connecticut native whose career began in Massachusetts and skyrocketed further when he moved to Boise. Hummel was a German immigrant who partnered up with Tourtellotte in 1903 and after they finished the capitol they relocated to Portland, Oregon. The final cost of the building was approximately $2,098,455.05 and it was completed in 1920. The architects used several different materials to construct the building and their architecture was inspired by various sources and cultures. (read further)

USA - Idaho - State Bird

MOUNTAIN BLUEBIRD
The Mountain Bluebird, renowned for its fine singing, was chosen in 1931 as the Idaho State Bird. The bluebird has endeared itself as the bird of happiness in countless songs and stories.

Sent by Kori & Aleesa, WiP partner from USA.

The Mountain Bluebird (Sialia currucoides) is a medium-sized bird weighing about 30 g (1.1 ounces) with a length from 16–20 cm (6.3–7.9 in). They have light underbellies and black eyes. Adult males have thin bills that are bright turquoise-blue and somewhat lighter beneath. Adult females have duller blue wings and tail, grey breast, grey crown, throat and back. In fresh fall plumage, the female's throat and breast are tinged with red-orange; brownish near the flank contrasting with white tail underparts. Call is a thin few; Song is warbled high chur chur.

The mountain bluebird is migratory. Their range varies from Mexico in the winter to as far north as Alaska, throughout the western U.S. and Canada. Northern birds migrate to the southern parts of the range; southern birds are often permanent residents. Some birds may move to lower elevations in winter. They inhabit open rangelands, meadows, generally at elevations above 5,000 feet. Contrary to popular belief, mountain bluebirds are not a species of concern in the United States. The turn around in mountain bluebird numbers is due to the overwhelming efforts of landowners in the West to provide nest boxes for these birds. At one time, mountain bluebird numbers were threatened because of increased agricultural activities destroying habitats. (read further)

USA - Idaho - A Nez Perce' Child

IDAHO
This adorable child, dressed in ceremonial finery for a Pow Wow, is a member of Nez Perce' tribe that has populated the valleys of the Snake and Clearwater rivers for centuries. This famous tribe is known for its friendship and generosity to early explorers such as Lewis and Clark, and for the breeding and development of the Appaloosa horse, a symbol of the state of Idaho.

Sent by Sandra, a postcrosser from Idaho, USA.

This is from Wikipedia : The Nez Perce are Native American people who live in the Pacific Northwest region (Columbia River Plateau) of the United States. An anthropological theory says they descended from the Old Cordilleran Culture, which moved south from the Rocky Mountains and west in Nez Perce lands. The Nez Perce nation currently governs and inhabits a reservation in Idaho. The Nez Perce's name for themselves is Nimíipuu (pronounced [nimiːpuː]), meaning, "The People."

They speak the Nez Perce language or Niimiipuutímt, a Sahaptian language related to the several dialects of Sahaptin. The Sahaptian sub-family is one of the branches of the Plateau Penutian family (which in turn may be related to a larger Penutiangrouping).

Nez Percé is an exonym given by French Canadian fur traders who visited the area regularly in the late 18th century, meaning literally 'pierced nose'. The most common self-designation used today by the Nez Perce is Niimíipu. "Nez Perce" is also used by the tribe itself, the United States Government, and contemporary historians. Older historical ethnological works use the French spelling "Nez Percé," with thediacritic. The original French pronunciation is [ne pɛʁse], with three syllables.

In the journals of William Clark, the people are referred to as Chopunnish (/ˈtʃoʊpənɪʃ/). This term is an adaptation of the term cú·pʼnitpeľu (the Nez Perce people) which is formed from cú·pʼnit (piercing with a pointed object) and peľu (people). When analyzed through the Nez Perce Language Dictionary, the term cúpnitpelu contains no reference to "Piercing with a pointed object" as described by D.E. Walker. The prefix cú- means "in single file." This prefix, combined with the verb -piní, "to come out (e.g. of forest, bushes, ice)". Finally, with the suffix of -pelú, meaning "people or inhabitants of". Put all three parts of the Nez Perce word together now to get cú- + -piní + pelú = cúpnitpelu, or the People Walking Single File Out of the Forest. Nez Perce oral tradition indicates the name "Cuupn'itpel'uu" meant "we walked out of the woods or walked out of the mountains" and referred to the time before the Nez Perce had horses. Nez Perce is a misnomer given by the interpreter of the Lewis and Clark Expedition at the time they first encountered the Nez Perce in 1805. It is from the French, "pierced nose." This is an inaccurate description of the tribe. They did not practice nose piercing or wearing ornaments. The actual "pierced nose" tribe lived on and around the lower Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest and are commonly called the Chinook tribe by historians and anthropologists. The Chinook relied heavily upon salmon as did the Nez Perce and shared fishing and trading sites but were much more hierarchical in their social arrangements.

USA - Idaho - The Palouse (2)

This beautiful setting is typical of the area known as the Palouse. This area has some of the most fertile farm ground in America.

Sent by Grace, a postcrosser from Idaho, USA.

USA - Idaho - World Famous Balance Rock

WORLD FAMOUS BALANCE ROCK, IDAHO
This unusual rock formation is located near Castleford, Idaho. The Rock is 48 feet high, 40 feet wide and the base is only 3 feet by 17 1/2 inches! It may be reached by turning off Highway 30 at Buhl, Idaho.

Sent by Jane, a postcrosser from Chicago, USA.

USA - Idaho - Barns of the Palouse (1)

Scattered among the gently rolling hills of Idaho and Washington's fertile Palouse area, you'll find small villages and farms. No farms was complete with it's barn. Here are just a few examples of those stately old structures.

Sent by Kori & Alessa, a WiP partner from Idaho, USA.

This is from Wikipedia : The Palouse is a region of the northwestern United States, encompassing parts of southeastern Washington, north central Idaho and, in some definitions, extending south into northeast Oregon. It is a major agricultural area, primarily producing wheat and legumes. Situated about 160 miles (250 kilometers) north of the Oregon Trail, the region experienced rapid growth in the late 19th century, for a brief time surpassed the population of the Puget Sound region of Washington. The region is home to two land grant universities, the University of Idaho in Moscow and Washington State University in Pullman. Located just eight miles (13 km) apart, both schools opened in the early 1890s.

USA - Idaho - Mapcard

IDAHO
"Gem State"
State Flower - Syringa
State Tree - White Pine
State Gem - Star Garnet
State Bird - Mountain Bluebird
State Insect - Monarch butterfly
State Horse - Appaloosa
State Fish - Rainbow Trout
State Dance - Square Dance
The Idaho State Seal (in the middle of her flag) is the only State Seal in the USA designed by a woman.

Sent by Kori & Aleesa from Idaho, USA.

USA - Idaho - State Flower

A Syringa bush grows along a bank of the Salmon River in Idaho. The Syringa is Idaho's state flower.

Sent by Ellen from Meridian in Idaho, USA.

This is from Wikipedia : Syringa (Lilac) is a genus of about 20–25 species of flowering woody plants in the olive family (Oleaceae), native to woodland and scrub from southeastern Europe to eastern Asia.

They are deciduous shrubs or small trees, ranging in size from 2–10 m tall, with stems up to 20–30 cm diameter. The leaves are opposite (occasionally in whorls of three) in arrangement, and their shape is simple and heart-shaped to broad lanceolate in most species, but pinnate in a few species (e.g. S. protolaciniata, S. pinnatifolia). The flowers are produced in spring, each flower being 5–10 mm in diameter with a four-lobed corolla, the corolla tube narrow, 5–20 mm long; they are bisexual, with fertile stamens and stigma in each flower. The usual flower colour is a shade of purple (often a light purple or lilac), but white, pale yellow and pink, and even a dark burgundy color are also found. The flowers grow in large panicles, and in several species have a strong fragrance. Flowering varies between mid spring to early summer, depending on the species. The fruit is a dry, brown capsule, splitting in two at maturity to release the two winged seeds.

The genus is most closely related to Ligustrum (privet), classified with it in Oleaceae tribus Oleeae subtribus Ligustrinae.

Lilacs are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Copper Underwing, Scalloped Oak and Svensson's Copper Underwing and Saras.