Habitat Garden Guide

Home , Artemisia frigida, Cosmos parviflorus, Gaillardia pinnatifida, Geranium caespitosum, Heliomeris multiflora, Holodiscus dumosus

This guide introduces you to the plants that grow where the old Flagstaff sawmill operated for more than 80 years. Today the site is home to Willow Bend Environmental Education Center’s straw bale, passive-solar building that hosts our Environmental Discovery Room. Surrounding the building are five habitat gardens made up of plants that are native to the Colorado Plateau:

1. Lizard Garden 2. Pond Garden 3. Forest Garden 4. Wildflower Garden 5. Hummingbird Garden 6. Three-Sister’s Garden CONTENTS

Lizard Garden Description……………………………………... 3 Plant List……………………………………….. 4 Highlighted Plants……………………………… 5-8 Pond Garden Description……………………………………... 9 Plant List……………………………………….. 10 Highlighted Plants……………………………… 11-14 Forest Garden Description……………………………………... 15 Plant List……………………………………….. 16 Highlighted Plants……………………………… 17-20 Wildflower Garden Description…………………………………….. 21 Plant List……………………………………….. 22 Highlighted Plants……………………………… 23-26 Hummingbird Garden Description……………………………………... 27 Plant List……………………………………….. 28 Highlighted Plants……………………………… 29-32 Three Sisters Edible Plant Garden Description……………………………………... 33 Plant List……………………………………….. 34 Highlighted Plants……………………………… 35-38

Creating Backyard Habitat Gardens………………... 39

About Willow Bend Environmental Education…….. 40

Acknowledgements………………………………... 41 3

Lizard Garden

The lizard garden is a hill with two distinctive environments based on the north or south facing aspect of the hillside. The south slope of the hill is hot and dry, and is similar to what is found at the southern base of Mt. Elden. It features agaves and yuccas, mixed with grasses and some shrubs. The surface is mulched with a cinder soil with rocks that retain the sun’s heat. The warm rocks and logs are attractive habitats for lizards. The north side of the hill gets more shade, resulting in less heat, but is still a dry environment. This habitat is reflective of the Great Basin Desert. Predominant plants here are sagebrush with juniper and pinyon trees. 4 41

Plants that were planted in the Lizard Garden: THANK YOU SUPPORTERS! Parry’s Agave, Agave parryi* Claret Cup Cactus, Echinocereus triglochidiatus* Prickly Pear, Opuntia* Banana Yucca, Yucca Baccata* Arizona Game and Fish Western Yarrow, Achillea lanulosa Sacred Datura, Daturameteloides Yellow Wallflower, Erysimum asperum City of Flagstaff Western Wallflower, Erysimum capitatum Adobe Blanketflower, Gaillardia pinnatifida Golden Aster, Heterotheca villosa Scarlet Gilia, Ipomopsis agregata Coconino Natural Resource Conservation District Gayfeather, Liatris punctata Pearlseed, Macromeria viridiflora Desert Four O’Clock, Mirabilis multiflora Ecological Restoration Institute of Northern Arizona Pale Evening Primrose, Oenothera pallida* University Lambert’s Locoweed, Oxytropis lambertii Sunset Crater Penstemon, Penstemon clutei Pineleaf Penstemon, Penstemon pinifolius Paperflower, Psilostrophe tagetina Flagstaff Cultural Partners Groundsel, Senecio spartoides Prairie Zinnia, Zinnia grandflora Sideoats Grama, Bouteloua curtipendula Greater Flagstaff Forest Partnership Blue Grama, Bouteloua curtipendula Arizona Fescue, Festuca arizonica Beargrass, Nolina microcarpa Indian Ricegrass, Oryzopsis hymenoides Urban and Community Forestry Challenge Grant– Mutton Grass, Poa fendleriana Arizona State Lands New Mexico Needle Grass, Stipa neomexicana Fringed Sagebrush, Artemisia frigida Prairie Sage, Artemisia ludoviciana Big Sagebrush, Artemisia tridentate U.S. Forest Service True Mountain Mahogany, Cercocarpus montanus Green Rabbitbrush, Chrysothamnus nauseosus Rubber Rabbitbrush, Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus Cliff Rose, Cowania mexicana Guide to Willow Bend’s Habitat Gardens Mormon Tea, Ephedra viridis* Note: All of these plants Compiled, written, and designed by Laurie Bodmer Apache Plume, Fallugia paradoxa* may not have survived Threeleaf Sumac, Rhus trilobata with assistance from Anne Sheridan, Chris Newell, and Pinyon Pine, Pinus edulis* * Highlighted on following pages Sapna Sopori 40 5

Willow Bend PARRY’S AGAVE CLARET CUP CACTUS Agave parryi Echinocereus triglochidiatus

Environmental Education Center

703 East Sawmill Road

Flagstaff, Arizona 86001 (928) 779-1745 www.willowbendcenter.org

Willow Bend Environmental Education Center is a private, © Br. Alfred Brousseau, Saint Mary's College non-profit 501©(3) organization, sponsored by the Coconino Natural Resource Conservation District (NRCD). Our mission is to provide educational outreach The claret cup cactus, like most cacti, services which build environmental awareness and an ethic is spiky! Its spines are white and its stems are green to bluish green. of responsible stewardship of our natural and cultural resources. Willow Bend was founded in 1978 (as the The outstanding beauty of this plant Resource Center for Environmental Education) to is its flower- a gorgeous scarlet-red ©W.L. Wagner @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database coordinate and assist in developing environmental bloom. Look at the center of the education programs in Northern Arizona. flower. The long green step is the You may be more familiar with flower’s stigma, which is part of the Parry’s agave’s other common plant’s reproductive system. Where did Willow Bend’s name come from? name: century plant. They are both the same plant- Agave parryi . The distinctive flower has resulted in other names for this cactus, including Willow Bend gets its name from the This agave shoots a flowering stalk heart twister and strawberry cactus. patch of coyote willow trees at the up to 18-feet high (yes, feet !). The bend of the Flagstaff Urban Trail south plant sends up the stalk after about of the educational center. The willows 25 years, blooms, and then dies. are just visible from the center, can you Luckily, new plants grow on the see them? root systems before its death and are ready to take over. 6 39

PRICKLY PEAR BANANA YUCCA Opuntia Yucca baccata

CREATE BACKYARD HABITATS

Improve our human communities while

enhancing natural communities

Gardening is a wonderful way to learn about

nature and to support diverse wildlife in Flagstaff.

Nature-friendly landscapes that use native plants

are well-adapted to our special environment– © Br. Alfred Brousseau, Saint Mary's College requiring less water, energy, fertilizer, and labor. © Br. Alfred Brousseau, Saint Mary's College These plants enhance natural communities by

Prickly pear is in the cactus family. Banana yucca is part of the agave supporting wildlife of all kinds: mammals, birds, It has large spines that grow up to family, so you may note the butterflies, other insects, and more. three-inches. Do not touch them resemblance between this yucca because they are sharp and they and Parry’s agave. The yucca is hurt! The spines grow from the different because its leaves are cactus pads, though they are thinner with no marginal spines, usually absent from the lower part and its flowering stalk only reaches USEFUL RESOURCES of the pads. Large yellow flowers up to five-feet (still an impressive with thin petals grow on the pads. height!). Flagstaff Native Plant and Seed Some people compare the flower 928-773-9406 petals to tissue paper because they Yuccas produce edible banana- are so thin. shaped fruits. Its flowers and Nature’s Rewards seeds are also edible. 928-714-9492 In the summer months, prickly pear cactus fruits appear. The The yucca was a special plant to Warner’s Nursery and Landscaping fruits are fleshy, egg-shaped, and Native Americans in the area 928-774-1983 about two-inches long. These because its leaves contain a natural edible fruits can add a delightful fiber that was used to make National Wildlife Foundation flavor to summer drinks, such as baskets, rope, sandals, and mats. www.nwf.org lemonade. The fruits are often available at the Flagstaff Farmer’s Native Plants for High-Elevation Western Gardens Market if you want to sample the Book by Janice Busco and Nancy R. Morin delicious flavor.

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GAMBEL OAK ROCKY MTN. BEEPLANT PALE EVENING PRIMROSE MORMON TEA Quercus gambelii Cleome serrulata Oenothera pallida Ephedra viridis

www.Southwestcoloradowildflowers.com

Gambel oak is Arizona's only oak with shiny, bright green oak-like leaves: 2 to

6 inches long and deeply lobed like an www.Southwestcoloradowildflowers.com Mormon tea is a coniferous shrub eastern oak. A deciduous tree, its leaves that grows up to three feet tall. It is come out rather late in spring, often in A member of the caper family, a jointed plant with inconspicuous May, and they turn yellow to reddish- Rocky Mountain Beeplant (also scaly leaves at its stem joints. brown and fall in October. known as Beeweed) is an erect Pale evening primroses grow

annual that grows to about three feet around sandy areas. They grow up Male cones and female cones are on The Gambel Oak grows most often in in our area. The flowers come in the to 18-inches tall. separate plants. The male and female thickets of a dozen or more. They are form of dozens of bright, pink to plants even grow in different usually clones that grew up from a purplish flowers about ½ long with Their white flower blossoms open environments! Males prefer windier, single root system, often after a fire long stamens, giving the plant a in the early evening and close in steeper, drier spots to disperse their (similar to aspen trees). fuzzy appearance. the morning- this adaptation pollen with help from the wind,

allows the wildflower to retain its while females prefer moister areas Gambel Oaks provide forage and cover This plant has historically been water by not losing it to the sun. with more nutrients for seed for livestock and wildlife. The leaves collected by peoples of the production. are often browsed and many mammals Southwest for food, medicines, and Primrose , in its title, comes from the and birds enjoy the acorns. Humans dye. The young shoots, leaves, and latin word primus , meaning first. It Native Americans and early pioneers use the protein-rich acorns as well, flowers can be cooked and used as is fitting that prim- is part of the used Ephedra viridus as a medicinal tea grinding them into a meal or flour. potherbs high in calcium and pale evening primrose’s name because it contains pseudoephedrine, Gambel oak has been a common Vitamin A. Seeds can be eaten raw, because its flowers are some of the a drug commonly used in nasal source of fence posts, construction and cooked, or dried and ground into first to bloom in early spring. decongestants today. fuels and is often an important plant in meal. The whole plant can be boiled watershed protection. down into a thick syrup for use in painting pottery.

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APACHE PLUME PINYON PINE THREE-LEAF SUMAC WILD ROSE Fallugia paradoxa Pinus edulis Rhus trilobata Rosa woodsii

www.Southwestcoloradowildflowers.com

G.A. Cooper @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database

www.Southwestcoloradowildflowers.com Each leaf of the Three-leaf Sumac Apache plume is an evergreen Pinyon pines and junipers usually has three leaflets, which turn a rich Rosa woodsii is a beautiful native shrub that grows up to six feet. grow in the same community, orange-red color in the fall. The shrub that showcases delicate, sometimes referred to as the fruit of the sumac shrub have fragrant 5-petaled pink flowers Its leaves are alternate and dull pygmy forest. sticky, hairy berries that are red to with numerous yellow stamens. green. orange in color. These showy This plant has colorful reddish- Pinyon pines are common trees clusters are eaten by wild birds, brown stems and leaves that color It is in the Rose Family and its across the Colorado Plateau and can be boiled down to make tea up in the fall. flower is (not-surprisingly) rose- Northern Arizona. They have and lemonade, and are used in like. The flower is pure white with leaves in bundles of two that are breads and cakes. The rhizome system of this plant five petals, a yellow center, and a usually about two-inches long. makes it effective in erosion lovely fragrance. Their crowns are distinctly This plant is often referred to as control, and the species has been rounded. skunkbush because when the used to revegetate disturbed areas. Apache plume is typically found in branches are broken, they have an drier areas such as roadsides, dry The edulis part of its scientific unpleasant aroma. Plants are used as ornamentals washes, and hillsides. name signifies that part of the tree near homes to attract birds and is edible- the pine nuts. A pound The bark, fruit, leaves, and roots other wildlife. Thickets formed by Its root system is complex, helping of these nuts has over 3,000 of this plant have all been used in Wild Rose provide nesting and prevent erosion on slopes. calories, making pine nuts a high- medicinal ways. All parts of the escape cover for many birds and energy, nutritious food. sumac can be used to make dyes small mammals. Native Americans used its stiff for baskets and rugs, and the stems to make arrowshafts and branches are often used in The hips are a great source of outdoor brooms. Its roots were basketry because they are strong vitamin C and are dried for use in used to make cord for fences. and flexible. flavoring, jellies, fruitcakes, and puddings.

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MOUNTAIN PARSLEY BUTTERFLY MILKWEED

Pseudocymopterus montanus Asclepias tuberosa

www.Southwestcoloradowildflowers.com

The characteristic umbels above finely cut leaves mark this as a member of the Parsley Family. Mountain Parsley’s golden-yellow or paprika- www.Southwestcoloradowildflowers.com colored flowers are widely distributed and very common in the Four Corners Butterfly Weed is a type of area. milkweed that is a long-lived and hardy perennial. The magnificent Its blooming season is very long, bright orange flowers are ranging from early spring in the low concentrated in compact clusters at foothills to late summer in alpine the top of branching stems The meadows. flowers produce a large quantity of Pond Garden nectar, which attracts butterflies, The stalks and leaves of this plant can honeybees, and hummingbirds be used as a summer green or as throughout the growing season. This garden offers two types of riparian areas flavoring in soups and salads. Though that may be seen on the Colorado Plateau. The many plants in the parsley family are This plant, unlike other milkweeds, first is a flowing stream and pond that hosts a edible, not all are! Some, such as contains little or no milky juice. poison hemlock and water hemlock variety of aquatic plants, insects, birds, and are deadly. Therefore, it is very Butterfly Weed has both edible and wildlife. The second component is the important to correctly identify this medicinal properties. The seed pods ephemeral wetland that is fed by runoff from the species before partaking in its are edible and cooked before the deliciousness. seed floss forms. The flowers can parking lot. Since this area is dry much of the be harvested, and when cooked are time, it supports different plants than those at the said to taste like sweet peas. The edge of the pond. leaves and new buds are edible and can be cooked like spinach.

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Plants that were planted in the Pond Garden: BLUE FLAX WILD ONION Linum lewisii Allium cernuum

Torrey’s Rush, Juncaus torreyi www.Southwestcoloradowildflowers.com Hardstem Bulrush, Scirpus americanus Three Square Bulrush, Scirpus Softstem Bulrush, Scirpus validus Cattail, Typha latifolia* Golden Columbine, Aquilegia chrysantha* Western Blue Flag, Iris missouriensis Cardinal Flower, Lobelia cardinalis Rocky Mountain Iris, Iris missouriensis Yellow Monkeyflower, Mimulus guttatus Jacob’s Ladder, Polemonium foliosissiumum Red Cinquefoil, Potentilla thurberi

Mountain Parsley, Pseudocymopterus montanus Blue flax is a perennial flowering Cutleaf Coneflower, Rudbeckia laciniata* plant with long, narrow, grayish- New Mexican Checkermallow, Sidalcea neomexicana* USDA Thomas G. Barnes green foliage. This plant may have Blue-Eyed Grass, Sisyrinchium demissum dozens of bright blue flowers, 1-2 Blue Grama, Bouteloua gracilis Allium cernuum is called the inches in diameter in drooping “nodding” wild onion because of Arizona Fescue, Festuca arizonica branches at the tip of each stem. Red Twig Dogwood, Cornus stolonifera the little bend near the top of the The flowers, lasting only one day, stem, causing the blossoms to turn New Mexican Olive, Forestiera neomexicana are funnel-shaped when they open Bebb Willow, Salix bebbiana downward. The grassy leaves in the morning, flatten as the day become a foot tall, with the Coyote Willow, Salix exigua* progresses, and are dropped bu the Arroyo Willow, Salix lasiolepsis flowers rising a half foot higher, following day. These five-petaled but on wire stems that may tip Russet Buffaloberry, Shepherdia canadensis flowers attract butterflies. Grape, Vitis arizonica lower. The loose clusters of those nodding bell-flowers range from Thinleaf Alder, Alnus tenuifolia* The fiber of blue flax has been River Birch, Betula occidentalis light pink to creamy white. used by Native Americans for Narrowleaf Cottonwood, Populus angustifolia* cord, fishing nets, mats, and All parts of this plant smell like baskets. Cultivated flax is used to onion if bruised. make linen and seeds are crushed

to produce linseed oil. The bulbs can be used as a soup or Note: All of these plants may not have survived stew flavoring, the leaves are a This species is named “lewisii” in good substitute for chives, and the honor of Meriwether Lewis, or * Highlighted on following pages flowers make a very decorative and Lewis and Clark. tasty addition to salads. The whole plant is said to repel insects and This Western native tolerates moles. 34 11

Plants that were planted in the Three Sisters NEW MEXICAN CATTAIL Edible Plant Garden: CHECKERMALLOW Typha latifolia

Sidalcea neomexicana

“Trees and Shrubs”

Gamble Oak, Quercus gambelii * Chokecherry, Prunus virginiana Banana Yucca, Yucca baccata Canyon Grape, Vitis baccata Utah Serviceberry, Amelanchier utahensis Currants, Ribes spp . Wild Rose, Rosa woodsii *

Roundleaf Buffaloberry, Sheperdia rotundifolia ©Al Schneider @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database Three-leaf Sumac, Rhus trilobata * © Br. Alfred Brousseau, Saint Mary's College

Pinyon Pine, Pinus edulis New Mexican Checkermallow fits Cattails are tall, stiff reeds that are appropriately in the pond garden found in freshwater marshes. “Herbs and Other Crops” because this plant species can only These aquatic plants bear live in moist environments such as yellowish, club-like spikes of tiny Heirloom varieties of squash, beans, and corn along streams and in wet male flowers extending directly Maximilian’s Sunflower, Helianthus maximilianii meadows. above a brown cylinder of female Rocky Mountain Beeplant, Cleome serrulata * flowers. Wild Onion, Allium cernuum * The wildflower grows up to three-

Wild Bergamont, Monarda fistulosa feet. Despite its height, it is Native Americans and early Mountain Pennyroyal, Monardella odoratissima difficult to recognize outside of colonists used cattails for diverse Mountain Parsley, Pseudocymopterus montanus * summer and early fall months. It purposes. The young shoots, Yarrow, Achillea millefolium is easiest to recognize New immature flower spikes, and the Butterfly Weed, Asclepias tuberose * Mexican checkermallow from sprouts at the tip of the rootstock Miner’s Lettuce, Claytonia perfoliata June to September when its deep were eaten. Also, the seed fluff Strawberry, Fragaria spp. pink to purplish, five-petal flowers was used to stuff pillows, Fireweed, Epilobium angustifolium are in bloom. mattresses, and diapers. Blue Flax, Linum lewisii *

Butterflies and hummingbirds are Would you sleep on a pillow attracted to the pretty and stuffed with cattail seed fluff? plentiful New Mexican Note: All of these plants Checkermallow flowers. may not have survived The leaves of this herbaceous * Highlighted on following pages perennial plant can be eaten as greens. 12 33

GOLDEN COLUMBINE ROCKY MOUNTAIN IRIS

Aquilegia chrysantha Iris missouriensis

Three Sisters Edible J.S. Peterson @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database Al Schneider @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database

Plant Garden Golden columbine is in the Rocky mountain iris is found along Buttercup family. Although streams, in wet meadows, and in The Three Sisters Edible Plant Garden highlights flowers in that family do not have moist forest clearings. to be the canary-yellow that plants which are native to Arizona and have buttercup flowers are, golden edible and/or medicinal properties. Many of Rocky mountain iris leaves are columbines exhibit that same sword-shaped, long, and dark these low-water natives provide forage and cover shade of yellow, so it is easy to green. Although beautiful, the remember which family it belongs for birds and wildlife and have been used as leaves are poisonous if eaten. to. sources of dyes and materials for basketry and

The flower of Iris missouriensis is construction. The sepals of columbines form a typical of other irises: three erect star-shaped backdrop for the five petals with three wider sepals that flower petals. This garden includes heirloom varieties or corn, fall towards the ground. The beans and squash which were graciously donated flowers are pale blue to violet Golden columbine’s leaves are color and are streaked with white. to us by a Hopi dryland farmer. These varieties bluish-green and are divided into three leaflets. are well-adapted to dry landscapes and grow well The lovely iris flowers attract without supplemental irrigation. Other butterflies when in bloom. The habitat of golden columbines vegetables grown in this garden demonstrate the is along streams and in rich soils in mixed conifer and aspen groves. ability to grow fresh, organic produce in the high country. 32 13

ROCKY MTN. PENSTEMON SCARLET BUGLER THINLEAF ALDER NARROWLEAF Penstemon strictus Penstemon barbatus Alnus tenuifolia COTTONWOOD

Populus angustifolia

Thinleaf alders are large shrubs R.or Jackson

Judy Sedbrook CSU Wikipedia small trees that live near streams Like willows, cottonwoods grow in or in moist high-altitude meadows. riparian environments. They are very

important to riparian communities Rocky mountain penstemon, also The scarlet bugler is part of the Alders have groups of small cones. because their deep roots prevent referred to as “Beardtongue”, has Figwort Family, similar to other Their leaves are dark green on top erosion and keep soils porous so that striking blue-violet flowers. The penstemons. The flowers are seen and a lighter green on the bottom water can reach great depths. nectar-filled flower tubes attract in panicles, meaning there are side. If you can get close enough hummingbirds and insects. several off of one main stem. to an alder leaf, check out the The narrowleaf cottonwood has bottom side- it almost looks like narrow, triangular leaves. The Since the Rocky Mountain Range The flowers are a deep scarlet (red) the top of the leaf folds over the female seeds release white cotton is this wildflower’s native land, it color. Red is the only flower color bottom side like a sewing hem. that can be seen around the tree’s grows best in environments similar that is not apparent to insects, so base. The cotton helps the seeds to the Rocky Mountains. It thrives red flowered plants depend on An interesting historical note catch wind for easy dispersal. off of bright full sun and semi-arid birds for pollination. about the thinleaf alder is that the soils. This penstemon can be Hummingbirds are especially Navajos used to make a red dye successfully grown and maintained attracted to scarlet buglers for their from its bark to dye wool. in Flagstaff with average waterings. color, which leads the birds to the rich nectar inside the flower tube.

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COYOTE WILLOW CUTLEAF CONEFLOWER HUMMINGBIRD MINT HUMMINGBIRD MINT Salix exigua Rudbeckia lacinata Agastache pringelii Agastache cana

Friends of Cheyenne Canyon .

pringelii variety. It has pinkish tubular Willows are one of the dominant Native to the Southwest, flowers filled with nectar that attracts Another name for this herbaceous plants found along streams, an hummingbird mint is another hummingbirds. perennial is brown-eyed Susan. area called the riparian tubular flower that hummingbirds environment. They are only found adore due to its rich nectar. Hummingbird mint is a good Like other coneflowers, the disk of in riparian areas because they need example of plants that has several this flower is long and cylindrical. abundant water that is close to the Agastaches tend to be drought- species, denoted by different ground’s surface to survive. tolerant plants, a desirable scientific names, but go by the same The plant itself can grow stalks up characteristic in the high-desert. common name. The scientific names to eight feet tall with dark green This species of willow grows up to are assigned by botanists so that leaves that can reach almost one nine feet. It is easy to identify The common name contains the plants can be recognized foot long. The flowers are willows in the early spring by their word “mint” due to its highly internationally, no matter what typically three to four inches and signature catkins. Catkins are fragrant leaves. Can you find language a person speaks. How are are bright yellow. short spikes of cottony flowers. Agastache pringelii and smell the “scientific names” or “Latin names”

mint fragrance? assigned anyway? The first word Cutleaf coneflowers are Rub a catkin across your face, (capitalized) is the plant’s genus particularly long-blooming and what does it feel like? name. Plants that have similar attract butterflies throughout the physical characteristics will have the blooming season. same genus name. The second word (lowercase) is the plant’s specific Interestingly, this plant is epithet, providing the plant with a poisonous to livestock (cattle, typically two-word species name. sheep, and swine). So, you are able to see two different species of hummingbird mint!

30 15

SCARLET GILIA FIRECRACKER Gilia aggregata PENSTEMON Penstemon Eatonii

Keir Morse

Scarlet gilia produces flowers Utah Native Plants ranging in color from red to white. The plant is very adaptable to Firecracker penstemon has environmental and seasonal brilliant scarlet-red flowers. The changes. For example, in spring plants prefers well-drained soil and the scarlet gilia flowers are typically is partially drought-resistant. red, attracting the hummingbirds in the area. Later in the summer, Penstemons do not have fragrant Forest Garden when birds have migrated, the flowers, one reason why insects flowers change to a light pink or are not usually attracted to them. The forest garden makes use of the shady north white color, attracting the Birds, on the other hand, have a pollinators in the area at that time, very poor sense of smell, so they side of the building. It features some of the trees moths. are attracted to flowers simply by and shrubs that can be found in the Ponderosa their color, making firecracker Pine forests characteristic of this region. The Scarlet gilias have star-shaped, penstemon an attractive candidate pointed-tipped flowers, for a sweet nectar snack. shrubs, grasses, and forms that may be distinguishing them from overlooked when walking through a forest are penstemons in the hummingbird more noticeable in this garden. garden.

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Plants that were planted in the Forest Garden: ARIZONA PENSTEMON ORANGE CARPET Western Yarrow, Achillea lanulosa Penstemon pseudospectabilis ZAUSCHNERIA Rocky Mountain Pussytoes, Antennaria parvifolia Zauschneria garrettii Dayflower, Commelina dianthifolia

Redroot Buckwheat, Eriogonium racemonsoum

Purple Cranesbill, Geranium caespitosum

White Cranesbill, Geranium richardsonii

Silvery Lupine, Lupinus argenteus

Purple Aster, Machaeranthera canescens

Bee Balm, Monarda menthefolia

Flagstaff Penstemon, Penstemon nudiflorus Pineleaf Penstemon, Penstemon pinifolius http://tryon.blogspot.com/2004_07_01_tryon_archive.html Patrick J. Alezander, USDA Red Cinquefoil, Potentilla thurberi

Fendler’s Meadow Rue, Thalictrum fendleri Goldenpea, Thermopsis pinetorum Valerian, Valeriana arizonica Arizona penstemon’s stems can Orange carpet zauschneria is native Pine Dropseed, Blepharoneuron tricholepsis almost appear bluish at times. This to dry slopes in the Chaparral of Blue Grama, Bouteloua gracilis hint of blue is due to the waxy the United States. Chaparral is Arizona Fescue, Festuca arizonica coating on the stems (they are called defined as a plant community Mutton Grass, Poa fendleriana glaucous for this reason). found in Mediterranean climates Utah Serviceberry, Amelanchier utahensis* (hot, dry summers and mild, wet Fringed Sagebrush, Artemisia frigida Its flowers are one to two inches on a winters), such as Southern Greenleaf Manzanita, Arctostaphylos patula* three foot spike. The flowers are California. Chaparral communities Fendler’s Buckbrush, Ceanothus fendleri pinkish. have drought-tolerant plants, like Mountain Spray, Holodiscus dumosus the orange carpet zauschneria. Common Juniper, Juniperus communis* In our gardens, the Arizona Barberry, Mahonia repens* penstemons is a little bit out of its This plant grows to be 60 Wax Currant, Ribes cereum usual environment, which is usually centimeters tall, blending in with New Mexican Locus, Robinia neomexicana below 4000 feet altitude. It is native the sub-shrubs of Chaparral Woods Rose, Rosa woodsii to Southern California. However, the communities. Elderberry, Sambucus racemosa location of the hummingbird garden Mountain Snowberry, Symphoricarpos rotundifolius allows this species to receive more Rocky Mountain Maple, Acer glabrum sunlight and thrive here in Flagstaff. Arizona Walnut, Juglans major* Blue Spruce, Picea pungens* Bristlecone Pine, Pinus aritata Note: All of these plants Limber Pine, Pinus flexilis may not have survived Ponderosa Pine, Pinus ponderosa* Aspen, Populus tremuloides* * Highlighted on following pages Coffeeberry, Rhamnus californica 28 17

Plants that were planted in the COMMON JUNIPER CREEPING BARBERRY Hummingbird Garden: Juniperus communis Mahonia repens

Rocky Mountain Penstemon, Penstemon strictus*

Pineleam Penstemon, Penstemon pinifolins

Orange Carpet Zauschneria, Zauschneria garrettii*

Scarlet Bugler, Penstemon barbatus*

Hummingbird Mint, Agastache cana* that are usually in bundles of three. Barberry is a plant with leathery, Touch the needles only if you dare holly-like leaflets growing on short Scarlet Gilia, Ipomopsis aggregate* because they are very prickly. The stems. In spring and early summer, female cones of junipers are barberry bears dark blue-black to Hummingbird Mint, Agastache pringelii* bluish-black and look like berries. reddish berries. The berries attract

small animals and birds. Humans, Arizona Penstemon, Penstemon pseudospectabilis* The “berries” are favored as a too, can eat the berries in jellies and food by both coyotes and humans. jams. Americans do not often use

juniper berries in their cooking, Just before the fruit forms, yellow * Highlighted on following pages however, Europeans include them six-petaled flowers appear in clusters in their soups, stews, and gins. on the plant.

This is a very common Flagstaff plant, found as undergrowth in forests and a landscaping plant in neighborhoods and downtown. It is typically found in bunches because it grows from a creeping underground rhizome- hence its name, creeping barberry. 18 27

ARIZONA BLACK WALNUT BLUE SPRUCE Juglans major Picea pungens

Are the needles on this tree blue or silver? Botanists debate. The common names for Picea pungens are silver spruce and blue spruce.

©W.L. Wagner @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database It grows to be 80-feet tall, has grayish-brown bark, and chestnut brown cones. The Arizona black walnut is Hummingbird Garden Arizona’s only species of walnut Blue spruce thrives best at high tree. These trees produce round, altitudes- 7,000 to 11,000 feet- so hard-shelled nuts that squirrels, look for it in and around Flagstaff. The hummingbird garden is focused on such as the Abert squirrel, love. providing habitat components that will attract a The tree is a deciduous tree Engelmann spruce ( Pi cea (meaning it loses its leaves in the engelmanni) is closely related to Picea variety of birds, including hummingbirds. The fall) with yellow-green, lance- pungens and can also be found in garden is planted with a selection of penstemons, shaped, coarsely-toothed leaves. Arizona’s higher altitudes. and other nectar producing plants that are

To spot the tree outside of the essential for hummingbirds. In addition, there habitat garden, explore Sedona’s are several types of berry producing shrubs that stream banks and Oak Creek wil provide forage for a wide range of birds. Canyon. Water is available at the birdbath. In an open, sunny area, the flowers are able to get an earlier start in the spring. 26 19

RUBBER RABBITBRUSH BIG SAGEBRUSH PONDEROSA PINE QUAKING ASPEN Chrysothamnus nauseous Artemisia tridentata Pinus ponderosa Populus tremuloides

USU Extension

Rabbitbrush is a widespread plant ©J.S. Peterson @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database found in riparian habitats and in USU Extension disturbed areas along roads. The © Br. Alfred Brousseau, Saint Mary's College. pungent plant grows to be 1-7 feet The big sagebrush is the most Ponderosa pine trees are the most in height with uniform three-inch common sagebrush species in the common pine in North America, Aspens are trees that grow up to 40 linear leaves. west. Each year the average big and is the dominant tree found in feet tall. Their bark is white with sagebrush produces 350,000 seeds! Flagstaff’s forests. It is this tree black stretch marks. Their leaves are Check for its beautiful yellow Besides just the benefit of high that gives Flagstaff air its fresh green and triangular, though in fall flowers that bloom between June seed quantity, each and every seed vanilla scent- smell its bark! the deciduous leaves turn a brilliant and September. Its flowers have has a floatation bubble inside that yellow color before falling to the been described as umbrellas allows it to float in water and The bark is cinnamon-colored and ground for winter. because of their shape, do you see travel great distances. scaly. It is especially thick to help the mini-umbrellas? protect the tree during forest fires. Aspens form clonal stands with Smell the plant. Native Americans Its cones are prickly and its several trees. In other words, if you Rabbitbrush produces natural in the Great Basin and Colorado needles are in bundles of three. see a group of aspen trees living rubber. The U.S. government Plateau traditionally burn sage for Ponderosa pines can grow up to close to one another, chances are studied rabbitbrush during WWII many ceremonies. 130 feet. they are part of the same organism. as a possible substitute for . commercial rubber. Today, some Sage grouse, deer, and antelope Aspen leaves quake or tremble in the of the plants are used for rubber feed on sagebrush. It is extremely wind, hence the names quaking and production, but not extensively. nutritious, with more protein tremuloides. content than alfalfa, and comparable carbohydrate and fat. 20 25

UTAH SERVICEBERRY GREENLEAF MANZANITA WESTERN YARROW RED PRARIE Amelanchier utahensis Arctostaphylos patula Achillea lanulosa CONEFLOWER

Ratibida columnaris

USU Extension Greenleaf manzanita is an Coneflowers have stiff stems and evergreen shrub that only grows to Yarrow is a very common leaves. Their showy flowers are three-feet tall. Its smooth bark is a wildflower in Flagstaff. Its yellow or red. One distinctive lovely red color, its leaves are oval flowers bloom from April to July, characteristic is their thimble-like and bright green, and its branches and range from pinkish to white center, called a disk. It resembles a are irregularly crooked. with yellow centers. Its stems ©G.A. Cooper @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database cone found in trees. have dense wooly hairs with fern-

Manzanita is Spanish for little apples , like leaves attached. Yarrow Another common name is Mexican describing its small, brown fruits. grows in a range of environments, Utah serviceberry is a shrub or tree hat , can you guess why? These fruits were used by Native from the semi-desert zone to the that grows up to 15 feet. It has Americans in food and beverages. subalpine zone. lovely smelling flowers made up of Butterflies and honeybees are five petals. The flowers bloom in attracted to the coneflower’s bright Look for this species of manzanita Historically, Native Americans spring before the plant’s leaves flowers. at the North Rim of the Grand made tea from yarrow to cure emerge. Canyon and in open coniferous several medical ailments. During Heavy clay soils are characteristic forests. the Civil War, yarrow was used to The plant has blueberry-like of Flagstaff’s soils. Some plants treat soldiers’ wounds, lending it berries that ripen in the fall. The cannot live in such dense soils, another name: soldiers’ woundwort. berries are slightly sweet and however, coneflowers are able to edible, enjoyed even by Lewis and tolerate clay soils making them Yarrow is a native plant that can Clark who ground them with good candidates for native plant be densely planted and then buffalo meet and fat to make backyard gardens. pemmican, a traditional high- mowed as a turf substitute in your energy food. backyard. 24 21

HORNY TANSYASTER BEE BALM

Machaeranthera canescens Monarda menthefolia

Also knows as Bergamot, Bee Balm looks like an exotic plant due ©Al Schneider @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database to its wild bloom, however it is an Arizona native. Have you ever seen a purple sunflower? Find this wildflower Bee balm grows along roadsides that resembles just that. and in transition zone pine forests. It can grow up to three-feet tall Honry tansyasters are part of the and is easy to spot when its pink, Sunflower Family and look similar tubular flowers are in bloom. to sunflowers, except that they are When the flowers are not available Wildflower Garden purple. They grow up to four-feet, to help you, the opposite paired have gray toothed leaves, and a leaves that have a natural mint The hummingbird garden is focused on thick hairy stem. scent may give away its identity. providing habitat components that will attract a

This plant is quite drought-tolerant Bee balm attracts butterflies, bees, variety of birds, including hummingbirds. The and a heavy bloomer, meaning that and hummingbirds because of garden is planted with a selection of penstemons, it produces a lot of beautiful their long tubular flowers. and other nectar producing plants that are flowers. Horny tansyasters are a great addition to any backyard Bee balm contains thymol, a essential for hummingbirds. In addition, there garden. chemically that helps fight fungi are several types of berry producing shrubs that and bacteria. will provide forage for a wide range of birds. This wildflower attracts butterflies, too! Water is available at the birdbath. In an open, sunny area, the flowers are able to get an earlier start in the spring. 22 23

Plants that were planted in the PORCH PENSTEMON SILVERY LUPINE Wildflower Garden: Penstemon strictus Lupinus argenteus

Western Yarrow, Achillea lanulosa* Fendler’s Sandwort, Arenaria fendleri White Aster, Aster falcatus Winecups, Callirhoe involucrata Cosmos, Cosmos parviflorus Larkspur, Delphinium geranifolia Redroot Buckwheat, Eriogonium racemonsoum California Poppy, Eschscholtzia californica © Br. Alfred Brousseau, Saint Mary's College

Goldeneye, Heliomeris multiflora Rocky Mountain Iris, Iris mousuriensis Blue Flax, Linum lewisii Spread out your fingers and your Gary A. Monroe @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database Silvery Lupine, Lupinis argenteus* hand will resemble the leaflets Horny Tansyaster, Machaeranthera canescens* Penstemons are good wildflowers characteristic of lupine plants. Along Spreading Four O’Clock, Mirabilis oxybaphoides with their distinctive leaflets, lupines Monarda menthefolia* for early botanists to look for Bee Balm, have beautiful bluish to purple Oenothera elata* because their flowers are Evening Primrose, flowers in clusters along their stems. Penstemon barbatus distinctively tubularly shaped and Scarlet Bugler, The flowers are wonderfully fragrant. Penstemon nudiflorus attract hummingbirds because of Flagstaff Penstemon, Penstemon rostriflorus their sweet nectar treat. Bridges Penstemon, Lupine has a long tap root that is Penstemon strictus* Porch Penstemon, able to reach deeper ground waters Silver Cinquefoil, Potentiall hippiana Penstemons look like tall spires than most wildflowers, making them Red Prairie Coneflower, Ratibida columnaris* that have flowers blooming from typically more drought-resistant than Goldenrod, Solidago spaciflora just one side of the stem. their neighbors. Utah Serviceberry, Amelanchier utahensis

Big Sagebrush, Artemisia tridentate* Porch penstemon gets its name Lupus is Latin for wolf . This plant Fendler’s Buckbrush, Caenothus fendleri from the two upper petals that was named after a predator because Fernbush, Chamaebatiaria millefolium hang over the lower petals like the it was believed that lupine stole Green Rabbitbrush, Chrysothamnus nauseosus roof over a porch. Its flowers nutrients from the soil. Now, Rubber Rabbitbrush, Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus* bloom down the whole 32-inch however, scientists know that lupines Apache Plume, Fallugia paradoxa stem. absorb free nitrogen from the air, Threeleaf Sumac, Rhus trilobata convert it into a useable form, and Wax Currant, Ribes cereum This type of penstemons thrives in actually enrich the soil with nutrients. Narrowleaf Cottonwood, Populus angustifolia Flagstaff’s high, 7,000-foot Gambel Oak, Quercus gambelii Note: All of these plants elevation, so look for it along the may not have survived urban trails and on local hikes. * Highlighted on following pages