2002 Utah Native Plant Society Annual Compliations

8/9/2019 2002 Utah Native Plant Society Annual Compliations

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For a plant that is shapely and well-behaved in the garden, that thriveson neglect, and that looks good in any season, great choice s rock sandwort,Arenana macradenia. Also known as cliff sandwort, desert sandwort, and shrubby sandwort, this elegantplant is rarely seen in cultivation, butdeserves to be much morewidely used. A quick web search yieldedno suppliers of seeds or plants of this species, so the opportunity is clearly there for someone to introducethis sturdy and carefree but beautiful wildflower to the xeriscape trade.

In early to midsummer, the abundance ofwhite star-shaped flowers of this rounded subshrubseem to be dancing in a cloud over the diminutiveneedle-like foliage. The effect is somewhat likebaby's breath, a distant cousin, but more gracefuland delicate. The half inchflowers are followed bysmall, straw-colored seedheads that open at the tiplikea crown. These addfall andwinter interest,along with the bluish ever-green leaves hat aremostly clustered above thewoody base. This planthas shown ittle tendencyto seed itself in gardens,so it is okay o leave the seedheads on the plant.

As its name would suggest, rock sandwort isalmost always found growing among the rocks. It is arelatively common plant throughout the Mojave De-sert and he southern Great Basin, reaching its north-


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PAGE 2 VOLUME 25, SSUE 1

eastern geographic limits in our own WasatchMountains. It is most common n the pinyon-juniper woodlands of the foothills, but can be foundover a wide range of habitats from creosote bushshrubland in the south to the high mountainsof thenorth, even up into the alpine zone. The commonthread is the requirement for open, rockyground.

In the garden, this plantdoes just fine inordinary soil, but itdoes need full sun andreasonably good drain-age as well as someelbow room to look itsbest. Itgrows to abouta foot tall including theflowering stalks andmay be aswide as twofeet in a good year, toobig to fit inas a dwarfin a rock garden set-ting. We have plantedit to stunning effectwith the clump-formingyellow James buck-wheat (Eriogonumjamesio, which isabout the same sizeand has a similar flow-ering season. Rocksandwort has manyclose relatives in thegenusArenaria thatare smaller and bettersuited to the traditional

each of the last two exceptionallydry summers,and we have not lost any plants yet.Rock sandwort is easily propagated fromseed. The seeds ripen in high summer, and areheld on the plant in theerect fruits (capsules).Seeds can beshaken from the capsules if the tipsare open, or the capsules can be clipped orstripped from the stalks and allowed to open afterfurther opportunity to dry in the bag, as long asthey are already straw-colored when stripped. Theseeds are black and flattened, resembling little

rockgardensetting, butfew f any have the largeflowers and showy habitof their larger cousin.Given its wide attitudinal and geographicrange,we expect rocksandwort to be fully cold

hardy in northern Utah. On the Wasatch Front, itrequires littfeor no supplementalwater afterestab-lishment, but it can tolerate a modicumofwateringas long as the site is well-drained. It begins flow-ering the year afteroutplanting and appears to belong-lived in cultivation, as would be expectedfrom its woody character. Plants at theWasatchHeritageGarden in Provoare still looking greatand going strong after four years of benign ne-glect W e have watered them exactly once during

ears perhaps aneight of an inchlong. They may benondonnant andreadily germinable,or they may requirea short period (4-6wks) of moist chill-ing (between damppaper towels inaplasticbag n thehydratorof yourrefrigerator)to be-come germinable.They will germinateinchilling, so besure to check hemoften to avoid long,stringy radicles(seedling roots)that are hard toplant without dam-age. The seed-lings aregrasslikeand bright green.They grow quicklyand develop the characteristicwaxy bluish foliagewithin a few weeks. Theywill be ready to hardenand plant out within about three months of sowing,butarequite tolerant of beingheld indefinitely insmall containers, perhaps because of the similarityto being crowded into a rock crevice.Themay simplyhoping that

most frustrating thing about this plantbe its lack of availability, but we arelocalgrowers will respond to the calland make sure that this ine plant is ready to ointhe ranksof great perennials with a distinctly lnter-mountain flavor, in time to meet the demand thatwill surely be there, once the secret is out.


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V O L U M E 25, ISSUE 1 PAGE 3

AttentionAll Complimentary. Newsletter Subscribers!

Please contact Abby Moore at: [email protected] to:Utah Native Plant SocietyComplimentarySubscriptionsP.O. Box 520041Salt Lake City, UT 84152-0041

Jhe Utah Native Plant Society is updating its complimentarysubscription list. Anyone, such as aibrary or native plant society, that currently receives the UNPS newsletter, the Sego Lily, free of;barge must contact the Society in order to continue receiving the newsletter. No response equalslo subscription.

Utah Society for EnvironmentalEducation {USE chose our or-ganization to focus on this monthfor their newsletter. This is thearticle that Mindy Wheelerwrotefor them.The Utah Native Plant Society(UNPS) strives toward our mis-sion through the coordination ofseveral committees:Horticulture- ThroughNativePlant Propagation Workshopsand 'Heritage Gardens,' this com-mittee has been extremely indus-trious ineducating the publicabout the beauty and practicalityof using native plants for land-scaping purposes. So far, therehave been 10 gardens installedthroughout the state that boastthe beauty of the plants found inthe 'backyards'of Utah. Ourweb-site (www.unps.orq) has plantlists of these gardens, photos of

some of the species, and namesof nurseriesthat will supplythese treasures!Education-This group is com-mitted to dispersing informationabout the wonders of the nativeplant world of Utah to the publicby supporting seminars, work-shops and serving as liaisons toeducators who wish to sharetheir enthusiasm about nativeplants to the next generation.ConservationThis committee isdevoted to raising awarenessabout the delicate state of ourprecious native plant popula-tions of Utah through plant sal-vage efforts and protecting rarespecies.Invasivespecies- 'TheWeedWarriors.' This group strives toraiseawareness egarding thesilent invasionof non-native

species that effectively suffocatethe indigenous vegetation of thearea. The main foci of this grouphave been community "weedpulls' and educating the publicabout these unwelcome invadersand the chaos they cause in theecosystem.Communication-This committeeisdedicated to assuring that allour members are abreast of up-coming events and other issuesthrough our bi-monthly newletter-The Sego Lily. These folks arealso responsible for the upkeep ofour informative website.If you wish to get involved or getmore information on the Utah Na-tive Plant Society, please call801 699-5459and ask or Mindyor visit our website and contactus from there!


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Native PlantAestheticBy Bitsy Schultzand Susan Meyer

When we gave RogerKJelgrenof the USUCenter for Water Efficient Landscapingthis titlefor our presentationat his August 2001 sympo-siumon andscapingwith native plants, he mighthave been a little worried about ust exactlywhatwe were proposing to do. We were ired of hear-ing from landscapeprofessionalsthat nativeplants should not beused in yards because hey"don't look good." So the idea behind this ses-sion was to explorehow peopledevelop theirideas of what "looks good," and how that con-nectsto their experienceof native plants.As it turned out, the freewheeling interactivediscussionwas a goodway to get everybody fo-cusedon the problem, namely how to translatethe stunningly beautiful natural landscapesofwild Utah Intosomething that will fit into the moremodest landscapescale of peopledspaces. Themajorityof the hundredplus participantswereUtahns raised in rural areas or small towns, withonly a sprinkling of folks from other placesorfrom cities. Only about a quarter of the atten-deeswere landscapeor horticultureprofession-als. Inotherwords, the views expressed werelargely thoseof just regular folks, not experts orout-of-state subversives.

We started out bycontrasting the native plantlookwith the more tush, flamboyant aspect oftypical water-intensive Europeanornamentals.Fewpeopleknow the names of many nativeplants or are able to distinguishthem fromweeds, whereas they learn to recognizeandname familiar cultivated plants from childhood.Nativesoften have smaller leaves and flowersand shorter flowering times, and they tack the'bred' look and the long history in cultivation.

We opened the group discussion by askingpeople to talk about their earliest memories ofspecific plants. Many of the plantsmentionedwere familiar omamerttats-peonies, snapdrag-ons,honeysuckle, lilac-and many had featuressuch as distinctive fragrance oran element ofplay. A few were weeds- dandelions with seed

head puffs, for example. Somewere wild plants-sunflowers with their resinous scent and associa-tion with the edgesof civilization, sagebrushandthe way it smells after rain, delicate wild azalea,cattails inwinter, massivebur oak,coastal red-woods and the theway they create a timelessworld beyondhumans. A common theme was thatthe plantswens distinctive and clearly recogniz-able, and that they oftenengageddifferent senses,especiallythe senseof smell.

We then asked peopleto tell us about their fa-vorite nativeplantsor nativeplant landscapes.The responseswere remarttabfydiverse, from thewall to wall polychromewildflower displays at At-bion Basin, BenLomondPeak, and BrianHead tothe stark but serene salt desert landscapesnorthof the Great Salt Lake or along the Price-GreenRiver highway. The silvery sheen of fruiting mom-tain mahoganystands in Millcreek Canyon, themulticoloredflowers of prickly pears inthe SanRafael Swell, the winter river bottomsof CacheValley, thegnarly timberiine conifers of the highUintas, each had its proponents. Two favoritelandscape themes thatwere echoed several timeswere aspen forests with their wonderful light inevery season, and pinyon-juniper woodland, withtwisted trunks, rocks, desert grasses, and brightlycolored flowers like penstemon, paintbrush, andsandverbena. Interestingly, more people thoughtof favorite landscapes than specific nativeplants.

We discovered through this exercise that muchof theeffect of plants and landscapeson peopleoperates through feeling. Thequestion of how tocreate this feeling of a wild place ina landscapewas thesubjectof oursubsequentdiscussion.Theissueof design was central. We were influencedin our direction by the example set by DarrelMorri-son, he landscapearchitectwho designed the La-dybirdJohnsonWildflower Center inAustin,Texas. Hisdesign captures the essence of theeast Texas hillcountry in a setting that isat thesame time supremely civilized. Dairel,who is cre-ating the design for the new Utah Botanical Centerin Kaysvilte, had presentedhis ideason designingwith nature earlier in the program.


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PAGE 5 V O L U M E 25, ISSUE 1One of the first ideas to emerge in our discus-sion was that the useof native plant species is-more or less ndependent of the design, in thesense hat natives can be used in garden de-signs that run the gamut of orderliness fromnatural to extremely formal. Some natives, suchas curlleaf mountain mahogany, are more suit-able for the formal look than others. Some peo-plefelt that the first priority is a good design, ofwhatever school-that the plants then enhancethe design. Otherswere more of the opinion thatyou start with the plants you'd like to use, thenwork out a harmonious design that incorporatesthem. But all agreedthat the design needsto have good struc-ture and good spatialconfiguration, so thatit leads people in andmakes them feel likethey are entering aplace, not a massofconfusion.One modelwediscussed that proba-bly goes back to ourvery early days ontheAfrican savan-nahs is the idea ofthe 'haven and view',

a design that createsa place that feelssafe and enclosedbut that has a viewout to a larger, openspace.A second conceptwe explored was the

cape gardens represent an attempt to imitate na-ture in this way- Finally, we reminded ourselvesthat a native garden, like any garden really, is nota 'set piece', butwill continue to change throughtime.Our task as gardeners is to guide that change inaesthetically satisfyingdirections.

The questions finally came down to two: whereto get the natives to plant and where to get thegood designs. The group came up with the follow-ing points: 1 We can look for inspiration to otherregionsof the country where people are further

idea of negativespace, or a backdrop-this role is often filled bywater-guzzling lawn, but we were looking for al-ternatives. Giving the landscape 'good bones'through the useof rock, paths, and other hard-scape features was one approach. Another wasto find alternative plants that could fill the role of'ground cover'. A third idea that generated a lotof interest was the notion that structural diversityand relief, even on a small scale, hat echo therhythms of larger landscapescan be remarkablyeffective in creating the feeling of a wild place.The dry streambeds that often appear in xeris-

along this path ofrediscovering thevirtues of the local.2.To get our nativeplants into thenursery trade,people must askfor them. It helpsif public and cor-porate landscapeprojects lead theway, to create amarket that cansustain nativeplant suppliers aswell as providedemonstration ar-eas where peoplecan see the plantsin landscapeuse.3.We also needbetter public reta-tions-a picturehere is worth athousand words-aswell as bettersources of localinformation. 4.We need to encourage people toset an example in their neighborhoodsby creatingbeautiful native plant landscapes in their ownyards. The positive response to this can be quitegratifying, especially if it is tied to education aboutthe low water requirements of these alternativelandscapes. 5.The problem of design will begreatly alleviated once there are more good exam-ples to use as guidance. We expressed the hopethat Utah regional landscapes will be the inspira-tion for the look of the future in our area.


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PAGE 6 VOLUME 25, ISSUE 1

Due to increased newsletter printing costs, yearly dues for Utah Native Plant Soci-ity membershipswill be increased. Currentmembers pay increase upon renewalaf subscription. Effective January 1,2002.

StudentSeniorIndividualHouseholdSustainingSupportingOrg.CorporateLifetime

UTAH

S O C I E T Y

Native Plants Coming to Salt Lake County -Wildland Nursery and Great Basin Natives are teaming up to open the "Garden Niche", a native andadapted plant nursery, in the Salt Lakevalley in the spring of 20021 The selectionof native and adaptedgrasses,wildflowers, shrubs and trees shall be unequaled within the Intermountain area.The store is in-tended to be botha retail andwholesale outlet for thosewho wish to set the native plant landscapetrend intheir neighborhoodaswell as those who need native plantsfor their reclamation, mitigation or large land-scaping projects. The Garden Niche is also positioned to do contract growing for customers with uniqueneeds.Judging by the overwhelmingresponse of a some native plant sales in the valley, bothWildland Nurseryand Great Basin Nativesfelt the demand existed for a more steady supply of native and adapted plants. Itwas also noted at these sales that people arestarved for informationregardingthe design, installation, careand maintenance of native plant landscapes. As a result, the owners of the Garden Niche intendto holdworkshops at their new location to address these questions to reduce the public's hesitance to convert theirtraditional landscapes to more diverse, ecologically suitable landscapes.Please feel free to contact Janett Warnerat [email protected] 435-527-1234 for more informa-tion. Look for more information in the next issue of the SegoUly.


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V O L U M E 25, ISSUE 1 PAGE 7

Both to increase public awarenessand appreciation for Utah's uniqueflora and to help fund our efforts, theUtah Native PlantSociety first pub-lished the very popular UtahWild-flowers poster in 1988 and later theThreatened and Endangered Plantsof Utah poster in 1995.These high quality, picture frameworthy posterscanbe used in awide variety of settings and makeaperfect gift. They are ideal for dass-rooms or school hallways,andcom-monly they find their way into of-fices, living rooms, dens, kitchensand generally anywhere that nativeplant enthusiasts and enthusiasts-to-be areknown to occuriBoth posters are full color works thatcontain botanically accurate illustra-tions by artist (and UNPSmember)David W. Gardner with calligraphyby PamelaJohnson. The UtahWild-flowers poster is approximately23"x34"and depicts 28 species. TheThreatened and EndangeredPlantsof Utahposter is 24-32" and con-tains 20 of our species listed as en-dangered or threatened under theEndangered Species Act.

How o order:These posters can be purchased byfilling out a form online at the UtahNative PlantSociety's website:www.unps.org. You can do every-thing online and expedite your orderby paying via PayPal, or send acheck to:PostersUtahNative PlantSocietyP.O. Box 520041Salt LakeCity, UT84152

UtahWildflowers PosterCost:

The costof the UtahWi/dffowersposter is $12.00 each; costfor the Threatened andEndangeredPlants of Utahposter is$10.00each.UNPSmembersreceive a 10% discount. All pro-ceedsare used solely to further the goals of UNPS,which fo-cus on the conservation and appreciation of Utah's native plantspecies (UNPS isa qualifying 501 c)(3) non-profit organiza-tion). Shipping for first class mail is $3.00 per two posters.


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Passionate about Penstemons! participants from the seed and nursery industries. Keytooics included: Historical trends in the use of seeds byland management agencies, recent trends in thewest-ern native plantseed industry, DNA fingerprinting fordeterminationof genetic diversity and provenance, andWednesday, January 23,7 native plant market study. On November lst'he meet-p.m. Red Butle Garden. ing continued with workshops covering areas of in-Join Panayoti Kelaidis, creasing seed stocks, a networkingwebsite, and seedfamed garden and plant ex- germination and testing. The tatter workshop addressedplorer, as heshare his vital issues of selecting high quality seed sourcesknowledge penstemons. adapted to avariety of planting site conditions which IsThese drought tolerant, critical for successof wildland seeding efforts. The abil-easy togrow plants are a ity to determine the ranges of adaptability and developmust for the Utahgarden. seed ransfer guidelines for individualspecies is impor-With over 270 native North tant to afford bettermarketingof native plantmaterials.American species, 69 of Discussion also centered around the difficulty of devel-which are native to Utah, oping procedures for testing seed qualityof nativethe variety of their color, revegetation species becauseof the diversity of taxaform, andseasonof bloom and the variability of factors such as morphology, dor-is unsurpassedby any other mancy and germination even among populations of theperennial. Nonmember$7, same species. Additional topics includedcreatingMembers $5. Pay at the amore uniform system whereby collectionpermitscanbe obtainedfrom various federal agencies, anddevel-oor.Landscaping

IT - \ \

with NativesSeminar

Tuesday, January 29 7100 p.m. Park City Library (1255ParkAve.), Room209 Mindy Wheeler will talk about thedo's and don't's of landscaping with native plants. Con-tact Abby Moore (435-649-8859,a.rnoore@m cc.utah.edu) for more information.

oping a database that addressesthe reproductive biol-ogy of nativespeciesand their genetic variability. Formore information contact Tom Jones af [email protected]. Your chance to get out of the cityduring the Olympics, and for such a great purpose11 Formore information visit: www .wssa.net

Waterwise Landscaping ClassWednesday, March6,7-9 p.m. Red Butte Garden.Invasive Plant SpeciesWorkshop and Utah residents are becomingmore concerned andaware of wasteful water use. Join Jim Knopf, Land-Weed Science Society of America scapeArchitect and author of several waterwise fand-Annual Meeting scaping booksas he shareshow to create beautifulandwaterw-se landscapes. Nonrnembers $7, Members $5,Pay at the door.

February lO-l3,2OOZ. Reno, NV. IntermountainNativePlant Summit. By LaurelPotts of Central RockiesSocietyof Ecological Restoration. Use of native seed is a founda- High Altitude Revegetationtional element of many restoration,mitigationand land-scaping projects.On October 31,2001 an Intermountain WorkshopNative Plant Summit in Boise Idaho brought togethermany representativesof government agenciesas well as March6-8,2002. Fort Collins, CO. This conferenceonly occurs once every wo years, so don't miss this


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VO LUME 25, I S SUE 1one andkeep up with the latest developments andresearch dealing with restorationissues n the west-ern United States. For more information go towww.hiqhaltituderevea.com/har/. When you get tothe site click on "EVENTS" .Also, people can obtaininformation from the committee secretary, GaryThor a t [email protected].

Western Society for Weed ScienceAnnual Conference

March 11-14,2002. Salt Lake City, Utah. Keepup with the latest In weed control In westernNorthAmerica. Lots of great talks and network-ing. For more informationvisit the WSWS web-site at: www.wsweedscience.org

Utah Heritage GardenPropagationWorkshopsMarch 16. The Fourth Annual Utah Heritage GardenNative Plant Propagation Workshop will be offered intwo separate sessions in Provo on Saturday, March16. Space is strictly limited, so get your registrationin early! Send a check for $10 per person along withcontact information or confirming your space to:Susan Meyer, 412 East Salem Hills Circle, Elk RidgeUT84651. The workshops will take place at theUSFS Shrub Sciences Laboratory Greenhouses,73 5 North 500 East, just south of the BYU campus,from nine to eleven am (morning session) and fromon e to three pm (afternoon session). Each partici-pantwill receive a planter box and seeds for takinghome to grow plants, as well as an informative hand-out,Those of yo u in other chapters who would like tohavea propagation workshop in your area are web

come to organize one. You would be able to pick upthe planter boxes, seeds, and handoutsfor yourworkshop in Provo,as long as it takes placeafterFebruary 15 andwe havea month of lead time toprepare materials. W e would need to be reimbursedfor these supplies from your registration fees. Pleasecontact Susan Meyer (801423-2603;[email protected]) soon if you are interested.

PAGE 9Water ConservingPlantsClass

March to May. Jess Wagstaff, retired USDA poisonousplant expert, and the Utah Valley Chapter have teamedtogether to organize a UVSC continuing education classcalledWater Conserving Plants. Emphasis throughoutwill be on water conservation. This class will be a combina-tion of lectures on Wednesday evenings and 4 Saturdayworkshops and field trips. The lectures will be held inPleasant Grove, with location to be announced in the UVSCDiscovery catalog. The first class is on March 13andscheduled from 7-9 pm. The final field trip is scheduled forSaturday, May 18.Lectures include the following topics: Introduction by JessWagstaff, Nomenclature and Taxonomy of native and otherwater conserving plants, by ReneeVan Buren, Utah ValleyState College Biology Department,Xeric LandscapingbyPaula Mohadjer, Jordan Valley Water ConservancyDistrict,Sources of NativeandXeric Plants, Xeric plantsand theenvironment by Stan Kitchen, Shrub SciencesLab, PublicPolicy ImplicationsandUse of Native and Xeric Plants onPublic Land, speaker TBA, Commercial sourcesof plants,speakers TEA, Roundtable DiscussionofChallenges in theUse of Native Plants, including but not limited to weeds, fire,deer, toxic plants.Saturdayevents nclude: Workshop on Propagation of UtahNative plants, by Susan Meyer, Tour of CommercialGrower, Tour of Xeric Gardens at Jordan Valley Water Con-servancy District by Paula Mohadjer, RushValley tour, in-cluding examples of poisonous plants, good rock gardenplants, examplesof weed invasion, salt desert and sage-brushecosystems.Cost of the class is $55. Registration s through UVSCContinuing Education .Participants will use private vehiclesfor field trips. For more details call JessWagstaff,785-5660 or ernail him at [email protected].

DesignBasics forWatewiseLandscapesSaturday, April 20, 10-noon. Jordan Valley Water Conser-vancy District, 8215 S 1300W. Don't miss this freework-shop by StephanieDuer, Conservation Coordinator for SaltLake City and experienced landscape designer and horticul-turist. Learn the basic landscape design principles for yourhome landscape. Includes incorporating Utah native plants!Due to limited space, pleaseRSVP 1-877-728-3420.


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PAGE 10 VOLUME 25, ISSUE 1

GorgeousUtah Native Plantsin the LandscapeThursday, June 6,7-8:30 p.m. Jordan Valley WaterConservancy District, 8215 S 1300W. Back bypopulardemand! Susan Meyer, Presidentof the Utah NativePlant Society, is onceagain teaching her acclaimed Na-tive Plants in the Landscapeworkshop. Great slidesanda wealth of information! Due to limited space,pleaseRSVP 1-877-728-3420.

Society for RangeManagement 2002Annual Meeting

Feburary 13-18. Great Rivers, Great Plains, GreatOpportunities,Where the Rivers meet the Plains.Kansas City, Missouri. Go to http:l/w.srm.or~ ndclick on upcomingmeetings for more information2002 SER Conference:A Convoca-tion: Understanding and Restoring

EcosystemsAugust 4-9,2002. Tucson, AZ. This is a joint confer-ence with SER and Ecological Society of America. Bothorganizations are putting together shared and uniquesessions, ymposia,workshops and fieldtrips!

A new Heritage Garden was installed in SeptemberatVivian Park in Provo Canyon, which is the western terrni-nus for the HeberCreeper. This is a UtahCounty Parkproject, and our chapter provided most of the plants, withSusan Meyerand Bitsy Schultz providingthe expertiseand design in cooperation with instigator andMasterGardener Brian Beaumont,a Utah CountyParksem-ployee. A three-sided kiosk is locatedat the entrance tothe garden and includes informationon andscapingwithUtah nativeplants. The new demonstration gardenshowcasesWasatoh Front canyonflora. It will be main-tained by Utah County.

Chanter Meeting. The Utah Valley Chapter met in lateOctober for a chapter meeting, potluck supper and pro-gram. Cathy Silcox and Franci Delong, professionallandscape designers, and Master GardenerLyle Jen-kins gave presentations on home landscaping with na-tive plants. W e had several newcomers at this meetingand a lotof interest. The outgoingofficers were all re-elected.Rock Canvon Restoration. The restoration project isproceeding moreor lesson schedule; we are learninga lot about weed control! The transplantsput in lastspring didvery well, with a high rate of survival and lotsofgrowth. W e are growing 8000 plants to transplantthis spring. Funding for this project is through the SantFoundationand BYU, the UintaNationalForest, the cityof Provo,and the Shrub SciencesLab. Closelycon-nected but separate projects are the demonstrationHeritageGarden in the Rock Canyon Trailhead Park,which was initially installed3 years ago and is undergo-ing expansion, andthe TrailheadA r breturn, which is be*ing improved undera grant from the Ar-borDay Foundation.If you are interestedin being involved,please call our vol-unteer coordinatorfor Rock Canyon,BeckyWilde Peter-son at 801-360-3625or email Phil Allen [email protected] campaign against Yellow Starthistle is proceedingapace. The past year, handbills describing this noxiousweed were included inthe utility billingsfor communitiesin northeast Utah County. Morethan 50 people re-spondedwith reports of this weed in their yards orneighborhoods, allowing us to pinpoint most of the oc-currences. This coming year we will work with theCounty Weed Commissionerto spray most if notall ofthese occurrences in time to prevent seedset. We arealso networking with concerned landowners in otherpartsof northern Utahwith the eventualgoal of elimi-nating this species before it can overtake foothills plantcommunities. Ifyou are interested in oining this effort,please call Susan Garvinat 801-356-5108 or email herat [email protected] OvernightFteld Trip. Plans are in the works tomakea weekend trip to Red Canyon, ust west of BryceCanyon, at tile end of Mayor irst of June. If you areinterested, call Susan Garvin, 801-356-5108 or [email protected].


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VOLUME 25, ISSUE 1 PAGE 11

By GlenLyon and Mindy WheelerThe Utah Native Plant Societyhas beenasked to assistwithan upcoming book called "SO BestWildflowerHikes in Utah."A professionalphotographeralong with Westdiffe publishershasrequested our assistance to find the most florally scenichikes inthe state ofUtah. The UNPSseemed like the bestchoice to the photographerand the publisher becausewe canhelp schedule the hikestoassure the most brilliantbloomingdisplays and can helpverify the botanicnames of the plantsalong the way. In addition to being a wonderful instigator toschedule some excellent wildflower hikesfor our members,(he publisher has guaranteed the UNPS royalties from thesaleof each book! We are asking al l membersfrom through-out the state togive some thought regardingtheir favoritewildflowerhike, send them in toGlen Lyon([email protected]) andwe will get back to you! For thefullstory, see he artide below from Glen LyoniOn e day in November, I eceiveda very interestingtelephonecall from ScottSmith. Scott s a nature photographerwholives in Logan, Utah. Scottsaid thatWestcliiePublishers(h hadmn@M himandasked him to create a book entitled"Utah'sBestWildflowerHikes*.Scott explained to me that bedidn't feel comfortableenoughwith his taxonomic andwriting skillstodothe projectalone and asked me if Iwould be nterested n authoring thebook. I as very interested in the opportunity. As Scottde-scribed the expected content, style, and formatof the book, Ibecamemore Interested. However, theamountof time andtravel requiredsoon becameapparent. Scottexplained furtherthai the book would need to coverapproximatelyfifty hikesthroughout Utahand becompletedwithin two growing sea-sons. I ealizedthatI imply didnot havethe time to conduct

in becomingcontributingauthors.UNPSmembers would bethe au-thors,Scottwould be the photogra-pher, and Iwould be the editor. Scottthought itwas a great idea. Sincethat day inNovember,Scottha sspokenwithWes t e l iPublisherswho also think Ifs a areat idea.TheUNPSname on the book wouldaddcredibilityand probablyIncreasebook sates.Scott and I have both spokenwith MindyWheeler, UNPSBoardof Directorsmember,who has In turnspoken with other UNPS board members. Board membersseem to ike the dea. Ithink if s a greatopportun'i for UNPSmembers toget outdoors, travel some, take a hike,write aboutit,and be a partof writing a book. Royalties from book saleswould alsobenefit the UNPS.With that said, my question tomembers is:Who'sinterested?*Are youwilling to commit to taking a hikeor maybea few hikesa n d ~ M b ? I f w , m d m m - 7 a t [email protected] d l me at435-245-5139.1unit do mybest to coordinate efforts between the UNPS, UNPSchapters,UNPSmembers,ScottSmith,andWe s t c l i PubMwmAnexample of the book'sexpectedcontent,style, and formatIs"Colorado's BestWitdftowef HikesVol. 1: lhe FrontRange-,text by Pamela Inwinand photographybyDavid Iwin.WithWestdfflte Publishers' permission, I'vescanned the pagesde-saftiiw oneof the hikes and posted them athtW/www.xmission.co-htm for your reference.

November9.2001. ARSNewsSerwCe.AgricuituralResearch Service, USDA. work has resultedin new plantvarieties thatstabilize emston-prone slopes, landscape roadsidesandprovide forage forForplants on a military train' livestock andwildlife. Severalof the Logan varieties areiw site* getting run overby an amow the bestperformere in tests at theYakima Trainingssortmentof hefty, wheeledor tracked vehicles is all In a Center(ncentral Washington, and FortCarson, south ofdayswork. But, theArmy has a secretweapon for restoring Colorado Springs, Cob. The findings from these sites shouldand revegelating these siteswhen raining maneuversare be applicable tomany other militarybasesthroughout theover. The military has enlistedthe help of a team ofAgricul- West. At Yakima, Snake River wheatgrass has been the top-turd ResearchServiceplant geneticists, led by Kay H. Asay, performingnativegrass. Loganscientistsare working toto develop training-resilient plants. Now in its sixffi year, theproject is based at the ARS Forage and Range Research make it even more resilient. Meanwhile thescientists areLaboratory in Logan,Utah. It is funded byARS and theDe- working at FortCarson to improve nativewestern wheat-partment of Defense'sStrategicEnvironmentResearchand grass. Other work at FortCarson is yielding a promisingblendthat combines the Logan tab's RoadCrestcrestedDevelopmentProgram, Washington, D.C. Asay and wA-leaguesare developing improved ines of native and Intro- wheatgrass and the lab'sBozoisky Russian wildryewith th eAm f s mix of natives like slenderwheatgrass, Indianrice-duced grasses. The newplantsare better able to withstand grass, sideoats grarna and lovegrass. ARS is the chief re-tramplingbysoldiersandgrinding andcrushing by vehicles. search branchof USDA The ARS Forageand FlangeRe-Military framing installationsare some f the most intensively g=* Laboratory s onthe webused lands in the UnitedStates. Antonio J. Palazzo, who htt~://www.usu.edu/-foraue/frri.htmworks at the U.S. Army's Cold Regions Researchand Engi-


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UNPSUtah Native Plant SocietyP.O. Box 520041Salt Lake City, UT 84152-0041Non-Profit Org.U.S.PostagePA1DSalt Lake City, UtahPERMIT No.327

Utah Native Plant Society Membership and Information 1[-,Newember 1 Renewal For more information about theUtah Native Plant Society call:Name:Street: Bill King: 582-0432City/State: Susan Garvin: 377-5717Zip: Phone Larry Meyer: 272-3275Ernail: Or write to: [email protected]

Check membership category desired:OStudent $9.00DSenior $12,00Olndividual $15.00DHousehold $25.00nsustaining $40.00OSupport'ng Org. $55.00DCorporate $250.00 and upLifetime $250.00DPIease send a complimentary copy of the SegoLily to the above individual.Piease enclosea check,payable to Utah NativePlantSocietyand send it to:MembershipUtahNative Plant SocietyP.O.Box 520041Salt Lake City, Utah 84152-0041

Many thanks toXmlssion forsponsoring the UtahNativePlant Society website.Please directall suggestions,articles and events for thenewsletterto Paula Mohadjerat [email protected]. Dead-linefor next issue Is Feb 15.

UTAH NATIVE PLANT SOCIETYPresident: Susan MeyerPresident Elect: Larry MeyerTreasurer: Ben FranklinSecretary: Therese MeyerNewsletter Editors: Paula Mohadjerand Mindy Wheeler

CHAPTER PRESIDENTSCache: Tami ColemanCanyonlands: Karen Dohrenwend &Sarah HaffronCentral Utah ChapterMountain: Abby MoorePrice: Mike HubbardSalt Lake: Mindy WheelerSouthern Utah: Mike EmpeyUinta Chapter nUtah valley: PhilAllenCOMMITTEESHorticulture: Susan MeyerConservation: Bill KingEducation: Mindy WheelerInvasive species: PhilAllenCommunications: Paula Mohadjer


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By Deborah J. Clatk,Bureau of Land Management. 150 East, 900North, Rfchffeld, tah 84701This is asequel to the articleprinted in the JanIFeb 2001 issue of the Sego Lily. In 2000,CapitolReef NationalPark (CARE)received funding for a three-year rare plant species inventorythrough the NationalParkService NPS). In 2001, CARE receiveda$1,000 grant from the Utah Native PlantSociety to assistwith this project. CARE used the grant money to hire a student fromSouthern Utah University to work on the field crew. This article wilt report a summaryof our findings from last years' fieldseason.

Ega M A R I A P R 2002

1 God ' s Take on L J [ V ! I S

As mentioned in the earlier article, the Bureau of LandManagement (BLM), U S . Forest Service, Dixie National Forest(DNF), Fishlake NationalForest (FNF),and CARE share man-agement responsibilities for many of the same Threatened, En-dangered & Sensitive plant species (TE&S). Toenable each ofthese agencies to bettermanage their shared TE&Sspecies,they decided to create an interagency botany position and hirean employee to survey and/or monitor for these species through-out their ranges, regardless of agency boundaries. A BLMem-ployee was hiredand stationed at CARE to act as project leaderfor this three-year project. Through the interagencyagreement,the agencies are able to pool funding in order to extend surveysonto federal lands adjacent to CARE.This has expanded thescope of the NPSproject to include FNF, DNF and BLM adjacentto CARE.The study

The primary purposes of this project are to (1) conductintensive surveys for targetspecies on potential habitat withinand adjacent to CARE, and (2) determine potential for impact byvisitor, recreationalor livestockuse fpossible. The 2001 fieldseason focused on the following species; Gitia tennis, Erigeronmaguirai, Erigeron abajoensis,Erfgaronawapensis, Townsendiaaptica, Sclerocactus wrightiae,Astragatus hanisonii, Cympterusbeckii, Gilia caespitosa, Hymenoxys acaulis vat. nana, Thefes-perma subnudurn var. alpinurn, Spiranthes dituvfafis, Habanariazothecfna,and Salix arimnica. Additional tasks were to continueannual monitoringof targeted species on both CARE and BLMand to continue surveys for the suite of Tushar endemics on


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PAGE 2interagency Botany Project Cont inues to Benef i t

FNF. Later in the season we wereasked o assist DNF withsurveys foran endemic species, Potentilla angelliae,on Boul-der Mountain. During all these surveys, crews looked forotherTE&S species when we were in appropriate habitats.Surveys were conducted for the target species fromMarch through Septemberwhen themajority of plants were infull bloom to ensure proper plant identificationan d ncreasedsurvey accuracy. We began in the early springat lower ele-vations andas the season progressed we moved to higherelevations thus ensuring proper search times for each spe-cies. Each area was surveyed by walking wandering tran-

sects hrough all accessibleareas and/or byusing binocularsto searchcliff faces. Surveys for Sderocactuswrightiaein thesouthern end of CARE were conducted from horseback sincethere was such a arge area to cover. For future reference,crews noted onmaps all areas surveyed regardless of find-ings.For each new occurrence of a species, crewmem-

bars completeda modified version the Utah Natural HeritageDivision Site Visit Account Survey Form, took photographs,and mapped its location on7.5' quadranglemaps. Whereverpossible, a Global PositioningSystem was used to map theprecise location of each new occurrence. All new localitieswill beentered into each agencys' Geographic InformationSystem along with a summary of data about the locality. Thisensures long-term retrieval capabilities for future resourcemanagers.Survey results

In2001, the crew consisted of the interagency biolo-gist employed by ELM; a seasonal crew leader and five sea-sonal crewmembers employed by CARE: a seasonal biotogi-cal technician from DNF; and three biological echnicians fromFNF names of field crew isted at the end of the article). Thetechnicians from both DNFand FNFworked intermittently withthe crew primarily when the crew was workingon he respec-tive Forests. The FNF Ecologist, CARE Chief of Resourcesand BLM Biologist also assisted with surveys inspecific loca-tions. Surveys began on March 20 and continued throughSeptember20,2001. We surveyedapproximately 10,320acres (excluding the Tushar Mountains) of potential habitatand recorded 75 new site locations for 20 of the target spe-cies. Twelve additionalsites were revisited and documentedfor three species. Table 1 ists species found by agency andnumber of site locations.

Fishlake National Forest provided add itional fundingto support the field crew to work in the Tushar Mountains andto survey for Arizona willow in the Monroe Mountains. Wespent the week of July 23,2001 in the Tushar Mountains andseveral days inAugust in the Monroe Mountains. Dixie Na-tional Forest provideda field crew o work with the NPS crewleader to survey for Potentitla angilliae on Boulder Mountain.This work was done the week of August 6,2001.

Calendar year 2001 was an excellent year for sur-veys since theprevious fall and winter were wet with recordsnowfalls in the project area. All species argeted for surveysbloomed, often for extended time periods. In fact, a fall recon-naissance trip was planned in the San Rafael Swell to review

VO L U M E 25, I S S U E 2an area or Giiia tonuis,and three new sites were ound withG i h tenuis inbloom.

PartnershipsEach of the participating agencies usedthe inter-agency agreement to pool funding for this project. This en-abled them to extendsurveysonto federal lands adjacent toCARE and to expand the scope of the NPS project to FNF,DNFandBLM. For Fiscal Year 2001, NPS contributed$53,000, BLM contributed $26,000, DNF contributed$7,200and FNFcontributed$12,000. Capitol Reef Natural HistoryAssociation (CRNHA)s very supportive of natural resourceissueswithin CARE an d oined the agencies in support of theproject bydonating $4,000 thisyear also. Utah Native PlantSociety (UNPS) also joined the agencies insupport of this

effortwith a$1,000 grant. The non-federal dollars fromCRNHA and UNPS enabled FNF,DNF and BLMto obtaincost share dollars from their budgets and enabled CARE tohire an additional crew member and to purchase field equip-merit to Improve the quality of work accomplished.

ConclusionsWork accomplished during this field season resultedin the discovery and documentationof several new localitiesfor 20 TE&S species. Some of the target species were re-corded for the first time on FNF and DNF, confirming thatmore work needs to be done before these species ranges andniches are completely understood. Individualspecies reportssummarizing findings this year will be submitted to eachagency tff the species is located on that agencies' land), UtahNaturalHeritage Division and FWS.The creation of this interagency crew has provenbeneficial to all participating agencies. There are numerousTE&S plant species whose distributions overlap agency juris-

dictions, so it is to the mutual scientific and economic benefitof the agencies to manage these T species cooperativelyon an ecosystembasis. Fieldwork s conducted throughoutthe range of each target species regardless of agencyboundaries, so a more accurate picture of the species and itshabitat requirements is gained.Information gathered during this three-yearstudyenables the participating agencies to meet legal requirementsof the Endangered Species Act, comply with NFS, BLM andUSFS management policies, and address Government Per-formanceand Results Ac t goals. Knowledge gained aboutthese species and their specific habitat requirements will en-able federal officials o ensure that these plants are protectedand will assist in pred icting which areas may contain addi-

tional occurrences. Resultsfrom this study will also help indetermining which species should be monitored to determineimpacts.Field Crew Members for the 2001 season; ShirleyBell, Shanna Ray Brown, Deborah Clark, Keith Durfey, ChrisGroebner, Gary Lenhart, Erin Magoon, Terry Miller, ZacharyMiller, Phil Scany, Amy Schwarzbach, DavidTait, and KyleWheeler.


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VOLUME 25, SSUE 2 PAGE 3

Table 1. List of TEAS species found in 2001, by agency and number of sites.1 Species 1 Status 1 Agency 1 # ofSites

Astragalus asclepioides 1 G4JS3S4 1 BLMI I ICymopterus becki 1 G2GWS2S3 1 CARE I 6

1I 1Astragalus consobrinus 1 G2G3JS2S3 1 BLM

1 Gilia tenuis 1 G1IS1 1 BLM I

1

Erigeron rnaguireiEriogonum corymbosum war. re-Gilia caespitosa

1 Habenaria zothecina 1 I I1 G21S2 1 DNFICARE 1 3

ThreatenedG /S1G21S2

1 Opuntia basilaris var. heiliiLorna iurn junceum I G5/T2T3/S2S3 BLMI

BLMICAREFNFCAREIFNF

1 Pediocactus despainii 1 Endangered 1 BLM I 1

816

G3/S3

I I IPediocactus winkleri I Threatened I CARE 1 1

FNF

1 PotenM a ngelliae 1 G1/S1 IDNF I

1

Physaria acutifolia var. purpurea G /T2/S2I I

I Sphaeralcea psoroloides 1 G2/S2 I BLM ISalix a izonica 1 G 3 / S 2 1 FNFI I I

FNF

3Sclerocactus wrightiae 1 Threatened1. 1 ITownsendia aprica 1 Threatened 1 BLM/CARE/DNF 1 6

1

BLMKARE I 2 1I I 1

1 Xylorhiza con ettifolia G l G 2 / S l S 2 I D N F IThelesperma subnudurn var. 1 G5/T2/S2 1 FNF 4

Total 87


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PAGE 4 VOLUME 25 , I S SUE 2

1 rom theNativePlant Society ofNew Mexico News-- letter, excerpt fromthe Nov/Dec 200issue of SierraMagazine.What began asan anti-lawn party has become amini-revolution. In May 1991, the Montreal sub-urb of Hudson passed a law banning the"cosmetic" use of pesticides within town bounda-ries-making it illegal to douse those dandelions inthe garden or on private lawns. Recreational fa-cilities such as parks and golf courses were alsorestricted from using pesticides. TruGreenChemlawn and Spray Tech, two pesticide-application companies, didn't care for the rulingand challenged the law, taking it all the way toCanada's Supreme Court. This summer it be-came official: The high court ruled that munici-palities across the country now have a right toban pesticide use on public and private property.

And for good reason: Of the 36 most commonlyused lawn pesticides, 13 have been found tocause-cancer, 14 cause birth defects, 15 havebeen linked to liver or kidney damage, and 21damage the nervous system.

The Utah Native Plant Society is updating its complimentary subscription list. Anyone, such asaibrary or native plant society, that currently receives the UNPS newsletter, the Sego Lily, free ofcharge must contact the Society in order to continue receiving the newsletter. No response equalsi o subscription.Please contact Abby Moore at: A.moore@ n.cc.utah.eduOr write to:Utah Native Plant SocietyComplimentary SubscriptionsP.O. Box 520041Salt Lake City. UT 84152-004


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PAGE 5 VOLUME 25, I SSUE 2

Fungi CanWhack InvasiveWeedsAmerican farmers and homeowners spend mil-lions combatingweeds and other alien organ-isms introduced from foreign countries.With theincrease in international commerce and trade,the number of alien species becoming estab-lished in this country is growing every year.'Luckily, fungi provide a vast arsenal of ammuni-tion to control noxious weeds-both establishedand newly arrived-that invade roadsides,rangelands, and waterways and crowd out usefuland native plants," says mycologistAmy Y.Rossman. She heads the Aaricultural ResearchService's Systematic Botany and MycologyLaboratory in Beltsville, Maryland.Fungi are among the most biologically diverseorganisms on Earth. Once discovered and char-acterized, many previously unknown species canbe put to work. Thanks to research at Rossman'slab,ARS scientists at several US. laboratoriesare testing the effectiveness of three new fungusspecies as biocontrols for some of the UnitedStates' major invasive weeds: ragweed, purpleloosestrife, kudzu,andmorningglory.MycologistDavid F.Farr is curator of ARS' U.S.National Fungus Collections, maintained atBeltsville. A systematist, Farr probes the coliec-lion's 1 million fungal specimens to discover,name, scientifically describe, and classify agri-culturally important fungi.'Once these organisms are characterized, theirweed-control potentialcan be tested in field andlab experiments," says Farr. He recently discov-ered several fungi-two new to science-thatmay offer nonchemicalcontrol of these fourweeds

An IrritantWherever It Grows

pollencauses irritated eyes, runny noses, andgeneral discomfort for many sufferers.'Last year, scientists in Hungary-where ragweedis even more of a problem-reported that they hadfound a fungus, possibly a Septoiia. that waspathogenic to ragweed. It causes leaves to die andkills some plants, probably by entering through leafpore^.^After searching the literature and fungus collection,Farr determined that this beneficialspecies ofSeptoria is also found in the United States, thoughnot previously described anywhere. Using molecu-lar sequencing, hecharacterized it, named it S.epambrosiae, and illustrated it. Then he showed itto be distinct from three other related, known Sep-totia species."Scientists will use this information to communi-cate about the new fungus in developing it as abiocontrolagent for ragweed," says Farr.

Garden PlantGoneWild

'Ragweed, Ambrosia arfemisiifolta, s a noxiousplant that infests thousands of acres of arableland worldwide and causes allergic reactions-often seasonal-in many people," says Farr. "Its


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PAGE 6

FungiCanWhack InvasiveWeeds (conk)

the quality of thousands of acres of wetlands,becoming the dominant vegetation by outcom-peting native plants that provide critical food,shelter, and breeding areas for wildlife."After careful examination of form and structureand DNA sequencing, Farr was able to deter-mine the molecular fingerprint of the fungus-also ne w to science."W e described, illustrated, and named it Hark-nessja lythrii," says Farr. "Many species of Hark-nessia are host specific-but not all of them-soscientists need to ensure that this fungus attacksonly purple loosestrife."

Kudzu-A Colossal Creep

Plant pathologistC. Douglas Boyette at ARS'Southern Weed Science Research Unit, Stone-vJHe, Mississippi, recently discovered that tt~esicklepod fungus Myrothecium verrucaria is alsoan effective bioherbicide for controlling kudzu-This fast-growing, normative weed covers morethan 7 million acres of the South.'Kudzu resembles a giant beanstalk," saysBoyette. "It spreads at a rate of about 120,000acres a year, reducing land productivity. Home-owners have a hard time controlling this vine,which grows up the sides of buildings, alongfences, and on trees and telephone poles. Con-trol costs increase by nearly $6 million eachyear,"In greenhouse and small field plot studies,Boyette and ARS plant pathologist Hamed K.Abbas found that the Myrotheciumbioherbicidekilled 100percent of kudzu weeds treated at dif-ferent growth stages and under varying physicalandenvironmental conditions. I t should providea good nonchemical control alternative, sinceone spray treatment kills leaves and stems andappears to invade the roots. This research wasdone in collaborationwith LouisianaTech Uni-versity-Ruston.

VOLUME 25, ISSUE 2

The Stoneville researchers are doing extensivetoxicologicaf studies on the fungus and are look-ing for a company to license the patented kudzu-control technology.

Quarantine and Morningglories

Farr recently collaborated with ARS plant pa-thologist Douglas G.Luster, who is at the ARSForeignDisease-WeedScience Research Unitin Frederick, Maryland, on the systematics of adifferent strain of M. verrucaria.With four micro-bial containment greenhouses, this unit is thenation's largest facility for studying whole plantsunder quarantine conditions.Scientists there have developed techniques tomonitor biocontrol agents after release in o theenvironment. They use the polymerase chainreaction, amplified fragrnen length polymor-phism, DNA sequencing, molecular marking, andother sensitive technologies to detect and iden-tify a weed pathogen's unique genetic fingerprint.This lets them differentiatestrains of the samefungal species."DNA fingerprinting also helps scientistskeepclose tabs on spore growth and spread, hostrange, and effectiveness of biocontrolpathogenslike Myrotheciumonce they've been released,"Luster says. They've fingerprinted several strainsof this soil fungus that kill morningglories,aweed that plagues sugarcane growers.


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PAGE 7 VOLUME 2 5 , I S S U E 2

H ~ o v ^ ~ w i e w ^ w U ^ ~ c w ~ ~ t o CNcitwe^Wiidfiowwi; Shrubs,a^u^Orncuney\t'cd/

C j r ~ t ~ r f r m S e e d 'Theseworkshops are part of the UNPS Heritage Garden Program, whichhas the goal of increasing love and knowledge of native plants throughhorticulture. Participants will receive information on native plant horticul-ture and will have the opportunity to take home planted seeds and watch them grow.

Send a $10check to the contact listed for the workshop you will be attendingor call for more information.Salt Lake Workshops ProvoWorkshops Park City Workshops

Date andTime

Location

Contact

Tw o workshops: Two workshops: One w o k h o p :Saturday, March 9, 9:00am o 12pm Saturday. March 16. 9 m to 1 1 am March2, :00 .m.Saturday, March 9. 12noon to 3 pm Saturday, March 9, 1 pm to 3 pmLiberty Park Greenhouse (enter on USFS Shrub Sciences Laboratory Park City (call Dave or Mindythe west side),700E between900 Greenhouses,735North 500 East for more information)and 1300 STherese Meyer, 801-272-3275, 2931 Susan Meyer, 412 East Salem Hills DaveGardener 435-649-E. Tolcate Lane, Holladay, UT 84121 Circle, Elk Ridge UT8465 1 3355 or Mindy Wheeler80 -

Nat^?/Pla^P^~ayifu>yv'W~Wwf>^Name Phone # Email

^3>, AddressWorkshop location,date and time you will be attendina..*............*...................*,.,.....,....,,..................................*.....*...................................


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PAGE 8 VOLUME 25, S S U E 2

"We shall never produce an art of landscapingworthwhile until we have learned to love the soil andthe beauty of our homeland."

-Jane Jensen, landscape architect andconservationist (1860-95 )

"Whatever its condition, the environment is, afterall, a reflection of ourselves, our tastes, our aspira-tions, our successes, and our failures."-Lady Bird Johnson


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VO L U ME 25, S S U E 2 PAGE 9

Western Society for Weed ScienceAnnual ConferenceMarch 11 14,2002. Salt Lake City, Utah. Keep up withthe latest in weed control in western North America. Lotsof great talks and networking. For more informationvisitthe WSWS website at: www.wsweedscience.org

Water Conserving Plants Class

Continuing ducat ion .participants will use ve-hides for field trips. For more details call Jess Wag-staff, 785-5660 or email him atmhff2aR.net.Design Basics for Waterwise Land-scapes

weeds, fire, deer, toxic plants.

Saturday, April 20,10-noon, Jordan Valley Water Con-servancy District, 8215 S 1300W. Don't miss this freeworkshop by Stephanie Duer, Conservation Coordinatorfor Salt Lake City and experienced landscape designerand horticulturist. Learn the basic landscape designprinciples for your home landscape. Includes incorpo-rating Utah native plants! Due to limited space, pleaseRSVP 1-877-728-3420,

March to May. JessWagstaff, retired USDA poisonousplant expert, and the Utah Valley Chapter have teamedtogether to organize a UVSC continuing education classcalled Water Conserving Plants. Emphasis throughoutwill be on water conservation. This class will be a combi-nationof lectures on Wednesday evenings and 4 Satur-day workshops and field trips. The lectures will be held inPleasant Grove, with location to be announced in theUVSC Discovery catalog. The first class s onMarch 13 and scheduled from 7-9 pm.The final field trip is scheduled for Satur-1 ^day, May 18.Lectures include the following top-ics: Introductionby Jess Wagstaff,-omenclatureand Taxonomy of nativeand other water conserving plants, byRenee Van Buren, Utah Valley StateCollege Biology Department, XericLandscaping by Paula Mohadjer,Jordan Valley Water Conservancy Dis-trict, Sources of Native and XericPlants, Xeric plants and the environmentby Stan Kitchen, Shrub Sciences Lab,l ive and Xeric Plantson Public Land,'\ublic Policy Implicationsand Use of Na-speaker TBA, Commercial sources of plants,


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PAGE 10 V O L U M E 25, I S S U E 2

Imagine the conversation The Creator might havehad with St. Francis on the subject of lawns:GOD: Frank, you know all about gardens and nature.What in the world is going on down there in the Mid-west? What happenedto the dandelions, violets, thistleand stuff I started eons ago? I had a perfect, no-maintenance garden plan. Those plants grow in anytype of soil, withstand drought and multiply with aban-don. The nectar from the long lastingblossoms attractsbutterflies, honey bees and flocks of songbirds. Iex-pected to see a vast garden of colors by now. But all Isee are these green rectangles.

lot of work,ST. FRANCIS:You arent

ST. FRANCIS: It's the tribes that settled there. Lord.The Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers"weeds" and went to great lengths to kill them and re-place them with grass.GOD: Grass? But it's so boring. It's not colorful. Itdoesn't attract butterflies, birds and bees, only grubsand sodworms. It's temperamental with temperatures.Do these Suburbanites really want all that grass grow-ing there?ST. FRANCIS: Apparently so, Lord. They go to greatpains to grow it and keep it green. They begin eachspring by fertilizing grass and poisoning any other plantthat crops up in the lawn.GOD: The spring rains andwarm weather probablymake grass grow really fast. That must make the Sub-urbanites happy.ST. FRANCIS: Apparently not, Lord. As soon as itgrows a little, they cut it-sometimes twice a week.GOD: They cut it? Do they then bale it like hay?ST. FRANCIS: Not exactly, Lord. Most of them rake itup and put it in bags.GOD: They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do theysell it?ST. FRANCIS: No, Sir. Just the opposite. They pay tothrow it away,GOD: Now et me get this straight. They fertilize grassso it will grow. And when it does grow, they cut if offandpay to throw it away?ST. FRANCIS: Yes, Sir.

Lord. Whenthe grass stops growing so fast, they drag out hosesandpaymore money to water it so th.ey can continueto mow it and pay to get rid of ir.GOD: What nonsense! At least they kept some ofthe trees. That was a sheer stroke of genius, if I dosay so myself. The trees grow leaves in the spring toprovidebeauty and shade in the summer. In the au-tumn they fall to the ground and form a naturalblan-ket to keep moisture in the soil and protect the treesand bushes. Plus, as they rot, the leaves form com-post to enhance the soil. It's a natural circle of life.ST. FRANCIS: You better sit down, Lord. The Sub-urbaniteshave drawn a new circle. As soon as theleaves fall, they rake them into great piles andpay tohave hem hauled away.GOD: No. What do they do to protect the shrub andtree roots in the winter and to keep the soil moist andloose?ST. FRANCIS: After throwingaway the leaves, theygo out and buysomething which they call mulch.They haul it home and spread it around in place of theleaves.GOD: And where do they get this mulch?ST. FRANCIS: They cut down rees and grind themup to make the mulch.GOD: Enough. Idon't want to think about this any-more. St. Catherine, you're in charge of the arts.What movie have they scheduled for us tonight?ST. CATHERINE: "Dumb and Dumber", Lord. It's areally stupid movie about.. .GOD: Never mind, I think I just heard the whole storyfrom St. Francis.

GOD: These Suburbanites must be relieved in thesummer when we cut back on the rain and turn up the From the internet, Infomaniac.


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VOLUME 25, ISSUE 2 PAGE 11

"iocontrol Beetles Set Free to Tackle SaltcedarBy Kathryn Barry StelljesMay 22.2001Chinese leaf beetles(Diorhabdaelongaia)are be-ginning official duty as the first biological controlagents released into the environment against saft-cedar (Tamarfxspp.).These invasive trees, whichcan grow upto 30 feet tall,infest more than 1millionacres along western water-ways. Inaddition to crowdingout nativeplants, saltcedarcan increase soil salinity, di-vert natural streamflow andincrease wildfire frequency.Unprecedented monitoringofthe beetle and its impactsbe-gan in July 1999, when theinsects were put out in largecages at 10 locations in sixwestern states.Scientists first released thebeetles from field cages lastweek near Seymour, Texas,and Pueblo, Colo.They planto make other releasesnearBishop, Calif.; Fallen, Love-lockandSchurz, Nev.; Delta,Utah; and Lovell,Wyo. Addi-tional nursery cages areestablishedat new sitesWoodland and KingCity

beingnear

Empidonax traiSS exfimus. nsome locations,these endangeredbirds nest in saltcedar thathas crowded out their native willow nesting sites.Biological control is expected to slowly reducesaltcedar, allowing beneficial plant and animalspecies to reestablish in severely infested areas.Other planned activities include continuedmoni-

Calif.Biologicalcontrol agents are often released di-rectly into the environment. In this case, the US.Department of Agriculture and cooperatingscien-tists are watching these beetles closely to ensuretheir establishment and to evaluate their impact,population growth and safety.

taring of the insects, plantsand associated wildlife,and studies to facilitaterevegetation with nativeolants.rhe project, initiated andaordinated throughJSDA's Agricultural Re-;earth Service, operatesn conjunction with a con-iortium of more than 30ederal, state,and localtgencies;universities;andrivate organizations. Theearn receiveda $3 millionjrant in 2000 from theUSDA's Initiative for Future

Agriculture and Food Sys-tems for work on a com-plex of invasive weeds,including saltcedar.

ARS is USDA's chief sci-entific researchagency.

Scientific contacts: C. ack DeLoach, ARSGrassland, Soil and Water Research Laboratory,Temple, Texas,phone (254)770-653, fax (254)770-656 , [email protected]; Raymond I .Carruthers,Exotic and Invasive WeedsRe-search Unit, ARS Western Regional ResearchCenter,Albany, Calif.,phone (510)559-6 27,fax (510)559-623, [email protected].

This informationhas been used to ensure that thebiocontrol project protects all native species in thearea, including the southwestern willow flycatcher,


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UNPSUtah NativePlant SocietyP.O. Box 520041Salt LakeCity, UT84152-0041

UtahLadyfingerAstragalus utahensis

Non-ProfitOrg.US. PostagePAIDSalt Lake City,Utah PERMITNo.327

Utah Native Plant Society Membership and Information-ONew Member LIRenewalName:Street:City/State:

Check membership category desired:USudent $9.00ISenior $12.00"ndividua $15.00DHousehold $25.00USustaining $40.00DSupporting Org. $55.00DCorporate $250.00 and upDLifetime $250.00HPlease send a complimentary copy of the SegoLily to the above individual.Please enclose a check, payable to Utah NativePlant Society and send it to:MembershipUtah Native Plant SocietyP.O.Box 520041Salt Lake City, Utah84152-0041

For more information about the UTAH NATIVE PLANT SOCIETYUtah Native PlantSociety call: President: Susan MeyerPresident Beet: Larry MeyerBill King: 582-0432 Treasurer: Ben FranklinSusan Garvin:356-5108 Secretary: Therese MeyerLarry Meyer 272-3275 Newsletter Editors: PaulaMohadjerOr write to: [email protected] an d Mindy Wheeler

Many thanks to Xmission forsponsoring the Utah NativePlant Societywebsite.Please direct ail suggestions,articlesand events for thenewsletterto Paula Mohadjerat [email protected]. Dead-line for next Issue sFeb 15.

CHAPTER PRESIDENTSCache: Tami ColemanCanyonlands: Karen Dohrenwend&Sarah HaffronCentral Utah ChapterMountain: Abby MoorePrice: Mike HubbardSalt Lake: Mindy WheelerSouthern Utah: Mike EmpeyUinta ChapterUtah Valley: Phil AllenCOMMITTEESHorticulture: Susan MeyerConservation: Bill KingEducation: Mindy WheelerInvasive Species: Phit AlienCommunications: Paula Mohadjer


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By JeffMitcheltUtah has severalendemic species of cactus, which means thatthey occur nowhereelse in the world. Because of limited distributicand rarity, these cacti becomeprized possessions or cactus hobb

Iists and merchandise for commercial collectors. A number of theseplants havebeen listed as endangeredor threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Even so, illegal collection still occurs as en- 1

forcement agencies do not have ability 10 fund adequateenforcement over the remote areas where these plantslive.For the last several years, Ihave been cultivating nativeUtahcactus and propagating them with the intentof mak-ing these interesting cacti available to the public withouthaving to resort to collection from habitat. By mass pro-ducing these plants, I hope to drive the cost of buying cut-tivated plants below the costs required incollection, thuseliminating any profit motive from collection.There are several constituencies that want these plants,and their needs need to be accommodated by any propa-gation plan. The least fussy constituencydoesn't reallycare where the plant comes rom. All they want is a plantfo r their windowsill. These are the easiest to handle. Cac-tus enthusiasts, researchers, and people involved withhabitat restoration would want seedsor plants from spe-cific areas, and they want the material to be geneticallyrepresentativeof a particular population.This segment ofdemand can be supplied from refuge populations.A refuge population is a group of plants which is geneti-cally representativeof a population in thewild, but which isgrown at a locationaway from the wild populations. A ref-uge population can serve as a backup for the natural


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PAGE 2 VOLUME 25 , ISSUE 38 ego Lily and Cactus Refuge Populations I

populations, provide seed for restoring areas fromwhich a species has been extirpated, and for providingresearchersand hobbyists with a source of geneticallyrepresentativematerial from a particular location.While some endangered and threatened cacti areavailable from commercial sources, the numbers ofcacti used as seed producersare not typically geneti-cally representative and may represent only 10-30plants. This is better than nothing, and would satisfypeople who want the plants for their windowsill. But it iscertainlynot optimal for the hobbyists, researchersandfolks doing habitat restoration. The question then be-comes how to get a representative parent populationwithout further endangering plants in habitat. The an-swer is to collect seed which is muchmoreabundantthan plants. So the idea is to collect a small percentageof seed (10 percent or less) from each plant in a largermore representative population. The larger the parentpopulation, th e better the representation. White gather-ing the seed, the remaining seed can be placed instra-tegic microhabitats where they are more likely to germi-nate.This would be done to offset the relatively negligi-ble amount taken for cultivation. A broodstock with sev-eral hundred plants cultivatedfrom these seeds canthen be established. Further genetic representationcanbe brought in by pollinating cultivated plants from plantsflowering Inhabitatwithout taking any more plants orseeds.Ok, hat is the theory. How is it working ou t with Pedio-cactus despainii?Pediocactusdespainii s an endangered endemic fromthe San Rafael Swell in EmeryCounty incentral Utah. Ihave successfully grown Pediocactus despainii fromseed and have several hundredseedlings. These seed-lings are not genetically representativeas the parentsprobably number less han 20 plants. It is a good start,however.My germinating facility holds4 72 cell flats of seedsand plants which grow under 8 F40CWX fluorescentbulbs. This will be expanded to a total of 8 trays in thenear future.The first planting was in November2000, and 88 of128 sprouted. 48 died due to moisture retention in thesoil. The remaining 40 were placedoutside during sum-mer 2001, survived, and were repotted into 4" pots inMarch 2002 and are growing rapidly. The second plant-ingwa s in March 2001. 225 of about 500 sprouted.Only 2 died. The third plantingwas done in January2002.90 of 300 sprouted. 0 died.

The second and third plantings have been moved out-doors from my fluorescent germinating rack. The seed-lings have beenplaced under tw o window screens toprovide shade from direct sun until they can adapt to thebrighter light.Hopefully, Iwill have the first andsecond plantings inflower by spring 2004. At that point these non-representative plants will be producingthousands ofseeds which can then be cultivated for sale. The pro-ceeds would be used to finance expansionof a non-profit organization dedicated to mass producing endan-gered plants with the intent to reduce collection pressureon plants in th e wild. I'm also hoping to develop a work-ing relationship with the Fish andWildlifeService to beable to set up refuge populations which can be used forrestorationof damaged areas and potentiallysome ex-pansion of populations into adjacent similar habitats inthe wild. I am in theprocessof cultivating additional spe-cies and hope to report on hose at some time in the fu-ture.

If ny of you have seeds you would like to donate to thisproject with or without location data, or have any ques-tions, contact me atm [email protected]. If seedsare of endangered or threatened plants, they need to becultivatedor otherwise legallyacquired.About the author Jeff Mitchellwas formally trained incomputer science, and has had an interest in biologicaland natural sciences all of his life. He has been workingwith native Utahcacti for the since 1996. He is currentlyworking on propagating 11 species of native cacti withothers in the works.


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PAGE 3 V O L U M E 2 5 , I S S U E 3

I Saturday, May 11, 10:00a.m. to 4:00p.m.Meet us in the parking lot at the RE1 store at 3285 East 3300 South in Salt Lake City. This event will feature agrand assortment of native plants and seeds for sale as well as posters and possibly other items. W e will haveplants we have produced, and several nurseries wilt b e participatingas well. Plant sale proceedswill be used tosupport the UNPS Heritage Garden program.

Tony Prates andother UNPS members:Iwould like to thank your organization for thework which has been completed in the past. 1 have worked in Washing-ton County since the late 70's and do remember the progress forT&Eplants which was made. 1 would like to updateyou on the progress which has recently beenmadeon the dwarf bear-claw poppy.The following actions have beentaken: Th e last several years a trail systemhas been developed in the Red Bluff Poppy Habitat and Stucki SpringsHolmgren Milkvetch Habitat to centralize mountain biking activitiesandcontrol OHV use. Along with the trail system,a bike patrolhas been established to provide emergencycare to bikers when neededand to monitor OH V activities.Patrol members are equipped with cellular phones so law enforcement authorities can be notified on anyOHV activi-ties. Also restoration work has been completed by our office and several AmericorpCrews to erase unwanted trails,and other surface disturbances (approximately 10acresof restoration each of the past 3 years). W e have completedan exchangewith the State of Utah on poppyhabitat in the WebbHill Population (southof Brigham Road). This ex-changed consolidated the better habitat in this area and providedfor an addition of approximately 80acres poppyhabitat. The past severalyears we have completed approximately 8 miles of protective fencing for the poppy. Thefollowing populations are now fenced from OH V and other surface disturbing activities: Shinob Kibe, Webb Hill (bothnorthand south of Brigham Road), Red Bluff. The St. George Field Office (BLM) hascompleteda land us e plan(1999) which providesa number of protectivemeasures or T&Eand BLM Sensitive Plan Species. The WarnerRidge and Re d Stuff Habitats were designated Areas of Critical Environmental Concern. This year we will be com-pleting protective fencing on 1 or 2 Shem Milkvetch Populations to restrict OHV and livestock grazing use. Also wewill need someof the existing fenced areas patrolledand fence maintenance completed. We would like to work withyour local Chapter on completing some of this work. I ook forward to hearing from you. Bob DouglasWildlife Biolo-gist St. George Field Office 435-688-3204.

The Garden NicheOpens in Sandy!?!Going native at long last, there will be a nursery in the Salt Lake area specializing in Utah native plants: The GardenNiche will open in Sandy on Monday, April 22. It is nota total coincidence that this is also Whole Earth Day. Our goaland purpose will be to provide plants that can grow in harmonywith our other natural resources, rather thanoppos-ing them. Native plants are adapted to our climate; hot and dry in the summer, cold and wet in the winter. They donot suffer from the many pests and diseases that occur on tender exotics, so the pesticides are not needed. Theythrive, in their own hardy fashion, with little or no added fertilizers, soil conditioners, or extra water. W e have chosenwater-thrifty plants for their unique beauty and usefulness in habitat creation for birds, butterflies, and native bees.Some examples: Cliffrose and Bitterbrushare medium-sized shrubs with cream-colored, wonderfully fragrant flowerslike small simple roses that will perfume your yard. Pinyonpine is a slow-growing native pine that can producepounds of delicious nuts in the Fall, and the bluejays know all about it. Dorr's sage is a petite shrub with fragrantleaves and lovely purple-blue flowers. The garden staff will be able to assist in design and plant choice, includingmodificationof watering regimens to conserve during the continuing drought. The principal nurseries supplying stockforThe Garden Nicheare Janett Warner's Wildland Nursery inJoseph, Utah, and Merrilland Robert Johnson'sGreat Basin Natives in Holden, Utah. The Garden Niche is located at 10650South, 700 East, Sandy, Utah 84091.The phone number is (801) 523-5020. Hours will be 10-6, Monday through Saturday.


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Garden Fair Days at Jordan Valley Water

PAGE 4 VOLUME 25, SSUE 3

Waterwise Landscaping Class June 8 and Julv 13. 8:00a.m. to noon. Jordan Vallev Water- Conservancy District. The Garden Fair includes "A& anMay7 and 14, 6 to 8 p.m. Red Butte Garden. This two night Expert" information booths such as the Utah Native Plantclass will focus on all aspects of waterwise landscaping, from Society, Center for Water-Efficient Landscaping, and Utahproper design, irrigation technologies anddrought tolerant plant y^er Forum, foodvendors, and Waterlouselection. entertainment. This will also be a great opportunity to pickupsome of our beautiful native plants, because ALL ofUtah's native plant and seed sellers will be there: WildlandNursery, Great Basin Natives, Utah Wildflower Seeds, HighDesert Gardens, and PaulAmes' seeds. JVWCD, 82 15 S1300W , West Jordan. For more information call Paula at565-4300.Utah Native Plants in the Landscape

May 18, Red ButteGarden, Lecturer Paula Mohadjer. Formore information call 581 IRIS. $5 or free with garden admis-sion price.

UpcomingFieldTrip to FarmingtonCanyonJuly 13' -Set this date aside for a great field trip upFarmingtonCanyon with Forest ServiceEcologistWayne Padgett. Detailswill follow in the next Sego Lilyas to where and when to meetand what to expect from this spectacular trip.

Albion Basin Wildflower WalkJuly 27'- Wildflower walk at Albion Basin! If youhave notseenthis gem in the height of summer, it is an absolute must! (Even ifyou have seen it, it's time to go again!) The display of wildflow-ers s astounding! SteveJensen and Ann Crawley will lead thisinterpretive hike and answer any questions about the wildflow-ers, wetland characteristics and geomorphology. The two lead-ers completed a study in this area a few years ago, so they arevery familiar with many aspects of Albion Basin. This promisesto bea magnificent tour lasting about 4 hours. Meet at the park-ing lot of Goidminets Daughter at the base of Alta Ski Area at10am and carpool it from there. The tour should end at about2pm. For further information, call Mindy Wheeler at 69S5459.

Utah Native Plants in the Landscape

Landscapingwith UtahNative Plants ClassJune 13and 14. University of Utah Lifelong Learning classthat will be heldat Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District,8215 S 1300W. What better place to find plants that fit intoyour landscapethan the natural environment around you?We'll cover which plants are native to Utah. sources for pur-chasing native, soils an dirrigaiton and maintenance. Gar-den walks will expose youto many examples. $49. To reg-ister call 587-5433.

Waterwise Gardening Basics in the Dem-onstrationGardenJune 20, Thursday 6-7:30. Paula Mohadjer, ConservationHorticulturist, JVWCD. This class will be held at theJVWCDConservation DemonstrationGardens, 8215 S 1300W,West Jordan, for hands-on earning about waterwise garden-ing. Topics will include irrigation technologies, waterwisedesign, and proper plant selection. Free. As space is lim-ited, please registerat 565-4300.

Thursday, June 6, 7-8:30 .m. Jordan Valley Water Conser-vancy District, 8215 S 1300W. Back by popular demand!Susan Meyer, Presidentof the Utah Native Plant Society, isonce again teaching heracclaimed Native Plants in the Land-scape workshop. Great slides and a wealth of information!Due o limitedspace, please RSVP 1-877-728-3420.


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V O L U M E 25. ISSUE 3 PAGE 5

Ornamental GrassesRed Canyon Field Trip

The plans are still developing for a weekend at Red Can-yon; I have info on a Bristlecone Pine forest in the area,and we have several members who know the endemicsthere. I can't get reservationsat the campgrounds, but theperson I alked to thought there shouldn't be a problemgetting sites, except on Memorial Day weekend.So I am scheduling the trip for a weekendbetween May 17and June 15 (excluding MemorialDay)and the exact datewill be set after Iget a final response from members. Cur-rently the idea is to have one or two group hikes on Satur-day, and a potluck supper afterwards. Th e campgroundsounds nice and fully developed, including showers; seethe website att.here is also a commercial campground nearby with somecabins. Seehttw://www.reclcanvon.neUrc mark1Please respond to saarvin @fs.fed.usor Susan Garvin, 801356-5108 by May 10, an d I will send you information on theplans as they develop. Also indicate f you'd like to partici-pate in the potluck.

Great Perennials forWaterwise LandscapingJuly 13, Saturday 10-noon. Jordan Valley Water Conser-vancy District. Lecturer: Franci DeLong, Xeriscape Design.Are you looking for some beautiful, long blooming, low-water and low maintenance perennials to use in your gar-den this year? This talk will give you a large palate tochoosefrom and you'll see ho w they've been used in someof our local landscapes. Free. As space is limited, pleaseregister at 565-4300.

Trees and Shrubs forWaterwise LandscapingAugust 15, Thursday 7-8:30 .m . Jordan Valley WaterConservancy District Lecturer: Doug Kilgren, City of SandyWater Conservation Coordinator. Different waterwise treesand shrubs that can be incorporated in residential land-scapes; both hard to findnatives and ones found at thelocalgarden center. Free. As space is limited, please reg-ister at 565-4300.

September 21, Saturday 10-noon. Jordan Valley Water Con-servancy District. Lecturer: Julie Rotolo, Assistant Horticultur-ist. Learn about beautiful,drought tolerant ornamentalgrasses. This class will be held at the JVWCD ConservationDemonstration Gardens so the grasses can be viewed in agarden setting. Free. As space is limited, please register at565-4300.

Dwarf Bear Claw PoppyDwarf Bear Claw Poppy to Benefit from grazing buyoutThe Grand CanyonTrust and The Nature Conservancyof Utah are fundraising fo r the purchase from a localWashington County, Utah rancher of the BLM grazingpermit overlaying one of the largest remaining popula-tions (RedBluff) of the endangered Dwarf Bear ClawPoppy (Arctomecon humilis) south andwest of St.George. TNC of Utah is attempting to raise $8,000 asits share of the acquisition cost of cattle permits. If youare interested in contributing to this effort, contactElaine York at (801)531 0999 or at0000,0000,8000eyork@ tnc.org.

Zion NationalPark-What's upand Blooming!under the "Southern Chapter" page that the Zion NP'What's up and blooming" link has been updated to in-clude links to photographs for most of the plant speciesthat are mentioned. The link is off of the SouthernChapter page or you can get there directly by navigat-ing to: httw://www.un~~.oro/zion/zionndex-html

UNPS is providing the resources to publish and main-tain the information under its web site as a public ser-vice. UNPS member Margaret Malm is the author ofactual material. 1 am doing the web work.Tony WASH-INGTON COUNTY RARE PLANTS by Tony Frates Asa part of an inquiry we made recently concerning thestatus of BLM related activities concerning endangeredplant species in Washington County (including the on-going plight of Arctomecon humilis aka dwarf bearclawpoppy which has long been the focus of various UNPSconservation actions and sponsored research projects), wereceived the following reply from Mr. Bob Douglas of theBLM'sSt. George FieldOffice which he has granted us withpermission to reprint.We are extremely encouragedby thepositive actions that have been taken and are beingplannedby the BLM and, through primarily our Southern Chapter,hopeto foster a stronger working relationship andassist theSt. George Field Office as appropriate and feasible in con-junction with rare plant related projects.


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PAGE 6 VOLUME 25, I S SUE 3

CacheChapterDespite the thick snowwhich lasted well into March,northern Utah's UNPS chapter eagerly anticipatedgreener times. W e sponsoredyet another selloutNative Plant Propagation Workshop on March 2*.Participants have been reporting great success withthis year's selections and are looking forward toplantingthem out. The USU Herbariumstaff alsogave us the red carpet treatment on our March 12'~tour. We not only wens able to (encouraged to!)pore through the samples collection, we saw howthey are processed, the extensive library used intheir research, the large slide collection, and even anonline tour of their continuing database compilation.Oh, and those snacks! Thanks, Mary, Michael, andAli.

Just a week later, instead of gleefully exploring theHerbarium treasures, we sat stunned by Dr. StevenDewey's InvasiveWeeds presentation. The threattheseweeds pose for Utah's natives cannot be over-estimated- millionsof acres in the West have al-ready been lost to them. Indeed, Dr.Dewey hasparticularconcern for areas such as Logan Canyon'sFranklin Basin, where he has found evidence ofweed invasion along trails popular with snowmo-bilists and ATV riders. Coincidence? We wonder.InApril, things really start to get busy fo r us. OnApril 18th,we'll have a tour of the Logan HighSchoolStrawbale Greenhouse(6:00 m at Logan HighSchool, 162 W 100S. The greenhouse is located inthe farsouthwestern comer of the west parking lot,behind the storage barn.) Here's a great opportunityto see the building methodeveryone's talking about.A year ago, students and community members builtLogan's first (legal) strawbale structure - a green-house - on the grounds of Logan High School. Jack

Greene,UNPS member, LHS science teacher, andproject leader, will show us around. Jack will also leaduson May 9Ih or an evening hike in Smithfield Canyon(6:00 m at the Birch Creek trail in Smithfield Canyon.Call 435-258-0303 for more detaileddirections.) Thistime, we'll bewalking up BirchCreek to see earlyspring flora, with an emphasis on ethnobotanical lore.In mid-Maywe will offer the outinglworkshopIdentity-ing NorthernUtah's Natives. MaryBarkworth, USUHerbarium Director, will lead this oft-requested outingfor all ages and skill levels. Class size is limited to 15,so call early, (May 78th, 1:00pm, probably GreenCan-yon. Small fee, about $-, to cover cost of hand-outs. Call 258-0303 for more informationor to regis-ter.) We hope to offer this class throughout the year,so stay in touch)

SouthernUtahChapterThe Southern Utah Chapterof UNPS has been busythe last few months. We have had several work daysand have the Heritage Garden for Three Falls Elemen-tary well under way. W e have the drip system in andworking.We hada specialplantingday with help fromthe 3rdgrade classes at the school. The native plantswhich were provided by Zion National Park and the

' Utah Native Plant Societyare starting to grow. Weeven have an Indian Paintbrushblooming!


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VOLUME 25, I S S U E 3 PAGE 7

The Utah Native PlantSocietyhas a long history of awardinggrants for the advancementof the goats of the Society. The first wasover 15yearsago for the study of the dwarf bearclaw poppy (Arctomeconhumilis.). Recently we have been awarding severalgrants per year. The fruits of the projects can be seen in the Sego Lily, it s a requirement that the awardee publish an article hereasa conditionof the grant. This spring session therewere three awardeeswho span theareas of basic research, field researchandservice projects.The first award is going to Julie P. Rieder who is pursuingher doctoraldegree n ecology at UtahStateUniversity. Her researchinvolves the non-native plant, yellow starthistle (Centaurea sotstitialis),a project titled "Yellow starthistle: An Investigation of Inva-sion Processes." She will investigate he mechanisms governing invasionand the susceptibility of plant communities o invasion.Her main objective is to contribute to our understanding of invasive weeds by investigating wo phases of the yellow starthistleinvasion process: initial colonization and subsequent encroachment. Her goal is to shed light on the mechanisms driving suscepti-bility of native communities to invasion by yellow starthistle. The research will be conducted in a yellow starthistle infested field atthe Lhdquist Memorial Gardensof the Wasatch inSouthOgden, Utah. Itwill address the following question: How does proximityto a yellow starthistle patch, disturbance, nutrient availability, andseed rain of yellow starthistle influence he ability of yellowstarthistle to colonize a native plant community?The second awardwas to Thomas 0. Clark, Chief of Resource Management& Science at Capitol Reef NationalPark or a re-gional inventoryof endangered plants in south central Utah. The objectives of this projectare to; 1)conduct a regional endangeredplant inventory to have accuratedataon locations of these rareand endangered plantspeciesboth within and adjacent to CAREand, 2) to help develop monitoring criteria andstandardsfor the listedspecies.The specific species to me studiedare:

Bameby reed-mustard (Schoencrombebamebyi)Jones cycladenia (Cycladeniahumilis var. Jonesii)Last Chance townsendia (Townsendiaaprica)Maguire's daisy (E rig eh n maguireoWestern nodding ladies-tresses Spiranthes di

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2002 Utah Native Plant Society Annual Compliations

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