The program will be: "Castillejinae Species of Nevada: Paintbrushes and their Relatives, Part 2” presented by Mark Egger, lead author of the Castilleja treatment for the Flora of North America. Mark will discuss more Castilleja, as well as Orthocarpus, Chloropyron, and Cordylanthus. Part 1 was superb!

In Northern Nevada (RENO), attend the in-person meeting in FA 300G on the 3rd floor of Fleischmann Agriculture on the UNR campus. Social and refreshments begin at 6:30 pm, PT.

The in-person meeting in Southern Nevada (HENDERSON) is held on the College of Southern Nevada campus. Refreshments are available at 6:30pm in the Niles Herbarium, Bldg A, RM A125. The meeting begins at 7 pm in Bldg C, RM C230. Parking is available at the College Drive lot.

OR You are invited to a Zoom meeting.

When: Nov 7, 2024 06:30 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Register in advance here:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEkf-yvrj4uHtX2Pk2bPQKyjxHiriwezVzZ

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

This should be fun! See you next week.

Our October program will be: "Castillejinae Species of Nevada: Paintbrushes and their Relatives” with Mark Egger, lead author of the Castilleja treatment for the Flora of North America.

Join us for our first meeting of the Fall season. The program "Bee-ware the brunch at a Death-Camas Cafe" will be presented by our guest speaker, James Cane, Emeritus, USDA Bee Lab. This program discusses Toxicoscordion and oligolectic bees. It was previously presented at the Biennial Bee Convention in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Some of you will remember meeting Jim at the 2021 Penstemon Society Annual Meeting in Logan, Utah.

The Northern Nevada in-person meeting will be held in FA 300G on the 3rd floor of Fleischmann Agriculture on the UNR campus. Social and refreshments begin at 6:30 pm, PT.

The Southern Nevada (HENDERSON) in-person meeting is held on the College of Southern Nevada campus. Refreshments are available at 6:30pm in the Niles Herbarium, Bldg A, RM A125. The meeting begins at 7 pm in Bldg C, RM C230. Parking is available at the College Drive lot.

OR You are invited to a Zoom meeting.

When: Sep 5, 2024 06:30 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Register in advance here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYldeuorDwvGNQTL6byWJGta1yur9035v-w

After registering, you will receive a Zoom confirmation email with your unique link to join the meeting.

Mike Hagebusch will lead us to see the narrow endemic Eriogonum microtheca var. scholcraftii and its habitat. This yellow flowered buckwheat is only known from a 14-mile stretch along the east face of the Sierra Nevada and from the Fort Sage Range in California; and from one collection on Seven Lakes Mountain in Nevada! It is found on decomposed granite soil, most often sheltered among tall sagebrush.

Meet at the Lemmon Valley McDonalds at 8:15 am, we will leave at 8:30 to drive to the Doyle area. About 38 miles N of the McDonald's gathering point turn left (W) on Constantia Road (three miles past the Red Rock Road on 395). The steeper forest service road should probably be driven by high clearance vehicles (Subarus are great). We'll travel at 10 mph or less and go 0.8 mile to the viewing area.

This should be a quick trip as most of the area is toasted by the abnormal heat. Remnants of Asclepias cordifolia and CIrsium occidentalis are visible. Other plants of interest are Eriogonum elatum var. elatum and Heterotheca orovillosa (newly separated from H. villosa).

Bring water, snacks and wear sunscreen.

Photo credit (c) Jeff Bisbee, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC).

NOTE TIME CHANGE; NOW 7:30 FOR CARPOOLING AND 8AM AT THE MOUNT ROSE PARKING AREA.

Join us as we walk from Mt Rose Pass Parking area to the top of Slide Mountain to check out the variety of hardy plants that grow on the slopes. On this hike we will have the opportunity to examine many high elevation ground hugging endemics.

Four high elevation Eriogonums- ovalifolium var. eximium, marifolium, rosense, and lobbii.

Four Penstemon- davisonii, newberrii, speciosus, and gracilentus.

Two Drabas- oligosperma and asterophora

Other noteworthy plants colonizing the scree beds are – Chaenactis alpigena, Pakera cana, Erigeron pygmaeus, Ipomopsis congesta ssp. montana, Diplacus nanus, Hieracium horridum, Linanthus pungens and Astragalus austiniae.

Photos of our target plants

We will start this field trip a little earlier than normal to help assure we have space to park in the Mount Rose Summit parking lot. This parking spot gets a lot of use on the weekends.

Our first car pooling location will be at the Dough Boys Donuts shop at 57 Damonte Ranch Pkwy in Reno. This shop is located in the South Towne Crossing mall. We will meet at 7:30 am to car pool and be on site by 8:00am.

Map of the route

Our course follows the unpaved service road for the Mount Rose Sky Resort as it ascends the west face of Slide Mountain. This road can be rutted and uneven in some places. We will hike about a mile with an elevation gain of approximately 600’. The first two thirds of our assent will be on a gradually sloping road that skirts open Jeffrey's pine forest. The last third of the hike will see a steeper incline as we negotiate the switch-back portion of the road. This last section of the trail accounts for 300’ of our elevation gain. As we proceed we will start to encounter decomposed granite scree beds hosting many of our target plants. When we reach our goal we will be walking across undulating scree beds strewn with boulders and outcroppings. The forest at this exposed location is somewhat stunted, gnarly, and wind blown but the views of Reno and Washoe Lake are outstanding. Plan on spending several hours on site.

Bring plenty of water, hats, walking sticks, lunch etc. The summit is exposed to the weather so be prepared for windy and possible chilly conditions. Watch the weather reports prepare, as you see fit.

Be aware that we will be required to walk across the Mount Rose Highway to get to our starting point and due to curves in the road at this location great care needs to be on ever-ones mind while crossing over.

Join us for a flower filled ramble around the Tahoe Meadows Interpretive Loop. We will walk around wet meadows, past dry slopes and through a forested area to see a diversity of wildflowers including lupines, asters, orchids and more.

We will plan on meeting at 9am at the Tahoe Meadows Trailhead (39.301848, -119.918801). **NOTE the TRT parking lot is closed but there is a pull out and parking area at the side of the road!**

For folks that would prefer to carpool, we will meet at the Galena Creek Visitor's Center at 8:30am.

It is a roughly 1.3 mile loop on level ground, however, despite it's length, we plan to be walking between 2-3 hours given the immense number of fascinating plants that can be seen here. Among (many) others, we hope to see Veratrum, Sambucus, Eriogonum, Lupinus, Ligusticum, Erythranthe and Aquilegia genera.

CANCELLED due to potential impact of Gold Complex Fire. 🔥

This will be a dual location trip, lead by John Weiser and John Dyer.

Location 1: Madora Lake, in the Plumas Eureka State Park, trip leader John Weiser. This will be an easy 1.9 mile walk on nearly level ground. There is a bathroom but no drinking water. Expect to see Chimaphila umbellata, Lilium washingtonianum, Pterospora andromedea, Platanthera dilatata var. leucostachys, Lilium pardalinum, and other forest gems.

Location 2: Greagle Lodge Meadow, in the Lakes basin Recreation Area, trip leader John Dyer (contact: 775.420.2197, moondog@gbis.com). This location features a lush plant habitat from free-flowing stream to springs to dryer forested ground. We will disperse to the various habitats with little actual hiking.

Expect to see a wide variety of dry soil to wet to saturated soil type plants. These may include at the very least Saxifraga oregana, Habenaria dilatata, Aconitum columbianum, Lilium pardalinum, Menyanthes trifoliata, and hopefully many more.

Directions: Parking at the trailheads is limited so carpooling is advised. Those traveling from Reno should meet at the McDonalds at US 395 and Lemmon Drive at 9:00 am. The second meeting place is in the parking lot on the north side of the Junction of CA 70 and CA 89 where you turn right to Blairsden and Graeagle at 10:15 am. We should be in the Madora Lake parking lot by 10:30.

Bring water, sun-screen, lunch and insect repellent. We plan to include a stop at Millie’s Ice cream and Coffee Co. (formerly Buckaroo’s). This location and the stop for ice cream was a favorite of former NNPS member Gary Monroe.

Join us for a mellow 2.5 mile around Spooner Lake at the height of it's wildflower season. We will be meeting at the visitor center at 9am and will depart at 9:15am.

On this walk, we will see a great number of plant genera including: Penstemon, Apocynum, Agastache, Cirsium, Phacelia, Valeriana, Drymocallis, Allium, Ceanothus and Sidalcea; among others.

Park website: https://parks.nv.gov/parks/spooner-lake

We will be meeting at the Spooner Lake Visitor Center. Note parking is $10 for a vehicle with a NV license plate and $15 for non-NV license plates. Directions can be found here: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Spooner+Lake/@39.1069556,-119.913276,15z/data=!4m6!3m5!1s0x80999d93ecbc611b:0xa0788c14840e3c28!8m2!3d39.1076033!4d-119.9089976!16s%2Fg%2F11c53jkcwf?entry=ttu

On Saturday, July 13th, we will be taking a trip into California to participate in the annual Sagehen Creek Field Station Bioblitz. The blitz will officially run from 9am-12noon. If you wish to carpool, we will meet at 7:30 in the Cabela's parking lot (8650 Boomtown Garson Road, off I80 at Exit 4 near Verdi). We will be leaving at 7:45 SHARP. Address for Sagehen Creek Field Station is 11616 Sage Hen Rd, Truckee, CA 96161.

This area is one of the most ecologically diverse places in our region and is always an exciting area to explore. We will see a number of fascinating plants with a handful that cannot be seen anywhere else. Last year, there was also the option of joining birding, mammal or insect groups which will likely be the case this time as well.

Recommended items to bring are: water, proper clothing/footwear (long sleeve shirts/pants for sun/mosquito protection), lunch/snacks, sun hat and/or sunscreen, notebook/pen. In addition, you will need to download the iNaturalist app to your phone prior to Saturday to be able to participate in the BioBlitz. Experience using this is helpful but not necessary. NOTE: you must register for this event https://www.tinsweb.org/upcoming-events/bioblitz-at-sagehen-creek-field-station-2r932-8dzyr. Email president@nvnps.org if you have questions.

The Biggest Little Pollinator Garden is located on the campus of University of Nevada, Reno near the Fleischmann Agriculture Building, will be part of a Pollinator Garden Tour during Pollinator Week 2024. The garden is collaborativelymaintained by U.S. Fish and Wildlife, Nevada Native Plants Society, University Museumof Natural History, College of Science, Master Gardeners, and University Facilities. It is one of the oldest and most established pollinator gardens in our region. Master Gardeners who help maintain the gardens will be present to answer questions, as will an NNPS member.

Register for this free event to receive a map of there gardens on the tour. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/reno-pollinator-garden-tour-tickets-893931903387

We will be meeting to carpool at Cabela’s in Verdi (8650 Boomtown, Garson Road, Verdi, NV 89439) at 7:30am and will leave at 7:45am sharp! We will meet at our first location, Dog Valley Road Summit 1 (~39°32'56.3"N 120°02'23.3"W) at approximately 8:10am.

It will likely be fairly warm (82/48) so bring plenty of water (2L+ recommended), proper clothing and footwear, bug spray, food, sunscreen and/or hat, and anything else you might need for a 2-3 hour hike and wander.

Dog Valley is a great area to experience our native Sierra Nevada wildflowers, we hope to see a variety plant genera including: Camassia, Sarcodes, Triteleia, Sidalcea, Delphinium, Penstemon, Calochortus, Trifolium, Erythranthe, Wyethia and the elusive Ivesia aperta var. canina.

https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/regions/intermountain/DogValley/index.shtml

Dog Valley Meadow photo by Janel Johnson.

We are cancelling this field trip due to the presence of sheep in the area. The sheep are introduced into the area for fine fuel control, sadly they have eaten most of the plants we were hoping to see and degraded the edges of the trail.

First meeting place. Meet at 7:15 at Salomon Ct. west of Vista Blvd., north of I-80 .  This is the first stop light north of the freeway entrance, turn right on Salomon Ct.  Anyone wishing to carpool can leave their cars here.  We plan on leaving at 7:30.

Second meeting place. Meet at 8:45 at the Fallon Nugget parking lot on SW corner of Maine Street and Highway 50 (this is called Williams Ave. in Fallon) in downtown Fallon. We will leave here at 9:00. Destination is the sand dunes north on Fallon on highway 95. After the dunes we will proceed north and then west through the Hot Springs Mts. This part will be about 15 miles on dirt roads, some of which are two-track. A high clearance vehicle is necessary for this part but 4-wheel drive is not. Here we will see 4 Nevada endemics, Penstemon arenarius, Astragalus porrectus, A. lentiginosus var. kennedyi, and Eriogonum lemmonii. We will also look for the endemic Atriplex phyllostegia. Round trip through the Hot Springs Mts. totals about 160 miles from Reno. Bring lunch, hat, water, sun block, and bug spray. On 12 May the areas near Fallon were mosquito city.

We have the opportunity to visit the dryland garden of John Weiser. The garden will be available for viewing from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. The fence at the garden gate has a sign that reads 'High Desert Haven'. Plan on street parking only.

This garden was first started twenty four years ago and features many dry land plants from around the world. You will see Yucca, Cacti, and Agave forming the backbone of the planting, filled in with an assortment of native and exotic herbaceous perennials. Note worthy are the collections of Eriogonum and Penstemons both great Western North American genera.

Copy and paste this link for a preview of the garden. https://www.flickr.com/photos/sierrarainshadow/albums/72157608573082260/

If you wish to visit John’s garden email emhwynn@gmail.com for the address.

Leader John Weiser. On this excursion we will explore the altered andesite terrain of Red Hill. These hills and slopes just north of the TMCC campus feature an assortment of six perennial Eriogonum species all found within a few hundred feet of each other. I know of no other place that this occurs. Of special note is the species Eriogonum robustum, a local endemic restricted to the scattered altered andesite locations of the Eastern Sierras. We will also see a wide assortment of high desert adapted plants. The slopes of these hill are quite steep in spots so plan accordingly. A walking stick may be of use to help with balance.

We will start the hike at 9:00 am and meet at the round parking area adjacent to the intersection of Dandini Blvd. and Spectrum Blvd. In north Reno. https://maps.app.goo.gl/SGpNFuK9t4vQ5njdA

What a beautiful spring we have had! And with that, some truly amazing wildflower blooms! Join us on May 19th for a walk along a local favorite: Tom Cooke. These expansive hiking trails adjacent to Mayberry park have a plethora of fascinating plants, especially during the springtime! This is a roughly 3.5 mile loop which is rated as fairly easy after the first 1/4 mile. This will be a great introduction to common (and uncommon) native plants of our region with a diverse mixture of high desert favorites and riparian heavyweights.

Some of the flora we are likely to see include Asclepias, Calochortus, Allium, Salvia, Sphaeralcea, Layia, Prunus, Lupinus and many others.

Weather looks to be quite nice, if not a bit on the warm side. Please ensure you bring plenty of water, solid footwear, hiking poles (if desired), and sunhat/sunscreen. We will meet at the Tom Cooke Trailhead parking lot at 9am and will depart at 9:15am. Overflow can be found in the neighboring streets if necessary.

Nevada Native Plant Society & Trash Panda Permaculture will be combining forces to learn about and steward some of the prominent riparian plants in our area. While we are unlikely to find anything truly uncommon, it will be a nice introduction to one of our most important habitats of our area.

In addition to our typical botany, we will also have a strong focus on the current and historical ethnobotanical uses of many of the plants we will find there. Due to the heavily impacted nature of the Truckee we will also be identifying (and removing!) a number of non-native/invasive plants including Whitetop / Lepidium spp.

One unique aspect of this particular field trip is that, about halfway through, we will be taking about 15 minutes to help clear out some of the Whitetop / Lepidium sp. that is currently invading portions of the trail and crowding out our natives. While it can easily be hand-pulled, bring gloves or tools if you would like. Bags will be provided. It will also be a led walk unlike the more "wandering" ones we sometimes host 😉 !

Some plant genera we may see include:

(Native) Maianthemum, Asclepias, Ribes, Rosa, Equisetum, Populus, Lemna, Apocynum, Salix, Sambucus, Artemisia, Berberis, Prunus, Urtica, and Achillea

(Non-Native) Elaeagnus, Solanum, Saponaria, Lathyrus, Vinca, Lepidium, Verbascum, Tragopogon, Cichorium, Dipsacus, Rumex, and Conium

We will meet at the Oxbow Parking lot at 4:55pm and will depart at 5:05 sharp! The field trip will officially end at 6:30pm but folks are more than welcome to stay afterward to hang out and talk plants.

Recommended items to bring are: water, proper clothing/footwear, sun hate and/or sunscreen, notebook/pen and gloves/tools (if needed).

Registration is appreciated and can be done here - https://forms.gle/m8f9RDvMpbRgTpZ49

We will be at the Plant Sale on Saturday May 11th to share our love of native plants and try to answer all your questions!

Join Washoe State Tree Nursery Director Cory King for a tour of the facility. If you are interested in this, please reach out to RSVP. We are planning on meeting at the nursery at 9am. It should be a great time learning about how many of our natives are propagated and the general in's and out's of this wonderful resource. RSVP to emhwynn@gmail.com

Location: 885 Eastlake Blvd, New Washoe City, NV 89704

map link: https://maps.app.goo.gl/E7huCAW5s5r1sBvL9

"Advancing conservation through information: Rare plant and program updates from the Nevada Division of Natural Heritage" Join us as we learn about the latest happenings at the Nevada Division of Natural Heritage, including recent research, good news from the rare plant world, and current projects from Jamey McClinton, Administrator of NDNH.

Attend an In-Person meeting:

Northern Nevada, Reno_ on the University of Nevada, Reno campus in FA 300G on the 3rd floor of Fleischmann Agriculture.   Social hour begins at 6:30 pm. Parking tends to be limited to the street.  

Southern Nevada, Henderson_ on the College of Southern Nevada campus.  Social hour begins at 6:30 in the herbarium, Bldg A,  RM A125; the talk begins at 7 pm in Bldg C, RM C230. Parking is available in the College Drive lot.

OR : Register in advance for the Zoom meeting here:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUldu-grz4uHNCHGtxiMameoyNsC0knFEfh

We will be meeting at 9:30am at Ben's Fine Wines and Spirits (located next to Bonanza Casino) at 4794 N Virginia St, Reno, NV 89506. https://maps.app.goo.gl/wJX5drVdZpPqxFcw5 Once we arrive, we plan to leave at 9:45am sharp to carpool up to the trailhead. It is only about a mile but the road is quite bumpy. We will plan to be out there for a few hours and cover a couple miles.It should be prime time to see a number of great plants including: Lithophragma, Astragalus, Plectritis, Lomatium, Phlox, hopefully Fritillaria and many others. Recommended items to bring are: water, proper clothing/footwear (check weather!), snacks, notebook/pen, camera/phone for photos.

Come find visit with us at Reno Earth Day. Reno Earth Day will be at Idlewild Park on Saturday, April 20, 2024, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The event features nearly 300 exhibitors, performers on four stages, and a 21+ area with the largest stage. All waste is collected and separated for recycling and composting. Actual Earth Day is on Monday, April 22, 2024.

TMMC EARTH DAY. We will have a table at this event. Come visit us to learn about Nevada’s native Plants. Thursday, April 18, from 9 a.m.–Noon at the V. James Eardley Student Services Center in the Red Mountain Building at the Dandini Campus.

Join us to see early spring wildflowers and learn about the land use legacies of the Lower Thomas Creek / Arrowcreek Open Space area. We will be meeting at the Thomas Creek Trailhead parking lot on N Timberline Drive, 39.3935970472697, -119.83812800981285, at 9:30am. If you wish to carpool meet at Doughboy’s Donuts in South Towne Crossing off Damonte Ranch Parkway before 9:15 am.

Bring bring water, lunch etc. Dress for the weather. The trip could last up to 4-5 hours depending on what we find and how far we roam. We will walk a max of 3-4 miles, the terrain is uneven in many places.

"New Home for the Wesley E. Niles Herbarium"

Meet Marcus Hooker, the new Collection Manager, and learn about the past, present, and future of the Wesley Niles Herbarium.

You may attend the Reno in-person meeting on the UNR campus in FA 300G on the 3rd floor of Fleischmann Agriculture. Social time begins at 6:30 pm, the meeting starts at 7pm.

 You may attend an in-person meeting at the College of Southern Nevada in Henderson; social hour begins at 6:30 in the herbarium, Bldg A, RM A125 ; the talk begins at 7 pm in Bldg C, RM C230.  Parking is available in the College Drive lot.     

OR  register in advance for the Zoom meeting here:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIpcOyqrj0uGN0dVdGy3qVixAO_r9kJAAqA

After registering, you will receive a Zoom confirmation email with the link to join the meeting. You will receive a registration email to view the program recording following the meeting.