Chapter Native Plant Society February-April 2018 Newsletter

To promote the appreciation and conservation of Washington’s native plants and their habitats through study, education and advocacy

PROGRAM Tuesday February 20, 2018. David Peter, Ecologist, US Forest Service PNW Research Station, Olympia. Prairies of the Olympic Peninsula: A mapping presentation. Port Townsend Community Center in Up- town Port Townsend at 620 Tyler St. Social time at 6:30 pm; program begins at 7:00. Where did Pacific Northwest Prairies come from and where have they all gone? What are they doing in this land of tall timber? And, what is a “prairie” anyway? I will talk about these and other imponderables to build deeper understanding of these unique cultural artifacts. Northwest prairies hold a special place in the landscape, biodiversity and history of the Pacific Northwest, yet only a narrow slice of the public is aware of their existence. To increase awareness and to facili- tate prairie conservation, they must be mapped and described. It is to this end that Stan Graham and I have undertaken this project. In this talk I will present our work to date—our current map, and descriptions of some of the prairies. We think you will be surprised at just how diverse these places are in terms of geography and vegetation. How to map, and how to define these features, as it turns out, is not a simple endeavor. Even knowing where to draw a line defining the edge of a prairie is an interesting exercise. Prairies didn’t just end where the forest started—they often faded, through savannas and woodlands, into forests, creating a myriad of interesting habitats that are now quite rare. Moreover, prairies can be very wet, or they can be very dry, or wet in some seasons and dry in others. The key to understanding how all this can be so, is to understand the needs of those who maintained them over millennia, and possibly created them in the first place—the First Peoples of the Pacific Northwest. Most Olympic prairies are now gone or seriously compro- mised from afforestation, urbanization or agricultural development. To map and describe these prairies, we rely heavily on historical records, and seek out rem- nant vegetation where possible. We hope to provide you with an evening that you will find interesting and stimulating. And, should you find it so, and should you be so inclined, we have room for you to help us gather the data needed to complete this project.David Peter, and Stan Graham, retired ONP fire Manage- ment officer. David Peter and Stan Graham at Kah Tai Prairie Port Townsend

PROGRAM Tuesday March 20. Terri Knoke. “Lomatium: No Wonder We’re Confused!” . Port Townsend Com-

munity Center in Uptown Port Townsend at 620 Tyler St. Social time at 6:30 pm; program begins at 7:00. Terry Knoke Terry Terri Knoke, a Botanical Illustrator from Walla Walla County, will be pre- senting a talk on the genus Lomatium -- the biscuit root or desert parsley -- one of the most diverse group of native plants in Washington.This talk will help us under- stand why Lomatiums are so difficult to learn as a genus. Using the results of a recent genetic study, Terri will demonstrate why this is so, using photo compari- sons of closely related species and revealing some of the “surprises” found by the study. Terri will talk about how new species are found, including the story of her late un- cle, the botanical hero Don Knoke, who discovered a new species, Lomatium knokei. She will demonstrate how Loma- tium is distributed across our State. The focus on the Olympic Peninsula Lomatiums promises to reveal a great fish story about the relationship between the PNW Native Americans and Lomatium dissectum.

1 PROGRAM Tuesday April 17. Kathy Darrow, Botanist. Wild, Tame and Feral: Botanizing on the Urban Fringe of the Sonoran Desert, Phoenix, AZ. Port Townsend Community Cen- ter in Uptown Port Townsend 620 Tyler St. Social time at 6:30 pm; program begins at 7:00. From Asclepius to Zizyphus, tiny forget-me-nots to giant saguaros, there are always new and surprising plants to find in one of North America’s most biodiverse ecosystems, the Sonoran Desert.Botanist and wildflower photographer Kathy Darrow will present a slide show featuring the fascinating and incredibly rich flora of the Phoenix metro area, where she spent 10 years surveying vegetation in City parks and preserves and two seasons monitoring vegetation for Central Arizona Long Term Ecological Research Project with Arizona State University. Kathy Darrow 623-533-0171 Arizona Poppy (Kallstromeia grandiflora) _Kathy Darrow

EVENTS: Hikes and Activities

Dosewallips State Park. Thursday, February 22 2018. Meet at restrooms in main camping area west side of highway 101 NLT 10:00 am. We will walk several miles of forested trails above the campground always fattening our plant list for these trails. Time permitting we will cross Highway 101 for a walk through the salt marsh. Bring lunch, all weather cloth- ing and your plant books. Contact Ann Weinmann at 360-379-0986 or [email protected]

Dosewallips State Park _Ann Weinmann

Kah Tai Prairie Preserve; Weeding and Welcome to Spring Work Party. March 9, 2018 10:00-12:00. Meet at the parking lot within the Port Townsend Golf Course by the Kah Tai Prairie Preserve sign. Join us for this spring prairie cleanup event. Goals this year will be to repair the perimeter fence, weed invasive species, and enjoy the early blooms. We will be rewarded by the camas sprouts, spring gold Lomatium utriculatum, grass –widows Olysynium douglasii, and old man’s whiskers Geum triflorum. The fabric that holds the prairie all together is the grass, Festuca romeri. Bring gloves and small weeding tools. Contact Dixie Llewellin if you want a Kah Tai Preserve plant list sent to you electronically or have any questions [email protected]. or 360 385-6432.

Gibbs Lake. Saturday March 17th 9:30 am by Varn Brooks. Winter mosses and ferns will probably be the highlights on this easy 3 mile loop around the lake; although, we occasionally have great “ice flowers” popping up this time of year. We can stage a car or two at the half way point for anyone who wants to avoid the second half of the trip which is a little steep in places. Meet at the Jeffer- son Transit Lot at Four Corners at 9:30AM to car pool, or join us at 10:00AM in the parking area at Gibbs Lake County Park. May postpone a day, or cancel if the weather is really bad. Contact Varn at [email protected] for questions or signup. Gibbs Lake Ice flower _Varn Brooks Washington Native Plant Appreciation Week is April 22-28. Often it coincides with wonderful lowland botanizing. Several opportunities for this become available at this time. Here are some upcoming chapter events. Contact the trip leaders for more information. Naval Magazine Indian Island Early April. Arrangements are being made for a guided field trip on the Naval Mag- azine in early April. More than 2100 acres of the 2700 acre island are almost untouched forest land providing great nat- ural habitat for native plants and animals. The date will be announced as soon as possible but you may sign up any time. Contact [email protected] 360-779-3820

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Theler Wetlands and Oak Patch Natural Area Preserve. Thursday April 19, 2018 . Meet at Theler Wetlands parking lot 10:00 AM just south of Belfair on Hwy. 3.The Theler Wetlands, at the end of Hood Canal, is part of the Hood Canal Wetlands Project which removed man-made earthen dikes and restored the natural processes to the Hood Canal tide flats and the Union River estu- ary. It provides saltwater and freshwater habitat and is a great place for birding along almost 3 miles of flat trails and board- walk. The Oak Patch Natural Area Preserve is located in Tahuya State Forest just north of Belfair. This DNR property protects a remnant of Garry Oak habitat on rocky, glacial till and supports a wide variety of native plants. No trail. Be prepared for wet ground and brush. Contact [email protected]. 360-779-3820. Tamanowas Rock and Anderson Lake State Park; Friday April 27. 9:30 am with Fred and Ann Weinmann. We will hike to Tamanowas Rock via the Tamanowas Rock Sanctuary; then ascend the cliff to the bald overlooking the Rock; then walk the trails of Anderson Lake eventually reaching Anderson Lake State Park where a carriage will be waiting to return us via road to our start- ing point. This walk will take us 3 miles or so with a short steep scramble required to reach the Park from the rock. Plants of ma- ture forests, balds, and wetland habitats will be featured. Meet NLT 9:30 at the small Tamanowas Sanctuary parking area along Anderson Lake Road (ALR). Directions: From the intersection of Rte 19 and Anderson Lake Road proceed 0.5 miles W along ALR; from Rte 20 proceed 2.1 miles E on ALR: Parking is on N side of ALR For information and signup contact Fred Weinmann at 360-379-0986 or [email protected]

Kul Kah Han Garden. Updates 1-15-18 Linda Landkammer

Our Plant Study Group will begin this year on April 11 at 12:30 at the garden. It will happen every 2nd Wed until October. We will spend 1 hour and 15 minutes reviewing a short list of native species and their attributes in order to explore : - Which ecosystem/plant community the plant will be placed in the garden. - How to provide for specific cultural needs of each plant Plant systematics with regard to plant Identification, no- menclature and classification. Tamanowas Rock If interested, just show up at the garden at 12:30.

We have recently received a generous donation of $500 from the WNPS Olympic Chapter. This gift will go far to help us achieve our newly expanded goals this year. THANKS SO MUCH!

Kathy Darrow , a botanist, writer and native plant enthusiast and much more has agreed to serve as our new Garden Manager as of Spring 2018. We are thrilled to have her on board and excited to begin working with her soon .

Kul Kah Han’s Native Plant Demonstration Garden Work Party, HJ Carroll Park, Chimacum. Wednesday May 23. Meet on site at 1:30 or at the Park and Ride at 1:15 if you want to carpool. Work party is from 1:30 to 3:00. Linda Landkammer and crew have worked over 16,000 hours on this splendid native garden over the last 19 years. This is an opportunity to lend a hand on upgrading areas of the garden, do a bit of weeding and view the habitats she created from an area that was once a gravel pit. Several of the species on site will be in full bloom providing a great opportunity to become familiar with native plants you may encounter on your next hike or plant in your garden. Grab a friend, some gloves, and small weeding tools for this event….good snacks and drinks will be provided. For a preview to the gardens go to the following web page: https://nativeplantgarden.org/. Contact Dixie Llewellin if you have any questions or want to carpool to the site [email protected]. or 360 385-6432.

3 Wild Flowers of the Quimper Peninsula: Forests, Forest Margins and Wetlands These photos are from a brochure that illus- trates 71 native flowers which occur in the forested Wildlands of the Quimper Peninsula. The brochure was prepared by our Chapter members and is available for $3.00 by contacting Ann Weinmann at 360-379-0986 or [email protected]. The brochure is also available at the Friends of gift shop at the State Park. This brochure is a fundraiser for the Native Plant Society and all proceeds will be donated to our Olympic Peninsula Chapter. —Fred Weinmann

Native Plant Identification and Appreciation Class in Port Townsend! This spring a Community Education class in Washington Native Plant Identification and Appreciation will be offered at the east Jefferson County campus of Peninsula College, located in Fort Worden. The instructor, Dr. Fayla Schwartz, has over 30 years of experience teaching plant identification at community college and university level. This class can serve as an introduction or review of how to recognize and identify common native plant families, genera and species. We will learn some terminology used to describe plants and flowers and group them into families, use field guides such as Hitchcock’s Flora of the Pacific Northwest, discuss plants as members of local ecosystems, and take advantage of the natural beauty of Fort Worden to see plants in their native habitat. Details of time and date are still being arranged by Peninsula College, but the class will probably run one afternoon a week for 5 weeks in late April to May. If you are interested in participating in the class, contact Fayla: [email protected].

Book Review: Bringing Nature Home; How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in our Gardens. By Douglas Tallamy. Submitted by Crystal Pillifant A few years ago, I stumbled upon this book at an Audubon event in Portland, OR. It convinced me that I needed to take a different approach to landscaping my yard, and a very different look at which, if any, exotics I would include on my property. After converting 80 % of my yard to natives, I saw an incredible spike in numbers and diversity of pollina- tors. Virtually everything in my yard started producing viable seed. I highly recommend it for anyone who cares deeply about our natural environment. Below is an editorial review of the title. Perhaps we could talk to one of our local bookstores about purchas- ing several copies and highlighting it in their store? Tallamy takes an obvious observation—wildlife is threatened when suburban development encroaches on once wild lands—and weds it to a novel one: that beneficial insects are being deprived of essential food resources when suburban gardeners exclusively utilize nonnative plant material. Such an imbalance, Tallamy declares, can lead to a weakened food chain that will no longer be able to support birds and other animal life. Once embraced only by members of the counterculture, the idea of gardening with native plants has been landscape design's poor stepchild, thought to involve weeds and other plants too unattractive for pristine suburban enclaves. Not so, says Tallamy, who presents compelling arguments for aesthetically pleasing, ecologically healthy gardening. With nothing less than the future of North American biodiversity at stake, Tallamy imparts an encouraging message: it's not too late to save the ecosystem-sustaining matrix of insects and animals, and the solution is as easy as replacing alien plants with natives. Carol Haggas of Booklist

Book review: “The Invention of Nature. Alexander von Humboldt’s New World” by Andrea Wulf. Submitted by Abe Lloyd . This fall I embraced a more international approach to my studies of the natural world, and took thirteen WWU students to Nepal to examine the plants and animals within Langtang National Park. I want to take this opportunity to high- light an inspiring book that kept me company along the way: Andrea Wulf’s “The Invention of Nature.” Subtitled “Alexander Von Humboldt’s New World,” this biography chronicles the life of an early 19th century naturalist whose adventures and writings cap- tured the imagination of the world through feats such as climbing the highest volcanoes in the world and venturing for years in the jungles of South America. Perhaps one of the most famous scientists of his day, he was a friend of Goethe and Thomas Jefferson, a mentor to Charles Darwin, and an inspiration to many of my heroes including Henry David Thoreau and John Muir. Humboldt was a true renaissance man who contemplated philosophy, delighted in astronomy, deliberated in politics, mastered geology and botany, and was centuries ahead of his time in his awareness of concepts such as biogeography and anthropogenic climate change. If the soggy weather has you cooped up in your house this winter, consider a vicarious adventure with Humboldt.

4 Additional news Revised Flora of the Pacific Northwest Update: The current printing schedule anticipates the revised flora will be available in June, 2018. Parallel with the flora project the Burke Herbarium staff is preparing an on line checklist of our Pacific Northwest flo- ra. This will be an update of the current Washington Flora Checklist. See University of Washington Herbarium web site for details. Plant Lists Update: Over the past decades members of the WNPS have prepared over 700 plant lists for locations across the state of Washington. With publication of the revised flora many changes are necessary to bring the lists up to date. The herbarium in part- nership with the WNPS has received a $5000 grant from the Garneau-Nicon foundation to support the update of these lists. An addi- tional $5000 has been contributed by NPS Chapters to fully fund the project. the revised lists will allow users to view the new names from the revised Flora of the Pacific Northwest as well as the previously used synonyms. The revised lists will be available in the spring of 2018. We thank Don Schaechtel and Julia Bent for leading the effort to get this project underway. The 2018 Washington Botanical Symposium is on Wednesday, March 21. 9am to 4pm; reception to follow 4-6pm. UW Botan- ic Gardens Center for Urban Horticulture – NHS Hall Seattle. $85. See web for details.. https://botanicgardens.uw.edu/education/ adults/conferences-symposia/wa-botanical-symposium/.

Study Weekend May 4-6 Rainbows of Wildflowers: Celebrating the botanical Diversity of the Columbia Gorge, hosted by the Sudksdorfia and South Sound chapters. Registration opened January and is full; waitlist only! See wnps.org for details. Botany Washington. Late spring on the Washington Coast & Willapa Bay. June 8-10, 2018 Long Beach Peninsula. Registration will open February 1, 2018. See wnps.org website for info. and registration

Lake Quinault car camping and exploring the . Sept. 4-7 Start thinking about our summer chapter field trip led by Wendy. Several hike options with the main objective being the summit of Colonel Bob to see the rare sedge. Contact [email protected] . 360-779-3820

General chapter info Our Botany programs are currently scheduled for the third Tuesday of the month from Oc- tober through April. Port Townsend Community Center, 620 Tyler St., Port Townsend.6:30 social 7:00 program. Our next chapter board meeting will be in April. Tentative date: April 10. Details will follow. Chapter Apparatus

Co-Chairs: Ann and Fred Weinmann 360-379-0986; [email protected] Vice Chair (Programs and Web site) : Dixie Llewellin 360-385-6432; [email protected] (for the Web site go to wnps.org and click on the link to Chapters) Treasurer: Dan Post 360-390-8635; [email protected] Secretary: Eve Dixon 360-775-0470; [email protected] Conservation Chair: Wendy McClure 360-779-3820; [email protected] Board members at large: Sharon Schlentner, Linda Landkammer, and Luzi Pfenninger Newsletter: Sharon Schlentner [email protected] 360 379-9810

The next newsletter will be for : SUMMER: May-Aug 2018, and early September Submit information in PROPER FORMAT (see examples under event schedule) no later than April 20. Include details including time, place, and the name and contact information for the coordinator/leader of the event. Send input to Sharon Schlentner [email protected]. 360 379-9819. Items submitted after April 20 will not be included.

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Name:______Address:______City:______State______Zip______Phone:______Email:______Membership Category Individual $40.00 WNPS Special friend $100-499 Budget /Student $20.00 WNPS Best friend $500 Family $55.00 Sustaining Member $1000 Club/Institution $75.00 WNPS Patron $5000 WNPS Friend $50-99 One chapter is included; please add $10 for each additional chapter

Please remit by check payable to WNPS and mail to: Washington Native Plant Society 6310 NE 74th St., Suite 215E, Seattle, WA 98115 Phone: 206-527-3210 or 1-888-288-8022; email: [email protected]

Olympic Peninsula Chapter, WNPS c/o Sharon Schlentner 581 Saddle Drive Port Townsend, WA 98368

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