Phlox Phlyer - March 2015

Volume 20, Number 5 March 2015

the

Phlox Phlyer

Columbia Basin Chapter, Washington Native Plant Society

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P.O. Box 221, Richland, WA 99352

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http://www.wnps.org/cbasin/

SPRING’S GETTING AN EARLY START The unusually warm February is making the native plants start to grow and flower already. Lorraine Seymour found a field of salt and pepper (Lomatium gormanii) blooming in Prosser, Gretchen Graber spotted a field of turpentine wavewing (Pteryxia terebinthina var. terebinthina) near Horn Rapids and Mickie Chamness has been looking at the green mosses and plump lichens in some more pristine patches around the Tri-Cities.

Wildflower hikes in and around the Tri-Cities start this month (see below) and Ernie is starting to schedule hikes for April and May – keep an eye on the webpage and the next newsletter for details. Walla Walla area hikes will begin in May. If you would like to explore on your own check out the Hikes/Plant lists on our webpage - http://www.wnps.org/cbasin/hikes_lists.html.

If you need encouragement to get out and enjoy the natural world, below are some reasons for you to get outdoors;  The new Langdon trail on the south side of Badger Mtn in Richland has great scenery and should have good flower displays as spring goes along.  We are putting together identification cards for local shrub-steppe plants. You can participate in this project by adopting one of 10 plants to photograph throughout the year. To complete the cards we need photos of the plant each season, and of the different parts of the plant such as close ups of the leaf structure, the flower, and seeds in addition to the growth habit of the plant. Now is the time to take those winter and early spring photographs. Send photos of these plants to shrubsteppephots@gmail.com. Contact Gretchen Graber for additional information. The list of plants is in the February newsletter http://www.wnps.org/cbasin/pdf/phlox_phlyer/2014-2015/Phlox_phlyer_201502.pdf.  The topic for our chapter’s annual photo contest this year is plants growing in lithosols (rocky soils). Whether you’re hiking in the Blue Mountains, the scablands, or the Horse Heaven hills, keep an eye out for plants that prefer those rocky soils. The winner will receive a copy of the 2016 Washington Native Plant Society calendar and your photo entries may be used in future chapter educational displays. Send photos to Mickie Chamness.  Research reported in the September issue of Ecopsychology found “Group walks in nature were associated with significantly lower depression, perceived stress, and negative affect, as well as enhanced positive affect and mental well-being….[and] appear to mitigate the effects of stressful life events on perceived stress and negative affect while synergizing with physical activity to improve positive affect and mental well-being”.

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WILDFLOWER HIKES Contact Ernie Crediford (509-460-9057 or ernest_crediford@live.com ) for more information.

Saturday, March 28, 2015 9:30 a.m. Twin Sisters. Meet at CBC parking lot (across from the Red Lion Inn). Dress for the weather, which may be cooler than here and bring water and a lunch. Come and enjoy the first spring flowers.

Saturday, April 11, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. See Volunteer Opportunities below.

KUDOS – Kudos to Rik Smith, Associate Professor of environmental science and biology at Columbia Basin College for the past 5 years and our chapter’s current Vice President. Rik is one of two people chosen by CBC as 2015 National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) winners.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES - Walla Walla and Tri-Cities Isn’t it great to have opportunities to get together with old friends and meet new people while learning new things, sharing your own expertise, and contributing to something that you feel benefits the greater world and community around you?? The world will be a better place if we each do a little bit to preserve, conserve, instruct, and share our interests in native plants and their role in the ecosystems of the Pacific Northwest.

Blue Mountain Humane Society Demonstration Garden. Volunteers can join Sue, Betsy and Nancy on Fridays from 10 – 12 noon at 7 E. George, Walla Walla.

Citizen science volunteer training sessions for Early Detection Rapid Response to invasive plants, Naches, WA on Friday, March 27th 1-3 p.m. and in White Salmon, WA on Saturday, March 28th, 10-12:30 p.m. If you like to hike, bike or ride horses in the back country and off the beaten track, you might like to take this training to learn how you can help identify invasive plants before they take over your favorite spot. Capacity will be limited so if you would like to attend one of these free trainings, please REGISTER WITH JULIE COMBS via e-mail or phone to reserve your place! pnw.ipc.org@gmail.com or call (615)-812-5295.

Saturday, April 11, 2015, 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Planting natives in the Wine Science Center native pollinator and plant ecology garden at WSU Tri-Cities in Richland. This is an opportunity for people with experience to share with those wanting to gain experience working directly with native plants to learn identification, proper planting techniques, and which plants are great for your home garden. Dress for the ever-changing weather, bring gloves, a hand trowel or shovel if you have them, and bring your lunch. Water and bathrooms will be available. Gretchen Graber is looking for 6 volunteers to be section leads as well as people interested in learning how to plant natives. Contact Gretchen at gretchen.graber@wsu.edu for more information.

The Phlox Phlyer is the newsletter of the Columbia Basin Chapter, Tri-Cities and Walla Walla, Washington Native Plant Society.

Chapter Officers President — Marita Lih, mplih@charter.net Vice-President — Rik Smith,

rsmith@columbiabasin.edu Secretary — Marilyn Lemar, dwlemar@hotmail.com Treasurer — Cheryl Smith

cyankee@charter.net Chapter Committees Program Chair — Janelle Downs,

sagejld@aol.com Field Trips — Ernie Crediford, ernest_crediford@live.com Restoration/Salvage — Bill Mast, bmast1@live.com Heritage Garden Program — Donna Lucas, Donna_Lucas@hotmail.com Education — Gretchen Graber,

gretchen.graber@gmail.com Newsletter Editor — Mary Ann Simmons, msimmons_1@charter.net Publicity — Mickie Chamness, mickiec@charter.net Books — Carmen Wooten, canoecarmen@yahoo.com Web Site Editor — Mary Ann Simmons msimmons_1@charter.net

Walla Walla Subchapter

Tri-Cities – Janelle Downs When we hear the words, nitrogen fixation, most plant geeks think of legumes like peas or alfalfa, or maybe even some of the different species of lupines. However, in March, about 30 members and students gathered at Columbia Basin College to hear Dr, Rik Smith’s presentation on the nitrogen-fixing ability of bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata), a member of the Rose family. Bitterbrush is a common shrub in the Columbia Basin, found locally growing in sandy soils, sometimes with sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) and sometimes as pure stands of bitterbrush. Often mistaken for sagebrush, bitterbrush is winter-deciduous—losing all its leaves in late fall and early winter. It is one of a select

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Darcy Dauble, Walla Walla, dadauble@gmail.com

This issue reproduced by

THE DIGITAL IMAGE Richland Washington 509-375-6001

group of plants that have a symbiotic relationship with the actinobacteria, Frankia, which allows nitrogen fixation to occur in the roots.

His presentation clearly explained the process of nitrogen fixation and provided interesting background on the number of plant families and genera (24) outside the legumes that have this fascinating capability. (Did you know that Russian olive is one of the actinorhizal, nitrogen-fixing species? Maybe that explains its success as an invader?). He discussed his research at Mesa Verde National Park investigating how the presence or absence of this nitrogen fixing shrub might influence post-fire recovery of communities of the plant associations and provided estimates of the amounts of nitrogen fixed by this long-lived shrub over its lifespan. His presentation generated many questions and lots of discussion. Thanks again to Dr. Smith for an interesting ‘sciencey’ and educational evening.

Meetings: Wednesday, March 4, 2015, 7:00 p.m. Monthly Meeting at Columbia Basin College, Room TD 439 – Where the Wild Things Grow (and why). Join us for a presentation reviewing local shrub-steppe communities and a panel discussion about why

different shrubs and grasses occur in different places. We’ll pool our knowledge to answer questions about the range of various dominant shrub-steppe species and the factors that dictate their presence on the landscape Maps and directions are available at: http://www.wnps.org/cbasin/pdf/maps/CBC_mtg_room_maps.pdf .

Columbia Basin Chapter board meetings, March 16, April 20 and May 18, Richland Community Center, 6-8:30 p.m.

Walla Walla – Darcy Dauble Meetings: Wednesday, March 11, 2015, 3:00 - 5:00 p.m., Darcy Dauble’s house, 216 Whitman St. Let’s plan the preliminary hiking schedule for this year. Bring your ideas for favorite places, leaders and times. Contact Darcy if you have questions.

Wednesday, March 18, 2015, 3:00 - 5:00 p.m., 4th Annual WW City Native Plant Inventory. Meet at Harper Joy parking lot. We will car pool to selected urban sites and look for remaining vestiges of native plants documented by Whitman Professor Dr. H.S. Brode as blooming in March 1925.

OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST Kennewick Planning Commission’s public hearing on hillside development regulations, March 2, 2015, 7 p.m. Location is City Hall Council Chambers at 210W. 6th Ave. Staff will present their analysis and the Commission will make a recommendation to the City Council. Oral and written comments may be given at the meeting or submitted to anthony.muai@ci.kennewick.wa.us or mailed to Anthony Muai at PO Box 6108, Kennewick 99336 by Feb. 27.

Franklin County Shoreline Master Program Update workshop/public meeting, March 3, 2015, 6:15 p.m. Location is Commissioners Meeting Room in the Franklin County Courthouse at 1016 N. 4th Ave, Pasco.

RareCare Volunteer Forum, Sunday March 22, 3:00 - 5:00 p.m., 216 Whitman St. Wendy Gibble, RareCare Program Manager will review the highlights from the 2014 monitoring season and discuss new projects. Volunteers from southeastern Washington and northeastern Oregon are invited as well as interested guests.

Heritage Garden Spring Workshop, April 25, 2015, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. – The Spring workshop will be a tour of new local Heritage Gardens to give you ideas for your own garden. For more details and a registration form, go to the Benton Conservation District webpage - http://www.bentoncd.org/docs/Upcoming%20Activities.pdf?v=2015.

Northwest Scientific Association’s 86th Annual Conference, Pasco WA, April 1-4, 2015. Past, Present, and Future Challenges to Natural and Managed Ecosystems – Sagebrush, Salmon and Syrah in a Non-stationary Environment. For more details, go to http://www.northwestscience.org/2015meeting.

The City of Pasco draft Shoreline Management Plan is available for review at http://www.pascowa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/54508 and more information is available at http://www.pasco-wa.gov/858/Shoreline-ManagementProgram. Comments can be submitted up until the final hearing in May or June, 2015.

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REMINDERS Membership Expiration – Don’t remember when your membership expires? It’s above your name on your Douglasia . Not receiving your Douglasia – then your membership has expired. You can renew online: http://www.wnps.org/join.html FACEBOOK – Like us on Facebook ( https://www.facebook.com/ColumbiaBasinWNPS ) and get late breaking news.

McBee Grade 2014 field trip above

Horn Rapids 2014 field trip to the left

Columbia Basin Chapter Washington Native Plant Society P.O. Box 221 Richland, Washington 99352

To receive the newsletter electronically – email msimmons_1@charter.net 4