Harris Ranch continues to grow and become a thriving residential community. The community is surrounded by natural habitat along the river and in the foothills. You will find native plants of all kinds living among us. HRWMA's mission is to conserve and restore habitat that is important for a wide variety of local flora and fauna that are unique to Idaho. In an effort to ensure the survival of flora and fauna, the HRWMA encourages people to respect this important habitat. When hiking in the foothills or along the Boise River, please stay on designated trails to avoid interaction with wildlife and to protect plants underfoot. Please keep this in mind as you enjoy the Boise Foothills. Leashes are required when exercising any dogs in the foothills. Please do your part and help protect remaining wildlife and surrounding habitat! NATIVE PLANTS Native plants are plants that originally grew naturally in Idaho and are adapted to the climate and soils in the region. You can learn more about common native plants found in the Boise Foothills by clicking on the pages below. Plants are separated into simple categories by growth form: shrubs/trees, forbs, and grasses. INTRODUCED and INVASIVE PLANTS, NOXIOUS WEEDS A non-native or introduced species is one that is not found in Idaho naturally and has been brought in either intentionally or inadvertently and has negative impacts to the local ecosystem by invading and taking over areas. A noxious weed is designated by law in Idaho code. They have been given this definition because they significantly and negatively alter the landscape by causing soils to erode, impacting agriculture and recreation, decreasing native plant diversity, reducing food resources and cover for insects and wildlife, and ultimately degrading ecological function. Plus, there is a huge cost to managing noxious weeds. ALERT: Keep an eye out for non-native also known as introduced/invasive species. Resources to help identify state listed, officially designated noxious weeds and non-native or introduced weeds can be found below. Ada County's Noxious Weed Guide >>>See below more information about Yellow Starthistle, a new invader<<< https://invasivespecies.idaho.gov/yellow-starthistle-factsheet
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