Volume 20, Number 7 May 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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www.wnps.org/col_basin/index.html
Election of Officers In June we will be electing new officers. None of these offices requires knowledge of Latin plant names or a background in botany, so if you would like to get more involved with the chapter, please contact: Carol Coker (carolpascoc@outlook.com ), Janelle Downs (Sagejld@aol.com ) or Mickie Chamness (mickiec@charter.net ). • President - presides over the monthly meetings and board meetings (September through June); attends 2 State meetings, one in Seattle and one in Ellensburg (this is not mandatory); communicates with the State office. • Vice-President – assists the President in their duties, as needed • Secretary – keeps the minutes of the monthly meetings and board meetings; writes up the minutes for the newsletter • Treasurer – has custody of the CBNPS funds; deposits all monies, writes checks, provides a monthly financial status to the board, and prepares an annual report to the State. The mailbox and bank are located in Richland. There are also a number of non-elected committees – see side-bar (next page); if you would like to help out with one of these please contact Carol, Janelle or Mickie.
Chapter Photo contest The focus for our chapter’s annual photo contest 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
Weed vs. Native – Mickie Chamness I used to have a hard time telling hoary aster from knapweeds when weeding native gardens. They are all multi-stemmed with pale to bright lavender flowers and die back to the ground in winter. Here are a couple pointers to help tell them apart. In our area, hoary aster (Machaeranthera canescens [now Dieteria canescens]) starts as a small upright seedling with small pointy teeth on the lower leaves and smooth-edged leaves higher up. The plant has very fine hairs, so it feels smooth and is relatively green. Both Russian (Actroptilon repens [now Rhap) and diffuse (Centaurea diffusa) knapweed form basal rosettes as seedlings before growing up into multiple stems. The leaves of Russian knapweed also have small pointy teeth on the lower leaves but are distinctly hairy, giving them a grayish white color and slightly fuzzy feel. The basal diffuse knapweed leaves are also distinctly hairy and are pinnatifid, meaning the teeth or lobes go almost to the center of the leaf. There’s a great new resource for seedling ID at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_PLANTMATERIALS/publications/wapmcpu11331.pdf.
diffuse knapweed hoary aster
Russian knapweed 1
Field Trip Reports – Carol Coker Our first field trip on March 28 was to Twin Sisters. Located on State Route 730, two miles south of U.S. 12, Twin Sisters are two pillars of basalt along Wallula Gap overlooking the Columbia River. This spot has a warm microclimate that encourages visits in late winter and early spring. We looked for the delightful early blooming yellow bells. Also found here are plants that Erigeron linearis grow in very sandy soil, such as winged dock. This plant was just beginning to show its unusual flowers. A return visit is scheduled for May 23. Maybe the white sand verbena and goldenaster (Heterotheca villosa) will be in early bloom. Cowiche Canyon and Snow Mountain Ranch are located on the west edge of Yakima. Both areas are managed by the Cowiche Canyon Conservancy. We began our April 4 th trip at the Weikel Road trailhead which leads you along Cowiche Creek. Then we took the trail to the top of the hillside. The change in elevation, soil type and moisture allows an astonishing number of plant species. Along the Creek, the serviceberry and golden currant shrubs were in full bloom. The hillside was colored with Hood’s phlox and showy phlox. A closer look revealed the exquisite sagebrush violet. The trailhead for Snow Mountain Ranch is about 5 miles from the trailhead at Cowiche Canyon. The trail here takes you on a considerable change in elevation, leading to awesome views. Although we have seen Carey’s balsamroot at every field trip location, the number of blooming plants here was jaw dropping. The Douglas’ buckwheat was showing its bright red buds. I was especially happy to see a hillside covered with bigheaded clover in full bloom. I have never seen this plant elsewhere. On April 11th many hands made quick work of planting a newly constructed garden near the Wine Center at WSU in Richland. Watching it develop with mostly native droughttolerant plants will be fun. On Saturday, April 18th, our Chapter and Friends of Badger Mountain jointly sponsored a walk on the Skyline Trail on Badger Mountain. Rosy balsamroot is of special interest, as this species of balsamroot isn’t found at our other fieldtrip sites. Another species that we have not seen at other sites is Piper’s daisy. In addition to being rewarded with those flowers, the upper elevation hillside was covered with larkspur. A return trip is planned on May 2. Our group made a first fieldtrip to the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge near Othello on April 25th. We took the 3-mile Frog Lake Trail, which starts near Crab Creek and ascends to the top of a mesa. We saw desert yellow daisy, which looks very similar to the Piper’s daisy on Badger Mountain. Purple sage shrubs were just beginning to bloom. If you go, look for globe mallow near the Creek, which was in bud stage.
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
See facebook page for more pictures: https://www.facebook.com/ColumbiaBasinWNPS
Tri-Cities
Darcy Dauble, Walla Walla, dadauble@gmail.com
This issue reproduced by
MEETINGS Wednesday, May 6, 2015 7:00 p.m. “Cheating Cheatgrass! Using Weed Suppressive Bacteria to Control Cheatgrass and Restore Rangelands”, a presentation by Mike Gregg, Land Management Research and Demonstration biologist with the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Increases in nonnative invasive annual grasses, primarily Bromus 2
THE DIGITAL IMAGE Richland Washington 509-375-6001
tectorum (cheatgrass) and Taeniatherum asperum (medusahead) have placed the sagebrush ecosystems in tremendous peril. Mechanical and chemical methods used to treat annual grass invasion over the past 50 years are limited and often unsuccessful. However, hope may be on the horizon! A strain of naturally occurring soil may soon offer rangeland managers a safe new way to manage cheatgrass. Maps and directions available at: http://www.wnps.org/cbasin/pdf/maps/CBC_mtg_room_maps.pdf VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES – Tri-Cities Gretchen Graber would like to thank the 58 volunteers that helped plant 600 plants in one hour and fifteen minutes at the Planting Party on April 11th, at the Wine Science Center’s (mostly) native plant teaching garden. Special thanks to Mickie, Ernie, Carol, Duane, Marilyn, Mary Ann, Cheryl, Lorraine, Jane, Sergio, Donna and Heather for being fearless section-leads. WILDFLOWER HIKES 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 and our wildflower brochurehttp://www.wnps.org/cbasin/pdf/brochures/wildflower_trail_map_2010.pdf . Contact Ernie Crediford (509-460-9057 or ernest_crediford@live.com ) for more information. All hikes are open to the public. Please dress appropriately (it can be windy on the ridges), bring water, and, if car-pooling, some money for the driver for gas. Saturday, May 2, 2015, 10:00 a.m. Badger Mtn. Meet at the Skyline trail on Dallas Rd. Saturday, May 9, 2015, 9:00 a.m. Wild Horse wind farm Meet at Van Giesen Park & Ride in Richland (corner of Van Giesen and Bypass Highway). Bring a lunch and water. Saturday, May 16, 2015, 10:00 a.m. Mc Bee Grade / Horn Rapids Meet at the Park and Ride just off the freeway exit at Benton City. This trip will continue on to Horn Rapids where we should see some nice purple sage. Bring a lunch and drinks. Saturday, May 23, 2015, 10:00 a.m. Twin Sisters Meet at CBC parking lot across from Red Lion in Pasco.
Walla Walla MEETINGS There will be no further meetings till fall; check out our wildflower hikes. VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES – Walla Walla 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. WILDFLOWER HIKES Trips are open to the public and guests are always welcome. Please notify trip contact person of intention to participate. The schedule and hike descriptions will be updated and expanded two months out. Unless otherwise noted, all trips begin at Harper Joy parking lot on Whitman campus in Walla Walla for carpooling. Arrangements can also be made to meet you on the way. Bring walking sticks, hat, water, appropriate layers, guide book, snack/lunch and a few bills for the driver. Friday, May 1, 2015, 10:00 a.m. Weston Mountain Carpool from Harper Joy Theater Parking - Whitman. Walk or ride! Bring a guest, walking sticks, cameras, hats, lunch. Hiking is easy but rides are provided throughout the property for those who want to spend time observing rather than walking. Leaders: Jeff Fredson fredsonjeff6@gmail.com & Cheryl Baker wallagirl4@gmail.com. If you go on your own turn in at Fredson Lane - on the right about 40 minutes from Walla Walla up Weston-Elgin Highway 204. TBA, Russell Creek Karen Kirkwood (kirkwoodweaver@gmail.com) Sunday, May 10, 2015, 9:00 a.m. Chandler Butte – Horse Heaven Hills - Darcy Dauble (dadauble@gmail.com) Sunday, May 17, 2015, 10:00 a.m. Chase Mountain – Susan Hosticka (pshosticka@yahoo.com) 3
Wednesday, May 27, 2015, 9:30 a.m. Middle Point Ridge Trail - Susan Hosticka (pshosticka@yahoo.com) Wednesday, June 3, 2015, 9:00 a.m. South Fork Wenaha River Trail – Timothy Springs Campground Darcy Dauble (dadauble@gmail.com)
OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST Butterfly Safari In concert with the Cowiche Canyon Butterfly Project, David James is asking hikers to photograph any fritillary butterflies they encounter in Cowiche Canyon and farther away in the Cascades and email the photos to the project website. More information is available at: http://www.cowichecanyon.org/programs-projects.html#ButterflySafari Wild Horse Wind Farm Spring Events: May 9, 2015. Wildflower and Wind Power Walks. Enjoy hikes through the beautiful shrub-steppe led by local native plant enthusiasts. Please call 509-964-7815 or email wildhorse@pse.com to sign up. Native Wildflower Identification Course – May 9, 2015, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – Cheney WA. Offered by the Northeast Chapter and the Turnbull Laboratory for Ecological Studies (http://www.nechapterwnps.org/special-events.html ). Learn the basics of how flowers are put together followed by a leisurely stroll through the Turnbull Wildlife Refuge. Cost $25 per person. 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. Grasses Workshop: The Identification and Appreciation of Grasses, June 17-19, 2015. A 3 day workshop combining classroom and field study and will focus on both native and naturalized grasses. Clay Antieau, instructor. To register: http://www.wnps.org/store/Events/Grasses-Workshop-register.html Bumping Lake Collection and Inventory Excursion July 16-19, 2015. Join Clay Antieau, and others for summer botanizing. The goal is a comprehensive inventory and photo documentation, along with collection of plants within the inundation area of the proposed reservoir expansion. Contact Becky Chaney (425-880-4220 or becky@chaney.org ) ASAP if interested in participating.
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