quaw currant is a 1m (+/-) high shrub that grows on the lower slopes of the area, in grasslands, ponderosa pine and douglas fir forests, and on rocky open slopes. The green, fan-shaped leaves bud and emerge in early spring. Urn-shaped pink flowers are displayed in late spring.

Small red berries appear in summer. We find them bitter and not very edible, but First Nations people ate them, often added to other foods. Various animals consume the berries and the flowers are important to hummingbirds.

We spot the shrubs all over the area, but notice them most frequently in the Lac du Bois Grasslands Protected area.