February 24th, 9 am - Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. Larry Lodwick will lead a field trip to the meadows and share his vast knowledge of the botany in this unique area of southern Nevada. Larry thinks it might still be early for many of the species of plants at Ash Meadows, but he expects to see the Ash Meadows and Preusii’s milkvetches (Astragalus phoenix and A. preussii) yellow pepperweed (Lepidium flavum), and Anderson’s Wolfberry (Lycium andersonii), and perhaps other early bloomers. Field trip participants will visit several interesting habitats within the refuge including sand dunes, springs and other habitats. Anyone interested can contact Larry directly for directions and meeting location. Should be a great early spring trip to the meadows! Hope you can make it! llodwick@lodwick.com, (805) 844-9499
May 6 – Field trip to Comstock Seed in Gardnerville. Comstock Seed is a wholesale supplier of native seed for restoration projects. comstockseed.com. We will tour the facility and nursery. Those carpooling from Reno should meet at the DoughBoys Donuts shop in the South Town Shopping Center at 57 Damonte Ranch Parkway at 9:00 am. We will meet members from Carson City at the Save Mart at the corner of College and Carson Streets in Carson City at 9:30 am. We should arrive on site by 10:00-10:30 am.Directions are at this link: https://goo.gl/maps/vRxjH5mtTkQ2 Charlene Duncan will lead the trip. Contact her at cirsium.down@gmail.com or (775) 530-7458.
May 12 – Red Hill. This unique location on the north edge of Reno supports populations of seven Eriogonum species which we hope see in bloom. John Weiser will lead the trip and discuss the genus Eriogonum and its distribution across western North America. There is plenty of parking on site so we will not meet to carpool from Reno. If you are from the Carson area and wish to carpool, meet at the Save Mart on the corner of College and Carson Street in Carson City at 9:15 am. The destination is the west end of Dandini Road in Reno. Be on site by 10:00 am. https://goo.gl/maps/veoyMSzMWx22 Contact John Weiser at johnpweiser@yahoo.com or (775) 331- 4485.
May 20 – Wildflower hike at Galena Creek Recreation Area, 12:00 to 2:00 pm. Join Janel Johnson for a guided tour of Galena Creek’s native flowers. Meet at the Visitor Center located six miles up the Mt. Rose Highway from south Reno.
Saturday, June 16th- Dog Valley, Sierra County, CA. Dog Valley, a short drive from Verdi, NV, is an area rich in botanical diversity surrounded by Jeffery Pine forest. Dog Creek, which flows through the valley, forms wet meadows along its course through the valley providing valuable habitat for wildflowers, birds, butterflies and other wildlife. Some of the plants growing in the area include: camas lily, shooting star, blue-eyed grass, white brodiacea, yampah, larkspur, groundsel and many more. Of special interest is the rare Dog Valley ivesia (Ivesia aperta var. canina) and Webber's ivesia (Ivesia webberi), which grow in the drier upper reaches of the valley.
We will meet in northwest Reno in the Safeway shopping center at 5148 Mae Anne Avenue near the McDonald’s by 9:00 a.m. We will carpool and leave the McDonald’s for Dog Valley at 9:00 a.m. Directions to the McDonald’s are as follows: Driving west on I-80, take a right at the North McCarran exit and proceed north a short distance to the Safeway shopping center on your left. We will park in the spaces near the entrance to the McDonald’s.
Remember to bring a lunch, hat and sunblock. It’s also a good idea to bring mosquito repellent and the meadow can be soggy so be prepared to get your feet wet. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Ray Fletcher at plant_man@sbcglobal.net or on his cell phone at 775-771-4226.
Saturday, June 16th- Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, southern Nevada. You saw Ash Meadows in the early spring with Larry Lodwick during his February field trip. Now you have the opportunity to see the summer rare native plants. Larry expects we will see a wide variety of plants including the Ash Meadows Ladies’ Tresses Orchid (in flower), the Spring-loving Centaury (in flower), the Ash Meadows Milkvetch (post flowering), the Ash Meadows Ivesia (possibly flowering), possibly the Tecopa Bird’s Beak (possibly flowering), as well as a host of other plant species in flower. The refuge also has beautiful springs and a variety of habitats. Bring field shoes (may get muddy or wet), insect repellent (two species of annoying flies) and lunch.
Field trippers will meet at 9:00 am at the Horizon Market on Bell Vista Road. The Horizon Market is on the northwest corner of Bell Vista Road and North Leslie Street, on the north side of Pahrump. Take highway 160 through Pahrump to Bell Vista Road. There are highway signs that point to Death Valley and to Ash Meadows Wildlife Area from both the north and the south. Take Bell Vista Road west, two stop signs, and the Horizon Market is at the second stop sign, across from the Family Dollar Store – Not the Dollar Store at the corner of Highway 160 and Bell Vista Road. Larry drives a small silver Madza so you can find him in the parking lot. Note: The road into the refuge is gravel, dusty, and rough, so we may want to carpool from the meeting location. If you are interested in going, please email or text Larry (or call if you like) so he knows who to meet at the market. llodwick@lodwick.com, (805)844-9499. If anyone wants to carpool from Henderson or south Las Vegas, let Larry know. He has room for two people.
