Vol. 42 No. 4 May 2016

Claytonia umbellata - John P. Weiser Northern News Events subject to change. Visit nvnps.org for updates. May 5 – Picnic at the Pollinator Garden If the weather is unpleasant, at UNR. 5:30 pm. Bring a hand lens, we will retreat to the herbarium folding chair or lawn blanket, finger food classroom in room 300G of the to share, and your own beverage. Fleischman Agriculture Building on Meet in the pollinator garden behind the UNR campus, north of 9th Street and the Fleischman Ag building at UNR. If Evans Avenue. Park in the lot on the

you haven’t been there before, follow the southeast corner of Evans and Record

usual directions to the herbarium, but Way. instead of turning to enter the building, pass through the breezeway and turn right to enter the garden area.

NNPS Newsletter Vol. 42, No. 4 May 2016

1 May 5 – Moana Nursery the south. Contact Gary Monroe at Landscape Center, Reno. [email protected] or (775) 359-4863. NNPS members are invited to attend the May 5th meeting of the May 22 – Sparks. 10 am-3 pm. Orchid Society of Northern Nevada Open house at the John Weiser’s where Curtis Green will present a dry-land native garden, located at program on native orchids of the Sierra 485 O’Brien Way, Sparks. Contact Nevada. The OSNN meets at the [email protected] or Moana Nursery Landscape Center, (775) 331-4485. 1100 W. Moana Lane, Reno at 7 pm. Note that this meeting overlaps with the May 26 – Red Hill, Reno. 5:30 pm. NNPS picnic at the UNR Herbarium. A short mid-week trip to Red Hill to see six species of eriogonum May 12 – Wilbur D. May in bloom on the slopes of altered Museum, Reno. 6:30 pm. Nevada andesite. The destination is on the Bugs and Butterflies and the west end of Dandini Road in north UNR Museum of Natural History Reno and detailed directions are here: sponsor “Getting to Know the Bees in https://goo.gl/maps/veoyMSzMWx22. your Backyard” by Dr. Joseph Wilson. We will meet in the gravel parking Dr. Wilson is an assistant professor lot just northeast of the roundabout. of biology at State University We will be walking on steep, rocky and author of the newly published slopes and narrow trails. Please wear (and beautiful) book The Bees in sturdy shoes. Contact Rose Strickland Your Backyard: A Guide to North at [email protected] or America’s Bees. Copies of the book will (775) 329-6118 or Dennis Ghiglieri at be for sale and Dr. Wilson will be signing [email protected]. his book following the talk. The Wilbur D. May Museum is in Rancho San Rafael May 29 – Silver Springs. A trip to Park at 1596 North Sierra St., Reno. Churchill Narrows to see Eriogonum Visit nevadabugs.org for details. diatomaceum, a rare endemic restricted to the diatomaceous deposits in May 14 – Schurz. Search for this area of Lyon County. Contact Grusonia pulchella south of Fallon Gary Monroe at [email protected] near Schurz. The majority of this or (775) 359-4863 or John Weiser at cactus’s range is through central [email protected] or Nevada. Contact Charlene Duncan at (775) 331-4485. [email protected] or (775) 530-7458. May 30 – Beckwourth, CA. The annual Memorial Day foray with Bill and May 21 - Fernley. Search for Penstemon Nancy Harnach. Explore the edges of arenarius, an endemic found only the Feather River in Plumas County, in Nevada. We will be traveling to as it passes through Sierra the sagebrush steppe northeast of Valley. Conducted for the local public, Fernley and travel on backroads toward this will not be a typical NNPS field trip. We will meet the group under the

NNPS Newsletter Vol. 42, No. 4 May 2016

2 bridge at the intersection of Highway June 19 – Peavine Mountain, Reno. A 70 and Co. Rd. A23 and be on-site by trip to the base of Peavine Mountain to 10 am. Those traveling from the Carson see the only known population of Lilium area should meet at the Save Mart kelleyanumin in Nevada. Contact Gary at the corner of College and Carson Monroe at [email protected] or Street in Carson City at 7:50 am to (775) 359-4863. carpool. The group leaves for the McDonald’s restaurant located at 120 June 23-27 – Fairmont, MT. Annual Lemon Drive in north Reno by 8 am. American Penstemon Society Those coming from Reno will meet at meeting. the same McDonald’s at 9 am. We will leave the second meeting July 2 – Peavine Mountain, Reno. point at 9:15 am traveling north on US A journey to the summit of Peavine 395 to Highway 70 (Quincy turnoff). Mountain to see condensata and Just past the town of Beckwourth is the numerous other flowers in bloom. Calpine turnoff (Co. Rd. A23). Turn left, cross over the bridge and promptly turn July 24 – Reno. BioBlitz at left at the end of the bridge, traveling Idlewild Park, organized by the downhill into the parking lot. Truckee Meadows Parks Foundation. Contact Bill Harnach at [email protected] or August 13-14 or August 20-21 – (530) 944-3464 or John Weiser at Truckee, CA. A trip to Castle Peak to [email protected] or find Lewisia longipetala. (775) 331-4485. August 27 – Tahoe City, CA. Travel to June 4 – Reno. 8 am - 12 pm. Barker Pass southwest of Tahoe City May Arboretum Society sale. to see Epilobium canum ssp. Latifolium and Gentiana calycosa. June 5 – Plumas County, CA. A trip to see the vernal pool areas September 15-19 – Baker, CA. The of Sierra Valley. This will be a joint Eriogonum Society annual meeting. field trip in conjunction with the California Native Plant Society. The leader for this trip will be Bill Harnach. Southern Nevada News Details of the meeting place and time have yet to be determined. Contact outhern Nevada Meetings are held in Bill Harnach at [email protected] SHenderson the first Monday of every or (530) 944-3464 or John Weiser at month from 6:30-7:30 pm at the U.S. [email protected] or Geological Survey office at 160 North (775) 331-4485. Stephanie Street. If you would like email updates for June 10-12 – Wildhorse. An overnight southern Nevada events, please email trip to Sunflower Flat in Elko Cayenne Engel at [email protected] County. Contact Janel Johnson at and ask to be added to the list. [email protected].

NNPS Newsletter Vol. 42, No. 4 May 2016

3 Springbeauty on Peavine Summit he clouds hung low over the summit sprays of Toxicoscordion venenosum, Tof Peavine in northern Reno as we gray mats of Eriogonum ochrocephalum, scrutinized the target of our trip. The peak and the succulent rosettes of Lewisia had a dusting of snow and we hoped the rediviva var. minor. wind wouldn’t be too strong at the top. As we drove ever higher, white Our plan for Saturday, April 23rd, involved patches of Phlox diffusa, Phlox stansburyi ascending Peavine Mountain hoping to and lavender and pink carpets of find the pretty Great Basin springbeauty Ceanothus prostratus were seen spilling (Claytonia umbellata) in bloom. out from under the stands of curl leaf A cold breeze was blowing as we mountain mahogany (Cercocarpus stuffed ourselves into Gary Monroe’s ledifolius). Time for a quick photo stop! Subaru and headed out. The lower We disembarked again at the lower section of Peavine Road was somewhat saddle near the summit. Buttoning our rough and rutted but easily passable. coats against the light breeze while We made our first stop midway up the the sun was played hide-and-seek, mountain at the intersection with Hopi we noted that the dusting of snow was Lane. While ambling up the slopes to the starting to vanish. The stands of mountain east of the intersection, we discovered mahogany, bedecked in feathery ice many already in bloom or budding crystals, were aglow. All in all, not a bad out. Allium parvum, Astragalus purshii spring day at 8,000 feet in April. var. tinctus, Lupinus nevadensis, After gathering equipment, we Balsamorhiza sagittata, and Wyethia proceeded north across the talus slopes, mollis were noted. Other denizens of the heads bowed, scanning for reddish brown sage brush community were in the midst leaves of Claytonia umbellata peeking of their vernal growth spurts including out of the crevasses. A short walk and we

Astragalus purshii var. tinctus

NNPS Newsletter Vol. 42, No. 4 May 2016

4 the elliptical leaf blades, measuring about ½ to one inch across, lie flat against the chunks of talus. Their color can be reddish brown to green, making them hard to spot against the brown shades of the local basalt stones. The flowering season starts very early just as snow recedes. The dainty little flowers measure ¼ to ½ inch across and locally are white with pink highlights but in other populations pinks though magenta are common. They set seed quickly and go Cercocarpus ledifolius into dormancy by mid May to early June, so, should you want to see them in bloom, were seeing it all around. Unfortunately, head to the top of Peavine on the next the blossoms were tightly closed due sunny day. to the lack of sun that day. On Peavine, A few other plants were starting to this tiny claytonia grows in the veins of flower at the summit.Phlox condensata loose fractured basalt that lace their way with a smattering of white and Astragalus through the more stabilized formations purshii var. tinctus in rich blues and close to the summit. purples were just breaking bud. After this invigorating stroll, most of the participants arely encountered in its high elevation were ready for the cozy interior of the Rhabitats, Claytonia umbellata (aka car. As we headed back down the road the Great Basin springbeauty), can be we passed the carpets of Ceanothus found on many of the drier mountain prostratus we had seen earlier, I noticed ranges across southern to the several patches of yellow glowing in the eastern Sierras of California and eastern shade of the mountain mahogany. After Great Basin ranges of Nevada. These a short scramble up the bank we found tiny succulent plants sprout from small that the short patches of yellow were the tubers ½ to two inches in diameter which annual wallflowerErysimum repandum are found nestling on the soil four to six (an introduced species). On closer inches below the rubble. After threading examination of the area we discovered their way up through the coarse stone,

Claytonia umbellata

NNPS Newsletter Vol. 42, No. 4 May 2016

5 Claytonia perfoliata Collinsia parviflora miner’s lettuce (Claytonia perfoliata) and with a glaucous sheen. Turns out this is blue-eyed Mary (Collinsia parviflora) the new spring growth of heart-leaved in the richer humus soil accumulations jewelflower Streptanthus( cordatus). beneath the shrubs. On the bare bank After this last stop, it was all downhill we found a plant with thick glabrous leaf to our parked cars, brief goodbyes and blades, spatulate shaped, the margins homeward bound. with shallow teethed on the end, purple Story and photos by John P. Weiser

Erysimum repandum

NNPS Newsletter Vol. 42, No. 4 May 2016

6 Botanizing Notebook: Linanthus bigelovii Found & Lost 005 was an incredible spring. I was I had found the plant once - surely I 2knee deep in wildflowers everywhere I could find it again. I spent over two hours went, surrounded by spectacular displays searching for the patch to no avail. What composed of an impressively diverse still gets me about this is that when we number of species. My favorites from first found it we were on a rare plant that spring were Calochortus kennedyi survey – we had flagging with us! We var. munzii in Esmeralda County, fields could have just flagged a bush and I of Mentzelia nitens var. nitens in Mineral could have easily walked right back to the County, and Eucrypta micrantha - the spot. But no! I had to try the modern way name means “small-flowered,” but it was of marking things and I totally botched abundant in pinyon and juniper stands. it. Jan Nachlinger and I went back a few The one big failure I had that summer years ago in hopes of finding L. bigelovii was Bigelow’s linathus (Linanthus but it was a dry spring and we did not find bigelovii), a slender, six to eight inch tall any sign of it. annual with white, phlox-like flowers. I have records of L. bigelovii in I was doing a rare plant survey south of Nevada from Clark, Lincoln, and Nye Dayton. After many miles of transects we counties. It also is in California’s White were nearly finished when we came upon Mountains in Inyo and Mono counties. a small patch of L. bigelovii. The flowers The Dayton location is well north of the were closed so I was reluctant to collect known distribution and I knew this when I it. I decided to mark the spot and return found it in 2005, hence the frustration. early in the morning in hopes of getting A few weeks ago I was working it in full flower (I have since learned that through the at the it is best to collect it just at dark after the New York Botanical Garden and came flowers have opened). Turning on my across an old manila folder marked Gilia GPS, I took a waypoint. bigelovii (Linanthus bigelovii was originally The next morning I described as a gilia). Inside got up at 0’dark thirty, was one specimen labeled: drove back to the location, Truckee Pass, May 1868, trudged out to the general S. Watson 905. WOW! A area, and fired up my specimen to prove that L. GPS. I soon realized the bigelovii does get to west- recorded waypoint was central Nevada. Jan and I nowhere near where I also plan to try to find the wanted to be. I had not Dayton population again. waited long enough for This is a decent spring so the GPS unit to acquire we will head out there and satellites before I saved see if I can redeem myself. the waypoint and the unit Stay tuned! defaulted to its last known location - about a mile Story by Arnold Tiehm away, near where we had Photo courtesy of Jim Andre parked the cars. Linanthus bigelovii

NNPS Newsletter Vol. 42, No. 4 May 2016

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