Field Trips

Nevada Wildflower Reports Sticky

Nevada Wildflower Reports summarizes the most recent reports of plant growth and reproduction, moisture conditions, and wildflower displays submitted by members, including negative reports.  Field trip leaders, please consider submitting a report of wildflower observed during your trip.

Field Trip Information Sticky

Nevada Native Plant Society (NNPS) field trips occur throughout spring, summer, and early fall to local and regional areas of botanical interest. Trips are on Saturdays unless otherwise noted, with occasional overnight or weekday events, and are at participants' sole risk (see policy below). Themes include plant identification, photography, wildflower displays, ecology, rare and endangered species conservation, and weed control.

Trips of interest to NNPS members and hosted by other organizations may also be listed below. For more in-depth field courses, we recommend you consider the Jepson Herbarium Weekend Workshop series. Contact the trip leaders for further details on meeting places and times. See the Meetings and Events page for a map of the usual carpool locations.

For general field trip information, or to schedule a field trip, please contact our field trip coordinator. Northern Nevada: John Weiser (johnpweiser@yahoo.com); (775-331-4485)

FIELD TRIP POLICY:

PARTICIPATION IS AT YOUR OWN RISK. All NNPS activities are open to the public at no charge. Friends, newcomers, and visitors are welcome. Children and friendly dogs are also welcome, of course, but must be supervised by an adult.

Field trips take place in all kinds of weather, so appropriate clothing and footwear are always a must! Trips may be strenuous and/or hazardous. They may involve walking over uneven terrain, crossing streams, bending, stooping, climbing hills or steep slopes, walking long distances, and other strenuous activities. Participants may encounter rattlesnakes or other interesting creatures that could be dangerous if proper precautions are not taken.

No digging of plants will be allowed.

Plan to bring your own drinking water, and food or snacks as appropriate. Smoking is only allowed during rest stops, and during extreme fire danger will be prohibited outside of vehicles.

If you are under a physician's care for a medical condition that would limit or restrict participation in field trip activities, you should not attend. Please contact trip leader(s) for information about difficulty, mileage, and terrain.

Usually the roads we will travel are suitable for an ordinary car, however, occasionally off-road vehicles will be required. Read trip announcements for any requirements.

You will be asked to sign-in at the beginning of each field trip, and to sign a Waiver & Release of Liability, acknowledging your awareness of the potential risks and your willingness to join the trip in a purely voluntary manner.

2020 Field Trips


Cancelled April-4th Thomas Creek.  Join our trip leader Emma Wynn as we pursue the first signs that spring has sprung!! We will see Beckwith violets and Ranunculus glaberrimus (the sagebrush buttercup) along with other ephemeral spring wildflowers.
We will not carpool for this trip since it is on the outskirts of Reno. At 10:00 am we will meet at the Thomas Creek Trailhead, located off of Timberline Drive on Sat., April 4th. Bring appropriate clothing, as we will be at the mercy of the spring weather. We do not know how long we will be engaged in our meanderings so I suggest bringing water and a light lunch.  https://goo.gl/maps/NPhCqtKYy9g1t6wr7
Contact    John P Weiser 775-331-4485  johnpweiser@yahoo.com     Emma Wynn 574-370-3640

All field trips have been cancelled until further notice. If you would like to share your wildflower photos and get help with plant identification, please visit iNaturalist.org or download the app.

2019 Field Trips

April 14th – Caughlin Ranch area west side of Reno. We should have the opportunity to see Beckwith violets, and Ranunculus glaberrimus var. glaberrimus. Also found on this alluvial fan are Astragalus purshii var. tinctus, Lewisia rediviva var. minor, Erigeron bloomeri var. bloomer, Eriogonum douglasii var. meridionale, Allium parvum, Toxicoscordion venenosum, Lithophragma glabrum, Trifolium macrocephalum, and several Lomatiums. Add Delphinium andersonii and Fritillaria atropurpurea to the list if we climb to base of the hills that skirt the fan.
        We will not carpool for this trip since it is on the outskirts of Reno. We will start at 10:00 am and meet at the intersection of Sierra Pine Drive and Pinehaven Road in Reno. Map to location: https://goo.gl/maps/Gj8NSAyc45k 
Contact John Weiser: johnpweiser@yahoo.com, 775-331-4485.
 
April 27th – Deadman’s Creek Trail. The trail is located at the southeast corner of Washoe State Park and winds its way up the drainage of Deadman’s Creek to a scenic lookout atop the bluff. Along the slopes we should find riparian and steppe vegetative communities. Plants of interest include Phlox diffusa, Ranunculus andersonii, Erigeron glacialis, Phacelia curvipes, Prunus andersonii, and Lupinus arbustus to name a few.
      There is parking for four or five vehicles at the trailhead. Those who wish to carpool from Carson should meet at meet at the Save Mart at the corner of College and Carson Streets in Carson City at 9:45 am. Those wishing to carpool from Reno meet at the Doughboy’s Donuts shop located in the South Town Shopping Center at 57 Damonte Ranch Parkway by 9:45 am. We should be on site by 10:00 am. Map to location: https://goo.gl/maps/HE6kq7jUdvA2
Contact John Weiser: johnpweiser@yahoo.com, 775-331-4485.
 
April 27th -  Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, southern Nevada: Come see White Bearpoppy, the Spring-loving Centaury (in flower), the Alkali Mariposa Lily (with its color variation found here), 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 and lunch, and water. Field trippers will meet at 9:00 am at the Horizon Market on Bell Vista Road (2030 W Bell Vista Ave, Pahrump, NV 89060.) 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  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.

April 28th - Flint Drive, Carson City Janel will lead a trip to look at Carson Valley monkeyflower plus any other interesting spring flowers. We will meet at a large pullout at the intersection of Flint Drive and Eastgate Siding Road at 1:30 pm. Take Highway 50 east from Carson City and halfway up the hill to Moundhouse, follow the signs for the landfill and the V&T Railway Depot. The pullout is directly across from Eastgate Siding Road, about 0.4 miles from the Highway. The site we will visit is the location of the new disc golf course, which is still under construction. We will see Carson Valley Monkeyflower (Erythranthe carsonensis) and bristly mousetails (Myosurus apetalus) and possibly Steamboat monkeyflower (Diplacus ovatus) and starcup (Gymnosteris nudicaulis). There are an abundance of other common wildflowers too, though only the small annuals are blooming this early. Contact Janel for any questions: president@nvnps.org

May 18th The Red Rock Road area located north of Cold Springs and Hallelujah Junction on the Hwy 395 corridor. On this trip, we will be botanizing the area around the colorful rock and soil formations found in this area. We hope to catch the sand lilies (Leucocrinum montanum ) and Phlox speciose in bloom.  Bring a lunch, water, warm jacket, gloves and headgear, due to our ever-changing spring weather. For the adventurous hikers that may wish to climb up the formations I would suggest appropriate hiking gear such as walking sticks and good boots etc.
    Those traveling from the Carson area should meet at the Save Mart at the corner of College and Carson Streets in Carson City at 8:00 am to car pool. Plan on heading to the McDonalds Restaurant located at 120 Lemon Drive in north Reno by 9:00 am. Those traveling from Reno will meet at the Lemon Drive McDonalds at 9:00am to await the arrival of the southern contingent. We will leave the second meeting point at 9:15. Map to location: 
https://goo.gl/maps/5NcEdToK4Bv
Contact John Weiser: johnpweiser@yahoo.com, 775-331-4485
 
 
May 25th – Red Hill.  This unique location on the north edge of Reno supports an alliance of seven eriogonum species in a relatively small-integrated community. Other taxa sharing the altered andesite habitat include Lewisia rediviva var. minor, Prunus andersonii, Minuartia nuttallii var. fragilis, and Allium parvum. There is plenty of parking on site.
      Those who wish to carpool from Carson should meet at the Save Mart at the corner of College and Carson Streets in Carson City at 9:30 am. Those wishing to attend from Reno can meet on site at 10:00 am. The destination is on the west end of Dandini Road in north Reno. Map to location: https://goo.gl/maps/veoyMSzMWx22.
Contact John Weiser: johnpweiser@yahoo.com, 775-331-4485.

June 15th – Summit of Peavine Mountain. The last time we had substantial snow on Peavine, the summit was a virtual rock garden. The windblown scree at the peak has Phlox condensata, Boechera puberula, Lewisia rediviva var. minor, Phacelia linearis, Castilleja chromosa, Phacelia linearis, Erigeron aphanactis, and Astragalus purshii var. tinctus simultaneously in full bloom.
      Those traveling from the Carson area should meet at the Save Mart at the corner of College and Carson Streets in Carson City at 9:00 am to carpool. Our final meeting place will be at the McDonalds Restaurant parking lot located at 120 Lemmon Drive in North Reno at 10:00 am. After meeting up, we will carpool to Peavine. The road to the summit is generally a good one and four-wheel drive vehicles should not be required. Contact John Weiser: johnpweiser@yahoo.com, 775-331-4485.

June 29th-Tahoe Meadows / Ophir Creek This will be an easy hike on level trails through riparian meadows. Bring plenty of water and lunch I’m sure we will be on site for quite a while.
Those traveling from the Carson area should meet at the Save Mart at the corner of College and Carson Streets in Carson City at 8:00 am to carpool. Travel north to Hwy 431 (Mount Rose Hwy) and west to the Galena Creek Visitor Center were you will meet the members from Reno at 9:00. Those traveling from Reno should make their way to the Visitor Center by 9:00am.
 Contact John Weiser: johnpweiser@yahoo.com, 775-331-4485


Sunday July 7th - Madora Lake, Plumas Co., CA.  This will be an easy 1.9 mile walk on nearly level ground. Bring water, lunch, insect repellent and money. Afterwards we will be going to Milly’s (aka Buckaroo Ice Cream) for real ice cream.. Hopefully we will see Lilium pardalinum ssp. pardalinum and Lilium washingtonianum ssp. washingtonianum. The roads are suitable for standard sedans. (Please note: whenever I lead a trip in this area, we always have thunderstorms, so be warned.)
Those traveling from the Carson area should meet at the Save Mart at the corner of College and Carson Streets in Carson City at 8:00 am to carpool. Our final meeting place will be at the McDonalds Restaurant parking lot located at 120 Lemmon Drive in North Reno at 8.45 am. The third meeting place is in the parking lot on the north side of the Junction of CA 70 and CA 89 just north of Graeagle at 10:00.
 Leader: Gary Monroe Call (775) 359-4863 or email g.monroe@att.net

Saturday August 17th - Tamarack Lake, Mount Rose Highway, Reno. This easy 1+ mile hike will follow an informal trail from Mt. Rose Highway up to Tamarack Lake, wander around the lake a bit, then following the Tamarack to Galena Trail back down to the highway. There are some moderately steep sections with loose rocks and a narrow stream to cross. Meet Emma Wynn at the Galena Creek Visitor's Center at 9 am to carpool, there is limited parking on the shoulder of the highway.

2018 Field Trips

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.


 

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