November 2008 Volume 31 Number 6 Special 30Th Anniversary Issue

Sego Lily November 2008 31 (6)

November 2008 Volume 31 Number 6 Special 30th Anniversary Issue

Sego Lily (Calochortus nuttallii) is the state flower of Utah and has been the mascot of the Utah Native Plant Society since 1982. Kaye Thorne rendered this illustration for the Utah’s Colorful Natives coloring book produced in 1981 by UNPS. The drawing was later used for the Sego Lily masthead (above). Kaye Thorne was the first editor of the Utah Na- tive Plant Society Newsletter (1978- 1980) and was active in Utah botany for decades. She passed away in April 2004.

In this issue:

UNPS News ...... 2 Chapter News ...... 2 Bulletin Board ...... 3 The Origin of the Utah Native Plant Society ...... 4 UNPS History: The Last 15 Years ...... 6 Excerpt: Bearclaw Poppy Bulletin ...... 7 Thirty Years of the Sego Lily ...... 8 Selected Titles from the Sego Lily Archives ...... 9 Excerpt: Naturally Native: Bear-berry, Kinnikinnick ...... 11 Excerpt: Native Bees: the Other Native Plant Enthusiasts ...... 14 Excerpt: Gardening with Utah Natives: A Beginner’s Guide ...... 18

Education: Ty Harrison Sego Lily Editor: Walter Fertig Horticulture: Maggie Wolf ([email protected]). The deadline for Invasive Weeds: Susan (Garvin) Fitts the January 2009 Sego Lily is 15 De- Rare Plants: Walter Fertig cember 2008.

Chapters and Chapter Presidents Copyright 2008 Utah Native Plant Cache: Steve Ripple Society. All Rights Reserved Escalante (Garfield Co): Allysia Angus Officers Fremont (Richfield area): Ron Parsons The Sego Lily is a publication of the Co-Presidents: Bill Gray (Salt Lake Co) Manzanita (Kane Co): Walter Fertig Utah Native Plant Society, a 501(c)(3) and Bill King (Salt Lake Co) Mountain (Summit Co): Mindy not-for-profit organization dedicated Treasurer: Charlene Homan (Salt Lake Wheeler to conserving and promoting steward- Co) Price (Carbon Co): Mike Hubbard ship of our native plants. Use of con- Secretary: Mindy Wheeler (Summit Salt Lake: Kipp Lee tent material is encouraged but re- Co) Southern (Washington Co): Margaret quires permission (except where ex- Board Chair: Larry Meyer (Salt Lake Malm empted by statute) and must be cor- Co) Utah Valley (Utah Co): Celeste Ken- rectly credited and cited. Articles, nard photographs and illustrations submit- UNPS Board: Walter Fertig (Kane Co), ted to us remain the property of the Robert Fitts (Utah Co), Susan Fitts Website: For late-breaking news, the submitting individuals or organiza- (Utah Co), Marie Griffiths (Salt Lake UNPS store, the Sego Lily archives, tions. Submit permission requests to Co), Ty Harrison (Salt Lake Co), Celeste Chapter events, links to other websites [email protected]. We encourage read- Kennard (Utah Co), Kipp Lee (Salt Lake (including sources of native plants and ers to submit articles for potential Co), Margaret Malm (Washington Co), the digital Utah Rare Plant Field publication. By submitting an article, Therese Meyer (Salt Lake Co), Jeff Guide), and more, go to unps.org. an implicit license is granted to print Mitchell (Utah Co), Leila Shultz (Cache Many thanks to Xmission for the article in the newsletter or other Co), Maria Ulloa (Sevier Co), Dave Wal- sponsoring our website. UNPS publications for reprint without lace (Cache Co), Maggie Wolf (Salt Lake permission (in print and electronic Co), Loreen Woolstenhulme (Utah Co). For more information on UNPS: media). When submitting an article, Contact Bill King (582-0432) or Susan please indicate whether it has been Committees Fitts (356-5108), or write to UNPS, PO previously published or submitted for Communications: Larry Meyer Box 520041, Salt Lake City, UT, 84152 consideration to other publications. Conservation: Bill King and Tony -0041 or email [email protected] Frates ______

tive talk on the early years of between 6:15 and 6:30. UNPS News UNPS at the annual Utah Rare To reach Sugarhouse Park from Plant Conference and was pre- north or south, take the eastbound UNPS Annual Members Meet- sented with the Society’s Lifetime I-80 exit from I-15, and exit again ing, Friday, November 7, Achievement Award for his out- at 1300 East (about 2 miles). Pro- 2008: Each year UNPS holds an standing work (see May issue of ceed north by Sugarhouse Park, annual members meeting which Sego Lily or http://www. unps.org turn right on 2100 South. The has traditionally included three /PAGES/news#atwood). Garden Center is located in the main elements: a ―New World Pot- In recent years we have cycled extreme northeast corner of the luck‖ lunch or supper featuring among the three population cen- park with its own parking lot (not foods native to the Americas ters of Utah Valley, Salt Lake, and accessible from Sugarhouse Park). (classics include turkey, potatoes, Cache Valley, and it is the Salt For more details or questions, tomatoes, yams, blueberries); a Lake Chapter’s turn to host the please email or call Bill Gray featured speaker who has some- 2008 meeting. This being our ([email protected], 801- thing important to say about na- 30th anniversary, we hope that as 532-3486). - Dave Wallace tive plants and UNPS; a brief busi- many people as possible will make ness meeting at which the mem- a special effort to attend: we will Chapter News bers elect a Board of Directors for do our best to arrange ―home stay‖ the following year. accommodations for anyone trav- Escalante (Garfield Co.): The Our speaker for this special oc- eling from out of the area. Escalante Chapter has been busy casion will be Dr. Duane Atwood. Our venue is the Sugarhouse through the summer and fall tend- Duane was one of the founding Garden Center, 1602 East 2100 ing Escalante’s Main Street land- members of UNPS and its first South, Salt Lake City which has scaping and having a Native Plant President. Over the years he has good meeting rooms and a large table at the annual Escalante Can- made many contributions to our kitchen for heating and preparing yons Art Festival. The October understanding of Utah’s plants food. Arrive any time from 5:30 meeting featured a lively presenta- and worked on their behalf. Ear- PM to socialize and help get things tion from Theresa Overfield dis- lier this year he gave a retrospec- set up. We expect to start eating 2 Sego Lily November 2008 31 (6) cussing a wide array of options to University of Utah will be speaking March 16-20, 2009: Southwest recycle using one’s garden. Our to our chapter on his research on Rare Plant Conference, Salt November meeting is scheduled unusual symbiotic relationships Lake City, UT. The Utah Native for November 11 (speaker TBA). between plants and insects in Plant Society will be hosting the The annual Holiday meeting is southern Utah. The meeting will next Southwest Rare Plant Confer- scheduled for December 9 and will be held at 7PM in the conference ence (which will incorporate the be hosted by Allysia Angus. room of the Grand Staircase- annual Utah Rare Plant Task - Allysia Angus Escalante Visitor Center in historic Force Conference). The event enti- downtown Kanab. In December, tled Changing Landscapes in the Fremont (Richfield Area): our meeting will be a reprise of Southwest will be held in Salt This has been a busy summer for botanical movie night, with a dou- Lake City, Utah on the University the Fremont Chapter. We have ble feature of an educational video of Utah campus from March 16 focused on establishing a native and a campy sci-fi flick. - W. Fer- through 20, 2009. Topics will in- plant garden at Sam Stowe Camp- tig clude rare plant biology and bio- ground in the Fremont Indian geography (in the Southwest re- State Park. The garden site is Southern (Washington Co): gion as well as Utah), plant com- spectacular with red cliffs, pocked Rick Heflebower of Utah State munity and ecological restoration, and sculpted into a myriad of University Extension, will discuss climate change issues and others. imaginative shapes, including sev- tree care as it relates to planting, Format will include posters, oral eral small arches. Along the walls pruning, mulching, etc. at our No- presentations, and special topic to the west of the garden are In- vember 3rd meeting at Spring- breakout sessions. dian petroglyphs. To introduce dale’s Community Center. - Bar- Dr. Noel Holmgren of the New the public to this new facility bara Farnsworth York Botanical Garden and co- we organized "Celebrate the Wild" author of the Intermountain Flora on October 4. We had guided Utah County: The chapter is will be the conference keynote tours of the garden, children's planning a meeting on January 16, speaker. His topic will be ―Plant crafts and activities, native plant 6:30 pm. The meeting will be held Geography of the Intermountain sale, presentations on using cat- at the Monte L. Bean Museum, in Region and Connections with the tails for food and utility, land- one of their meeting rooms. We Southwest‖. scaping and design, and do's hope to have a talk by Ron Kass, UNPS is currently soliciting and don'ts of seed collecting. We who recently took a trip to Mount abstracts for oral or poster presen- offered door prizes donated by Kilimanjaro. He says the talk will tations for the conference. To local businesses and prepared de- center on the effects of climate submit an abstract, register, or licious food to sell. Despite the change. We will also have election learn more about the conference, cold weather and rain during the of officers. go to the unps.org and follow the day, we had a few visitors and Celeste Kennard is retiring as links. were able to share our vision for president, so we will need to elect Please consider attending the xeriscaping. Susan Meyer pro- a new president and vice president conference, submitting an ab- vided many beautiful plant and find folks willing to help with stract, or passing word along to tags. During one of the breaks in arranging programs and with pub- friends, students, and colleagues. the rain, Maria Ulloa guided mem- licity. Please contact Celeste at bers and visitors on a short hike [email protected] or Winter Botany Walk. The In- up Sam Stowe Canyon to observe [email protected] (Susan termountain Herbarium is pleased the many native varieties that Garvin Fitts) if you have ideas for to announce a winter botany walk grace the canyon along the programs, would be willing to help along the Logan River in beautiful creek. Particularly interesting was with publicity or preside over our Logan Canyon to look at woody the rare, robust Angelica wheeleri. chapter, or would like to help lead plants and vines in their winter The garden at Sam Stowe, al- a field trip or help in any other glory and discuss their identifying though just started this Spring, is way. –Susan Fitts features without leaves. The event thriving--especially the several will be on Saturday November 8 at varieties of Penstemon. We have Bulletin Board 10:00 AM. Meet at the parking lot applied for Heritage Garden for the Stokes Nature Center in Status. We invite UNPS members Lifetime Member Update: Mary Logan Canyon. We will begin our across the State to stop by for a Sohn and Kay Senzee who in- walk there prior to crossing the visit. Any visitors must check in at creased our lifetime membership highway to the river trail. In case the Park Headquarters before go- roster to 32 in October 2008– of severe inclement weather please ing to the Campground area.— thank you! Over 25 of our lifetime watch for change of day/time at Janet Nielson memberships have occurred in the the herbarium's website (http:// past six years and they have been a herbarium.usu.edu/). - Michael Manzanita (Kane Co.): On No- source of much appreciated sup- Piep vember 3, Dennis Bramble of the port.—Tony Frates

3 Utah Native Plant Society The Origin of the Utah Native Plant Society By Dick Hildreth

As the plane from San Jose, Cali- fornia, settled down over the Great Salt Lake, my head was filled with many questions, but most of all the uncertainty of this whole trip. It began early in 1977 with a phone call from Dr. John M. Tucker, my former major professor and director of the Arboretum at the University of Cali- fornia, Davis. (John passed away July 5, 2008 at the age of 92.) He apologized for calling so late in the process, but he urged me to go check out a new position as director of the State Arboretum of Utah, at the Uni- versity of Utah. He had recommended me for the position without telling me and now the selection committee was down to three candi- dates. It turns out that Dr. Walter P. Cottam, emeritus from the Biology Department, was a long-time friend who shared a mutual interest with Dr. Tucker in the genus Quercus, the oaks. In 1962 the Arboretum at UC Davis established a 20 acre plot dedicated to an oak collection and named for the founder of the campus, Peter J. Shields. As superinten- dent of cultivations in the Arbore- tum I was responsible for propagat- repens. There was no local market Above: Mahonia repens by Kaye ing and planting the collection. In interested, so I suggested that he Thorne from a January 1982 issue 2007 the grove was included in the name his own price and ship them of the Sego Lily. North American Plant Collections all to California, where they sold Consortium for international teach- immediately. Mike became a good ing and research. In 1964 Dr. Cot- friend and colleague. Because of seed germination workshops were tam brought some seedlings of his my interest and past experience conducted in various locations along new artificial hybrids between Quer- with oaks and managing the Arbo- the Wasatch Front. The plants pro- cus macrocarpa and Q. gambelii, retum at UC Davis I made it duced were incorporated into nu- which are still growing in Shields through the interview process at merous collaborative demonstration Grove. the University of Utah and spent a gardens with schools, communities, The first question of course was very happy and productive twenty- and agencies. Next to the ongoing about the new position at the Uni- two years there, including the re- work with Utah’s rare and endan- versity of Utah. Meeting me at the alization of a dream – the found- gered plant species, this horticul- airport was someone I had never ing of Red Butte Garden and Arbo- tural endeavor has generated con- met. Mike Alder was a member of retum. NPI was the only source siderable interest in our native the State Arboretum Advisory Board for Utah native plants for land- plants and brought many new mem- (Cottam was chairman) and a mem- scape use for some years. bers into our fold. ber of the interview committee. He Question two was whether or The third question in my mind was a tall, intense young man who not there was a native plant dis- was whether there was an active na- had recently started a new company: play garden. The answer: not tive plant society. The answer was NPI (Native Plants Incorporated). really, although NPI had some re- no, but people were generally inter- From the airport we drove to his search demonstration plots at the ested. I had just helped start the research and production facilities, new location for the nursery in Santa Clara Valley Chapter of the including a house as office/lab (all Sandy and some plantings at local California Native Plant Society in rented). He showed me his first suc- schools. In later years, thanks to 1976 and the organizational booklet cessful ―crop‖ – 10,000 very healthy the efforts of Dr. Susan Meyer and we produced was a good model to seedlings of Mahonia many UNPS volunteers, successful follow. There was a large local 4 Sego Lily November 2008 31 (6)

welcoming us and encouraging the formation of the UNPS. Dr. Stan Welsh outlined what a UNPS should encompass (this talk was expanded and published in a later issue of the Sego Lily, the journal of the UNPS). Dr. Duane Atwood was appointed/elected as the first president and a number of others as the first board of directors. I don’t know if a copy of the program still exists, or the text of any presentations. There may be a list of attendees in some member’s files. All in all the meeting was a success and the UNPS was launched. It has been particularly gratify- ing to me to see the growth in the society, the participation, programs, research and education, and rare and endangered species work. Of course none of it would be possible without the dedication of many volunteers. Life members represent a serious commitment. So many people have stepped in when help was needed. Now with nine chapters statewide even more people will become aware of the beauty of our native plants, participate in workshops, and learn Above: Dick Hildreth (right) receiving the UNPS Lifetime Achievement about propagation, planting, and Award from UNPS President Bill King, March 3, 2005 at Red Butte Gar- landscape use of natives. Others den. Photo by Tony Frates. will be interested in using art and photo skills to capture a scene or a close-up of a specific flower; some group called the Utah Nature Study vited to the opening exploratory may be interested in using certain Society started by Dr. Stanley Mu- meeting. Botanists from UU, BYU, natives in cooking, as medicine, or laik and his wife Dottie. I was con- USU, the forest service, BLM, for perfume. Volunteers are al- cerned that a new native plant group natural history museums, nature ways needed to help eradicate nox- would duplicate or compete with centers, landscape architects, city ious weeds from crowding out our them. The Mulaik’s assured me the parks people and students were natives. Whatever your interest, goals were quite different and they included. As the keynote speaker I come join us and share your joy of would welcome a new native plant invited Lt. Governor David S. Mon- native plants. society. son (Governor Matheson was not I look forward to joining mem- Now we (a 2-person staff at the available). bers and guests as we celebrate the State Arboretum and I) set out to As the hour drew near for the 30th anniversary of the Utah Na- organize the UTAH NATIVE PLANT meeting to start, we all had the jit- tive Plant Society on Nov. 7, 2008, SOCIETY. The first reality check for ters wondering if anyone would at the Sugar House Park garden me was that I was the new kid on the show up. If not there were a lot of center in Salt Lake City. This is block and besides: what did I know refreshments to consume. Little by the traditional ―new world pot- about Utah native plants? So I little the seats filled and groups luck‖ feast for our Annual Mem- made a trip to Provo and BYU to ask congregated in discussion. The bers Meeting. Dr. Duane Atwood, Dr. Stanley L. Welsh if he would co- final tally was 125! My memory of the first UNPS president and re- found the UNPS with me. The next details is dim now, but the pro- cent recipient of a Lifetime step was to plan an organizational gram proceeded something like Achievement Award from the soci- meeting at the University of Utah in this: I made the initial welcome ety, will be the keynote speaker. September of 1978. An auditorium and explained why we were gath- Hopefully Duane can fill in the with 300 seats was reserved. Peo- ered. Following introductions, the gaps in my memory of our first ple from around the state were in- Lt. Gov. made a presentation meeting in 1978!

5 Utah Native Plant Society UNPS History, the Last 15 Years By Bill King, UNPS co-President

A dozen members of the UNPS Board met on the Utah State Univer- sity campus in Logan for a 5 hour retreat on August 2nd of this year. We reviewed UNPS’s mission state- ment, goals, thirty year history, and our hopes for the future. Thanks go out to Dave Wallace and Leila Shultz for making the arrangements. I am sure that everyone in attendance learned something about our history that they didn’t know before. My own involvement with UNPS only goes back about half way (15 years), when Dick Hildreth recruited me. In this article I would like to share with you some of the high points and low points of the last 15 years. UNPS has always been centered in Northern Utah with most early board meetings being held in Salt Lake. In recent years the board has felt it important to move board meetings and the Annual Meeting around, holding meetings in Logan, Provo, Ogden, Park City as well as Salt Lake. The board also tries to have one meeting in Southern Utah every year. The latest innovation is having board members participate by telephone conference call. The UNPS charter allowed for chapters from the very start. The number of chapters has waxed and waned over the years, the Logan and Provo chapters being the strongest. Recently, several new chapters in southern Utah have shown amazing enthusiasm. Until the last several years, the Salt Lake Chapter was essentially an arm of the state board, which was too busy with other mat- has overwhelmed our best efforts ters. Kip Lee and Bill Gray have Above: Dwarf Bearclaw Poppy and without question the Bearclaw (Arctomecon humilis), probably given the Salt Lake Chapter inde- Poppy is closer to extinction today Utah’s most highly threatened na- pendence, new emphasis, and great than when we began our efforts. programs. tive plant species, is known only From 1979 until 1988, UNPS from gypsiferous soils in the imme- From the very beginning of sponsored rare plant meetings of diate vicinity of St. George in SW UNPS, priority was given to saving botanists, agency personnel and Utah’s rare plants. The Bearclaw Utah. Illustration by Kaye Thorne, other informed citizens. This originally from the Utah’s Colorful Poppy, Arctomecon humilis, was function was taken over by the US Natives coloring book, printed by listed as Endangered on November Fish and Wildlife Service for a 6, 1979. In March of 1983, Tony UNPS in 1981. time, but then fell apart. UNPS, in Frates and others launched a cam- cooperation with Red Butte Gar- paign to save the Bearclaw Poppy. den, reactivated these annual enthusiasts have become a great However, the rapid growth of St. meetings in the late 1990s. These George (one of the fastest growing source of information and commu- get-togethers of 30 to 50 of the nication about rare plants. cities in the US in the last 15 years) state’s most knowledgeable plant

6 Sego Lily November 2008 31 (6)

In an effort to encourage the use them were Walt Fertig and his wife 19, 1978, was allowed to expire on of native plants and save water in Laura. After the massive survey December 31, 1996. UNPS was our gardens, Susan Meyer and was completed, the Fertigs re- reincorporated September 13, Susan Garvin developed the Utah mained in Kanab, much to our 1999, thanks largely to the efforts Heritage Garden Program. The first benefit. Several years ago, Walt of Therese and Larry Meyer. demonstration garden was built at took over as the editor of our There have been many other Wasatch Elementary School in newsletter, the Sego Lily. He has members that have helped out in Provo in 1998. At its peak, some 15 revamped, enlarged, and improved the last 15 years that I have failed gardens were set up all over the its content. to write about. But it is fair to say state. While a number of the gar- Perhaps the lowest point in the that UNPS would not continue to dens have petered out for lack of last 15 years was when the board persist and grow if it were not for strong local sponsorship, these gar- realized that our original charter, the contributions of all of its won- dens helped set off a native garden- which was incorporated December derful members. Thanks to all. ing revolution that continues today. One problem encountered was not having a good supply of Utah native plants available to the public. Na- tive plant propagation workshops were held all over the state. Subse- quently Susan Meyer and others helped start the Intermountain Na- tive Plant Growers Association to ensure an adequate supply. I remember well the night that I received a call from one Tony Frates, not quite 10 years ago, saying that he used to be on the board and active in UNPS and that he would now like to donate some 6-8 hours a week. Wow, I thought, this is wonderful; little did I know how wonderful. Since that night, Tony has worked tirelessly developing a great UNPS web site for us, keeping it Above: Dwarf Bearclaw Poppy photo by W. Fertig. This Endangered plant fresh and much more. For years, has received significant attention from UNPS since the 1980s. UNPS pro- UNPS members had talked about duced an educational pamphlet and film strip for school children, funded updating the blue rare plant book*. research on population demographics and life history by BYU graduate Tony not only spearheaded the pro- student Deanna Nelson, and helped promote and fund efforts by The Na- ject, but put it on the web. Tony has ture Conservancy to preserve habitat at White Dome outside St. George. also been instrumental in building alliances with other organizations such as the Center for Native Eco- Excerpt: Bearclaw Poppy Bulletin system and The Nature Conser- vancy. By David Wallace, June 1987 Non-native weeds present a big challenge to our local flora. Weed Several people have questioned the wisdom of attracting attention to Arc- warriors Susan Garvin and Therese tomecon humilis. We do not do this for our other endangered plants and Meyer have worked diligently to in- they fear that it may actually precipitate destructive acts. This is a good time crease awareness and action to stop to explain the UNPS policy on this issue: the invasion of the likes of Yellow Arctomecon humilis, the Bearclaw Poppy, is an example of a plant well Star-thistle and Donkey Spurge. along the path to extinction. This is not due to natural circumstances. It is One of the most controversial acts man’s activities that are doing the damage. Off-road vehicles are grinding it of the Clinton Administration was to into oblivion in some locations, but the real threat is from development. designate the Grand Staircase- Freeway construction, the state roadshed and the expansion of Bloomington Escalante National Monument in have destroyed far more plants than motorcyclists have. 1996. A team of botanists and biolo- This plant will escape extinction only if the local people want it to be gists was brought in by the BLM to saved, but this can’t happen until they learn about it. Problems of motorcy- survey the new monument and as- cles and incidental vandalism will be resolved when the people learn to sess range conditions. Among them value the poppy and its continued existence. Utah Native Plant Society activities are directed toward this goal, which *a.k.a. The hard copy version of the means promoting news coverage, distributing brochures, developing school Utah Rare Plant Field Guide. education programs, and encouraging involvement by local residents. 7 Utah Native Plant Society

Thirty Years of the Sego Lily

By Walter Fertig Top: First masthead of the Utah appeared on the masthead until Native Plant Society Newsletter in Thorne’s original drawing became Starting a new non-profit or pub- 1978. The four-merous flower the official logo in October 1980. lic interest organization typically with only four obvious stamens The March 1979 issue featured follows a five-step process: identify- and notched petals presents a the text of Dr. Stanley Welsh’s ad- ing a need, convening a core group challenge for identification. Most dress to the first meeting of UNPS in of organizers, formulating by-laws, likely, it is just a generic flower September 1978. Welsh provided an attracting members or participants and not meant to represent an historical overview of Utah botany to an inaugural event, and ulti- actual Utah plant species. and discussed some potential goals mately sending everyone a newslet- and objectives for the fledgling soci- ter. Elsewhere in this issue, Dick ety. ―Reasons for the existence of Hildreth has summarized the first members, some announcements of such a society‖ wrote Welsh ―…must four steps of the process as they ap- upcoming events, a one-page syn- revolve around its capacity to pro- plied to the founding of the Utah opsis of two Utah endemics just vide information, to serve as a Native Plant Society in 1978. My listed as Threatened or Endan- sounding board, to provide reason, task is to elaborate on the fifth step gered under the US Endangered and to stimulate and encourage the and chronicle the history of the Soci- Species Act (Astragalus perianus formulation of knowledge. We can ety’s flagship publication, the Sego and Phacelia argillacea), and a provide an arena for interaction Lily, from its inception to the cur- membership flyer. In all, the issue where private, public, federal and rent day. This presents something consisted of three pages of typed institutional professionals and inter- of a challenge as, unlike Dick Hil- and handwritten copy. It remains, ested informed amateurs, can meet dreth, I was not present to witness to this day, the shortest issue ever to arrive at understanding.‖ Welsh the early events firsthand.* Fortu- produced. also recommended that UNPS en- nately, my work has been greatly The masthead of the first two courage further botanical explora- assisted through the efforts of Bill issues featured a mystery flower tion of the state, promote education Gray and other UNPS packrats who with four petals and four stamens on perpetuation of native plant spe- have preserved a nearly complete (perhaps representing Camissonia cies and communities in nature and archive of past newsletters (now exilis, a rare Colorado Plateau en- under cultivation, compile lists and conveniently scanned and preserved demic or Draba verna, an uncom- life history data on rare and endan- on cd-rom). mon weed). In March 1979, editor gered plant species, and work with So the following is a rough chro- Thorne announced a contest to the legislature to protect endangered nology of significant events from the select a proper logo for the news- plants on state lands. ―We are inter- past three decades, interspersed letter and provided line drawings ested in preservation and under- with excerpts and illustrations of the four finalists: Maguire’s standing‖ Welsh concluded ―not gleaned from the archives: Primrose (Primula maguirei), merely for the sake of those objec- Cave Primrose (Primula specui- tives, but to allow for a fuller appre- 1978-1981 Utah Native Plant cola), Utah Penstemon ciation of life and of living things as Society Newsletter (Penstemon utahensis), and Dwarf appurtenances to that fitful fever Volume 1 Number 1 of the Utah Bearclaw Poppy (Arctomecon hu- which marks the existence of each of Native Plant Society Newsletter milis). Surprisingly, Sego lily us.‖ appeared in November 1978. Edited (Calochortus nuttallii) was not Over the next few years UNPS by Kaye Thorne, the initial issue in- among the finalists chosen at a began moving in the direction rec- cluded a brief summary of the Soci- UNPS membership meeting! Utah ommended by Welsh. New chapters ety’s first meeting, a list of board Penstemon was selected the win- were established in Salt Lake City in ner, and an illustration done in the August 1979, Northern Utah (Cache style of a woodcut from a Medieval County) in March 1980, and Cedar *truth be told, I was a high school fresh- herbal graced the cover of the Sep- City in April 1980 (the latter group man in Granby, Connecticut in the fall of tember 1979 issue. Two other ver- lasted only a few months). Individ- 1978. sions of Penstemon utahensis ual chapters sponsored meetings 8 Sego Lily November 2008 31 (6)

Selected Titles from the Sego Lily Archives

1978 Astragalus perianus and Phacelia argillacea

1979 Goals and Objectives of the Utah Native Plant Society Sunflowers

1980 Utah Threatened and Endangered Plants US Forest Service Research Natural Area Program Native Pharmacopoeia of the Eastern Great Basin Vegetation of the Henry Mountains and local events, including guest Top, above and below: Three early 1981 lectures, nature hikes, and seed col- mastheads from 1979-1980 featur- On a Utah Herbarium Index Recommendations for Rare Plant Des- lecting forays. UNPS sponsored its ing UNPS’s first official mascot, the ignation first statewide field trip with an Utah Penstemon (Penstemon uta- Mormon Lilies (by John Muir) early spring 1980 expedition to the hensis). The artists were not attrib- Wildflower Photography – Chapter 1 Coral Pink Sand Dunes north of uted. Mountain Lover (Paxistima) Kanab. Beginning in January 1980, Utah Rare Plants – 1976 to 1982 the Rare Plant Committee of UNPS Wildflower Photography – The 2nd Most published its first list of 143 criti- Important Piece of Equipment cally endangered, endangered, Landscaping Naturally threatened, and sensitive plants of Naturally Native – Curlleaf Mountain Mahogany Utah. By March of 1980, member- No Threatened or Endangered Plants in ship in the Society had grown to 72 the Henry Mountain Coal Study Area? members, all of whom were kept Noteworthy 1981 Utah Plant Collections informed of UNPS activities through Naturally Native – Bearberry, Kinni- the newsletter. kinnick In the early years, the Utah Na- Wildflower Photography – Getting the tive Plant Society Newsletter ap- Subject to Cooperate & Coping with peared on an irregular and infre- the Elements quent schedule. Just a single issue 1982 was published in 1978, followed by Naturally Native – Creeping Oregon two in 1979, and four in 1980. Find- Grape ing sufficient content to fill an issue Wildflower Photography – Getting was a common problem that would Started continue to plague future editors for Report on Utah Rare/Threatened/ years. Articles pertaining to endan- Endangered Plant Conference gered species dominated the early Discovering the Utah Natives - Ephraim issues, several of which were pulled Canyon from the newsletters of other native Naturally Native – Sulphur Flower Wildflower Watch plant societies. Original articles by From the Mulch Pile UNPS stalwarts and family also ap- Wildflower Photography – Human Vi- peared, including a description of sion vs Camera Vision US Forest Service Research Natural Early Spring Flowers of the Uinta Basin Areas by UNPS President Duane Naturally Native – Fringed Sage Atwood, ―Native pharmacopeia of Discovering the Utah Natives – Green the eastern Great Basin‖ by Janet Canyon, Cache Valley Hugie Smith (Kaye Thorne’s sister), Discovering the Utah Natives – Kai- and ―Vegetation of the Henry Moun- parowits Plateau – Smokey Mountain Discovering the Utah Natives – Deep tains‖ by Elizabeth Neese. Creek Mountains Discovering the Utah Natives – South Slope of the Uinta Mountains

9 Utah Native Plant Society

Selected Titles from the Sego Lily Archives (cont’d)

Naturally Native – Rose pussytoes Wildflower Photography – Get Ready, Get Set … Go Discovering the Utah Natives – North Slope of the Uinta Mountains Wildflower Photography – Getting the Blues Naturally Native – Autumn in Utah

1983 Landscaping with Natives Wildflower Photography with Elec- tronic Flash In 1981 Neese took over the Above: Kaye Thorne’s image of The Utah Flora Project Utah penstemon was the newslet- Stalking the Wild Mushroom reins of editorship and produced 6 ter’s official masthead from October Designing Your Landscaping issues. The problem of generating original articles remained, necessi- 1980-June 1982, including a 5 issue 1984 tating the publication of excerpts period in which it appeared with Utah Endangered Species Studies from other sources (such as an the new title “Sego Lily‖. Landscaping with Color article on the MX missile system Report of the Annual T/E Meeting from the Salt Lake Tribune and Marsh Marigolds Light Utah’s Alpine newsletter‖ contest to remedy this Meadows ―Mormon lilies‖ from John Muir’s book Steep Trails). This situation situation. Helen Shields of Salt Lake Landscape Design City provided the winning name to Nuclear Waste Dump for Utah? was alleviated, however, when the claim first prize (a free membership state board organized several 1985 working committees with diligent and a wildflower calendar). Shields Wildflower Watchdogs chairs willing to write for the nominated the Sego Lily because Seeds for Thought newsletter. Stan Welsh and the ―not only is the sego lily one of the Annual Utah T/E Plant Workshop Rare Plant Committee contributed most beautiful of flowers, but our Rare Rewards for Rare Natives a revised list of endangered plants state flower, and becoming a rare When Utah’s Cacti Bloom: A Lone and endangered plant – particularly Mammillaria of the state for the February issue. The Photography Committee’s around Salt Lake City.*‖ Ironically, Utah Natives from Seed the first five issues of the new Sego The Hedgehogs are Blooming, the Pam Poulson began an informative Lily continued to sport the old Utah Hedgehogs are Blooming series on wildflower photography Bearclaws and Motorcycles – a First- in October. Dick Hildreth and the Penstemon logo. Kaye Thorne’s hand Look Horticulture Committee contrib- stylized version of Calochortus The New Arboretum at Red Butte uted several articles on Utah na- served as the new logo starting with Autumn Leaf Watch tive plants and their cultivation in the June/July 1982 issue. Native Plant Landscaping and the the ―Naturally Native‖ series Barbara Halliday became the Central Utah Project third editor of the newsletter in 1982 Blooming Highways (accompanied by wonderful line drawings by Kaye Thorne). In De- and assumed the ambitious task of Propagation from Wild Seed producing 10 issues. Her work was cember, Tony Frates made his first made easier by the continued contri- 1986 appearance in the newsletter with Wasatch Wildflowers an article challenging the BLM’s butions of regular columnists Winter Botany rosy assessment of proposed coal (Naturally Native, Wildflower Pho- UNPS Fifth Annual Threatened and leasing in the Henry Mountains. tography, and The Mulch Pile) and Endangered Plants Meeting Tony’s writings would evolve into a other ongoing features (annual revi- Utah Cactus monthly column called ―The sions of the UNPS state rare plant Bearclaw Poppy Revisited list, chapter updates, and field trip Floristic Regions of Utah Mulch Pile‖ which alerted readers during the 1980s about environ- reports). Several new series were Really? Orchids in Utah? also introduced, including Field Trip Report – Albion Basin mental issues affecting Utah native ―Wildflower Watch‖ describing what plants. 1987 was in bloom at various locations Grasses – They Deserve More Respect 1982-1986 Birth of the Sego across the state, ―Discovering Utah Pussytoes, Prairie Smoke and Other Lily Natives‖ (continued on page 12) Successful Groundcovers For its first four years of exis- Bearclaw Poppy Bulletin *In truth, Calochortus nuttallii was and tence, UNPS’s flagship publication A Forager’s Note still is common throughout much of When is a Plant a Native? was simply the Utah Native Plant Utah, though it has diminished in the Society Newsletter. In late 1981, Salt Lake Valley as a consequence of the society sponsored a ―name the growth and development. 10 Sego Lily November 2008 31 (6) Excerpt: Naturally Native: Bear-berry, Kinnikinnick Selected Titles from the Sego Lily Archives (cont’d)

By Dick Hildreth, December 1981 1988 Penstemon x jonesii in Zion National The genus Arctostaphylos, commonly called Manzanita (Spanish for little Park apple), has its center of speciation in California, with some 65 taxa. Growth Spring in Zion National Park forms include mat-like ground covers, shrubs, and trees to 30 ft or so. All Integrated Conservation Strategies for species are evergreen with bell-shaped flower clusters followed by red to Endangered Plants reddish brown fruit with a bony pit (drupe). Endangered Plant Conservation: Man- The flora of Utah includes most commonly the shrubby Greenleaf Manza- aging for Diversity nita (A. patula), also Bear-berry (A. uva-ursi), at higher elevations and A. 1989 pringlei and A. pungens in southern Utah. Natural hybrids between species Plant, Once Thought Extinct, Found may occur. Alive and Well in Utah Propagation by seed is difficult at best. Seed passing through the alimen- Winter Twigs tary tracts of birds or mammals will be observed to germinate readily by In Memorium – Dr. Walter Cottam spring in the piles of scats. In the nursery germination may be induced by Cottam Hybrid Oak Grove initially soaking the seed in concentrated sulfuric acid for prolonged periods Long Awaited Atlas off the Press up to 24 hours followed by thorough rinsing. Caution: this is an extremely Utah Heritage Program Established dangerous propagation technique, best left to the professional. Subsequent Snow Flowers storage in moist cold (32°F) conditions may hasten the process. No Hunting, No Milpa: A Report from Belize An easier method is to root stem cuttings, thus insuring that the desirable In Search of Big Trees genetic characteristics will be conserved in the vegetatively cloned offspring. What is This Thing Called ―Weed‖? To make cuttings, pinch or cut off the terminal growth 3 -6‖ long, preferably Our Versatile Weeds after the initial spring flush of growth. Rooting at other times of the year is Testing for Germination certainly possible although the percentage rooting and time to root may be Have You Seen This Violet? longer. Treatment with a powdered rooting hormone will be beneficial. Dwarf Bearclaw Poppy Research Up- Roots will form in six weeks or so, especially if held in a humid atmosphere, date like an enclosed plastic bag or mist system. Bur Buttercup – A Weedy Immigrant Sensitive Plants Need Sensitive People Preserve Flowers with Microwave Invaders at Home on the Range Calypso Pollination Beetle Kill in the Lodgepole Pine Alien Plants Drain Western Waters Repelling Green Invaders: Noxious Weeds in Utah Invading Weeds of Utah – 1986 Survey Update Rapid Evolution in Western Shrubs Aspen: More Than Meets the Eye Dyer’s Woad‖ From Cultivated to Cursed Lending a Hand to the Autumn Butter- cup Landscape Planning for Wildlife Aliens: Halogeton glomeratus

1990 A Look at 20th Century Grazing Prac- tices Return of the Natives (Or, Off the Cow!) Ridge Plant Proposed for Endangered Species List Botanical Latin Names Crownvetch: A Possible Problem Weed in Utah Consider the Lilies of the Field Xeriscaping: An Alternative to Thirsty Landscapes The Wiliest Wildflower in the West Turning Insects Against Weeds A Vanishing Life Zone Above: Arctostaphylos patula by Kaye Thorne, from December 1981 issue of Microbiotic Crusts: Their Role in Past the Utah Native Plant Society Newsletter. and Present Ecosystems

11 Utah Native Plant Society

highlighting interesting botanical grow, rising from 129 in 1983 to Above: the first Sego Lily masthead areas to explore, and reviews of re- 165 three years later. Salt Lake featuring an actual Sego Lily ap- cent books relevant to wildflowers City and Cache Valley were the peared in June 1982 and featured and Utah botany. Beginning in only active chapters, though a new an arabesque interpretation of our June, the Sego Lily changed its for- group in Utah Valley was being state flower by Kaye Thorne. mat from standard 8 1/2 x 11‖ to discussed. The newsletter contin- digest size (7 x 8 ½‖). All told, the ued to publicize chapter activities issues from 1982 contained 120 and report on field trips, publish UNPS President Dave Wallace con- pages of content, setting a record annual revisions to the rare plant tributed a monthly column summa- that remains to this day. list, and print book reviews, meet- rizing UNPS business and chapter Such productivity was probably ing summaries, wildflower watch, leaders pitched in with field trip unsustainable, and UNPS scaled horticultural notes, committee re- summaries. Feature articles often back production of the Sego Lily to ports, and the mulch pile. But came from other sources, such as 9 issues (averaging 8-12 pages) with few exceptions, original fea- the Denver Botanic Garden and the starting in 1983. The new year also ture articles were not being Natural Areas Journal. brought a change to the editorship printed, or were being reprised of the newsletter, with Jennifer Har- from other sources. 1989-1994 Stability, Matura- rington assuming the post. Deb Cal- tion, and Mushrooms lister introduced a new series on 1987-1988 A New Masthead January 1989 brought another garden design and landscaping with By the late 1980s, a shakeup of change to the Sego Lily, as Janet native plants. Glen Halliday revived the Sego Lily was overdue. The Williams became the newsletter’s the wildflower photography series January 1987 issue had dwindled ninth editor in 12 years. Williams and Tony Frates kept readers up- to only 4 pages, half of which con- continued the formatting changes dated on environmental issues, sisted of a calendar of events and implemented by her predecessor ranging from grazing issues in Capi- the mailer (Mary Barkworth saved and the longstanding tradition of tol Reef to new coal mining propos- the issue from complete ignominy highlighting chapter news and als and a statewide plant products with an illustrated article on why events, but greatly increased the permit bill. ―Stalking the Wild grasses deserve more respect). number and diversity of articles and Mushrooms‖ by Barbara Halliday Lisa McClanahan became the edi- the size of each issue (most averag- appeared in the September issue, tor in March 1987 and revamped ing 12-14 pages). New columns were touching off a long period of my- the layout, returning to an 8 ½ x introduced, including the series cologically-oriented articles and ac- 11‖ format and introducing the ―Aliens‖ on exotic plant issues, and tivities. Field trip announcements modern Sego Lily masthead (still ―Sensitive Plants Need Sensitive remained a staple of the newsletter, in use) featuring two images of People‖ by Dave Gardner, which with numerous outings in 1983 de- Calochortus nuttallii derived from covered some of the same fertile voted to exploring lesser known cor- Kaye Thorne’s illustration for the ground as the old ―mulch pile‖. A ners of the state to uncover new dis- 1981 UNPS coloring book Utah’s number of articles were gleaned tribution records for the Utah Flora Colorful Natives. McClanahan from other native plant newsletters Project (described by Elizabeth also changed the internal look of or publications (particularly Utah Neese in the July issue). the newsletter, introducing a new Science), but many were also pro- The basic format of the Sego Lily type face, numerous black and duced by a new generation of UNPS remained largely unchanged over white illustrations, and a two- members, including Ben Franklin, the next three years, despite the an- column format. Alas, the dilemma Andy Boyack, and Dave Okelberry. nual replacement of newsletter edi- of acquiring sufficient content to For the first time, the Sego Lily in- tors. Kathryn Mutz became the fifth fill nine issues* persisted, though cluded articles derived from re- editor in seven years in February search funded in part through 1984, followed by Pam Poulson in *Our archives contain only 3 issues for grants made by UNPS (with money 1985 and Karen Milne in 1986. 1988 (March/April, June, and Au- raised from membership dues, Membership in UNPS continued to gust). Is anyone aware of additional issues? 12 Sego Lily November 2008 31 (6)

Selected Titles from the Sego Lily Archives (cont’d)

1991 Mountain Lover– One of my Favorite Native Plants Shrub Dieback in the Great Basin Tree Death as an Ecological Process Starting Wildflowers in the Windowsill in the Winter Propagation from Wild Seed contributions, and wildflower poster Above: the modern Sego Lily Deseret Milkvetch sales). masthead first appeared in March Utah’s Wilderness: A Vehicle for Plant Fortunately for UNPS, Janet Wil- 1987 and is based on an illustra- Conservation liams broke with tradition and re- tion by Kaye Thorne (with letter- Native Bees: The Other Native Plant mained on the job for a second ing by editor Lisa McClanahan). Enthusiasts straight year as Sego Lily editor in Grassy Natives for Turf & Garden John Charles Fremont 1990. Starting that year the news- Big Tooth or Canyon Maple (Acer gran- letter changed to its current bi- iams, Stolhand and the Meyers didentatum) monthly format, providing some devoted the bulk of each issue of Why Plant Natives? relief for editors previously charged Sego Lily to exploring a diverse Propagation and Use of Castilleja with producing 9-10 issues per year. array of botanical topics. Garden- linariaefolia Pam Poulson, UNPS board chair- ing with native plants remained a Meet the Utah Bulblet Fern man used the Sego Lily to tackle the focus with articles such as starting Common Utah Willows controversial subject of livestock seeds in the windowsill, propagat- Proposed Claron Botanical Area grazing with a series of articles that ing Indian paintbrush, and the Pinyon Penstemon ran throughout the year. Other arti- work of the Lone Peak State Nurs- 1992 cles covered an array of botanical ery. Stories on ecology and natural Tony Grove 1991 and horticultural topics, including history became prevalent, as the General Cultural Suggestions for Grow- biological soil crusts (by Dr. Dirt newsletter increasingly focused on ing Native Perennials herself, Jayne Belnap), knapweed, botanical education. A large num- Pedicularis Pollination Ecology Bearclaw poppies, orchids, the flora ber of these articles were prepared Survey of Grand Gulch Primitive Area of Tony Grove, color morphs of exclusively for the Sego Lily by for Erigeron kachinensis Scarlet Gilia, and xeriscaping. local writers and experts, including Utah Native Plant Society Rare Plant In 1991, Janet Williams yielded to Bill Wagner, Cathy Jean, Vince Meeting Phacelia argillacea (Clay Phacelia) editorial burnout and relinquished Tepedino, Susan Geer, Leila UNPS Saddened by Death of Prominent the reins of the Sego Lily to Jo Stol- Shultz, Ben Franklin, Robert Fitts, Botanist Arthur Cronquist hand (though Williams would return Marv Poulson, Mike Alder, Stan Encouraging Landscapes that Thrive on for stints as co-editor in 1992 and Welsh, Kimball Harper, Wayne Less Water 1994). Stolhand remained on the Padgett, Dick Hildreth, Nick Van A Basic Compost Pile job for five years and edited 31 is- Pelt, Lori Armstrong, Lauren All- A Tribute to the Amateur in Botany sues of the newsletter to set a record phin Woolstenhulme, Dave Whit- Mont E. Lewis Botanical Area (Scad that stands to this day. The editorial tekiend, Larry England, Jim Van- Valley) baton was passed to Larry and derhorst, Alyce Hreha, Ty Harri- Iris pariensis May be Found Grazing and Fire Management for Na- Therese Meyer in March 1996 and son, Brent Palmer, Doug Stone, tive Perennial Grass Restoration in this dynamic duo continued as edi- Joel Tuhy, Duane Atwood, Richard California Grasslands tors until early 2001, in the process Shaw, Alan Huber, Sedonia Sipes, Ephedra viridis Coville cranking out 28 issues (the second John Spence, and many more. Of Rivets and Tortoises highest number in UNPS history). During this period UNPS con- Townsendia aprica Recovery Plan Over the course of the 1990s, the tinued to advocate for plant con- Wildflower Seeding Techniques Sego Lily evolved from being merely servation in Utah, though with a Getting a Handle on Pronouncing Sci- an in-house organ for disseminating little less zeal than in the previous entific Names UNPS business (analogous to a decade. The Sego Lily printed re- Learn the Gender of Your Genera The Age of Ecological Restoration Church bake sale newsletter) into sults from annual rare plant meet- Christmas Plant Lore more of a botanical magazine. Cer- ings held in cooperation with the tainly ink was still devoted to an- US Forest Service and the state’s- 1993 nouncements of society and chapter Natural Heritage Program. UNPS- Spiranthes diluvialis events and field trips, as well as ac- funded original scientific research Purple Loosestrife Invasive Exotic? tivities of interest from Red Butte was published, including studies Easter Daisy Garden, the Utah Museum of Natu- on the distribution and life history The New Range War – Native vs Intro- ral History, and other like-minded of Kachina Daisy (Erigeron ka- duced Species organizations. But continuing in the chinensis), Clay phacelia (Phacelia Kachina Daisy tradition started under Janet Will- argillacea), (cont’d on page 15) 13 Utah Native Plant Society Selected Titles from the Sego Excerpt: Native Bees: the Other Lily Archives (cont’d) Native Plant Enthusiasts Wanted Posters Arthur H. Holmgren Drug Plant Poaching UNPS Mushroom Hunt on Boulder Mountain Effects of Ungulate Grazing on Cas- tilleja aquariensis How Plants Get Their Names and Why Names Change This Wreath is for the Birds Recipe’s from the 1993 Mushroom Hunt

1994 Key to the Common Lichens at the Mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon By Vince Tepedino and Susan Geer, March/April 1991 Rare Plants in the Uintas Exploring for Utah’s Big Trees Eccentric humans roaming the hinterlands in scruffy hiking boots, hand- Update of Conservation Programs at lenses and plant presses at the ready, are not alone in their enthusiasm for Red Butte Gardens and Arboretum native plants. Other enthusiasts are about, bootless but winged, noisily in- Restoring Diversity: Strategies for Rare vestigating flowers with organic ―hand-lenses‖ and other sensory equip- Plant Reintroductions ment. In place of plant presses they carry built-in ―pollen baskets‖ and Endangered Species Update Eek! It’s Asteraceae-phobia ―nectar buckets‖ into which they pack their booty. These other enthusiasts Frank Smith’s Violet: A Newly De- are our native bees, and they were active in the flower trade long before men scribed Species from Logan Canyon could point to flowers and give them name. Indeed, if native plant societies Germination Unlocks Secrets from Dec- are composed of beings that foster plant abundance and diversity, then ades Past charter membership belongs to bees. Golden Spike National Historic Site: The six-legged soul mates of UNPS’ers are members of the Hymenoptera, Floristic Biodiversity Survey the large insect order which also includes wasps and ants. The bees are The Nature Conservancy’s Focus on the 3000+ species strong nationwide, with more than 800 species in Utah Colorado Plateau alone. Native species range in size from 2-3 mm to about 20 mm, and in

1995 color from drab brown or black, through red, yellow, and orange, to bright Ever Green metallic blue and green. Some are slight in shape while the robust dimen- Cronquist’s Woody Aster Rediscovered sions of others bring burly football player William ―Refrigerator‖ Perry to Idaho Penstemon mind. Lytle Preserve, Biological Oasis Despite their wide range in aspect, several attributes render them imme- Two Species of Utah’s Hanging Gardens diately recognizable: a Dolly Parton-like ―wasp waist‖ (albeit without exag- Colorado Plateau Hanging Garden En- gerated anterioventral prominence); four wings, two more than flies, which demics also visit flowers with great frequency; a sting (most noticeable if you at- Nearly Noteworthy Collections tempt to pat them on the back or butt); and general hairiness – if bees were Where Have all the Arizona Willows Gone? the size of beavers they would be prized for their fur. They are most easily Plants and Animals in High Places: The confused with the stinging wasps, their close but much less hairy and fre- Alpine Ecosystem of Utah quently less friendly relatives. Indeed [bees] are commonly (and errone- Unique Plant Communities of the Uinta ously) blamed for the sting more freely given by wasps. But unlike their Mountains more pugnacious relatives, these strict vegetarians are uninterested in meals Moonworts: Oddities of the Underworld of flesh and do not sting offensively. Uinta Mountains Wetlands Bees are enthusiasts of flowers for compelling reasons: over the last 100 Ecology and Conservation of a Great million or so years, their very existence has come to depend almost exclu- Basin Endemic Species: Giant Four- sively upon the nourishment offered by pollen and nectar. Not unexpectedly wing Saltbush Stop the Russian-Olive Invasion then, they are admirably attuned, morphologically, physiologically and be- haviorally to manipulating flowers. But the bees that rapidly expanded into 1996 these new niches eons ago have not remained exploiters. Instead, they have Latex in Plant Defense become winged appendages of flowering plants. Indeed, it was really the Navajo Sedge (Carex specuicola) plants that started the whole business, probably because attracting insects Milkweeds in Utah: The Incest Taboo, was an effective way of trading gametes with another member of the species Where They Live, And How to Eat (i.e. reproducing sexually). After all, plants can’t just retract their roots and Them boogie down to the nearest gathering place for some radical socializing. To The Threatened Species Asclepias get their genes next to some fresh (not to mention cute) genetic material, welshii Notes on the Reproductive Ecology of they need a go-between, a matchmaker. If flowering plants are the organic Jones Cycladenia world’s Miles Standishes, then bees are the flowering plant’s John Aldens. Remember that, the next time you want to swat one. 14 Sego Lily November 2008 31 (6)

Aquarius paintbrush (Castilleja spots around the state. Species Selected Titles from the Sego aquariensis), and Jones’ Cycladenia lists for trips to Boulder Mountain, Lily Archives (cont’d) (Cycladenia humilis var. jonesii). In Ephraim Canyon, and Mount Nebo 1993, UNPS began printing ―Wanted were printed in the Sego Lily, as Plant Resins, Inside and Out Posters‖ and offering a $100 cash well as some favorite mushroom Astragalus montii reward for information leading to recipes! The popularity of the Rare Plants and Petroglyphs in Dino- the rediscovery of several missing mushroom hunts (the largest at- saur National Monument and NW Colorado rare plant species. The posters tracted nearly 200 participants) Faith in the Mustards: Brassicaceae helped spark interest in searching eventually led to the formation of Identification Made Easy for the elusive Paria Iris (Iris pa- the Mushroom Society of Utah (a Uinta Basin’s Reed-Mustards riensis), known only from the type chapter of the North American Selected Native Utah Cacti collection in 1976 near the Paria Mycological Association) in July San Rafael Footcactus, Pediocactus River in southern Utah. While these 1994. For better or worse, the despainii surveys proved unsuccessful, a Mushroom Society and UNPS Dicentra uniflora, Steershead wanted poster for the Yellow La- went their separate ways the fol- dies’-slipper (Cypripedium calceo- lowing year, thus effectively end- 1997 Toxic Plants: Native and Introduced lus) did result in the discovery of an ing the mushroom era of UNPS Hazards to Horses extant population. and the Sego Lily. Status of Knowledge of Astragalus For several years in the early to holmgreniorum and A. eremeticus mid 1990s UNPS was gripped with 1995-2000 Renewed Interest var. ampullarioides mushroom fever. Several mush- in Native Plant Gardening The Rediscovery of Yellow Ladyslipper room field trips were led by local The velvet divorce of the vascu- Partial for Penstemons experts, including Dave Okelberry, lar plant and fungus enthusiasts Recent Work on the Arizona Willow Kent and Vera McKnight (authors of coincided with a period in the mid Origins of a Shade Garden: A Shady the Peterson Field Guide to Mush- 1990s when UNPS chapter activi- Past Native Plant Sources and Seed Suppli- rooms), Al Tait, Brent Palmer, and ties and events became ever less ers others to various mycological hot- frequent. For the first time in the Utah – An Historic, Scenic, and Floris- tic Wonderland

1998 The Genus Castilleja in Utah Winkler Footcactus (Pediocactus win- klerii) Receives Endowment from National Park Service Why Use Botanical Names? Won’t Common Ones Do? The Utah Heritage Garden- An Idea Whose Time Has Come? An Eye-Catching Poppy A New Rare Species of Draba at the Winter Olympics Site Gardening With Natives – Four O’Clocks (Mirabilis spp.)

1999 Four-Winged Saltbush The Endangered Species Act and Plants: Cutting Through the Confu- sion A Look at Linum and Linen Why Bother? Or, the Importance of Knowing Which Sedge it is The Complex Web of Life Under Ground A Rule of Thumb for Botanists: The 1 in 20 Rule Heritage Garden Program Picking Up Momentum Red Canyon, Utah: Geology and Plants Our Unique Flora: Pediocactus sileri Native Grasses for a Luscious Lawn Above: This original rendering of the mushroom Leccinum insigne by Vera Stirring the Gene Pool: Will Data on McKnight accompanied a 1992 Sego Lily article and species list on the Trees Lead to Forest of Understand ing? mushrooms of Boulder Mountain, Utah.

15 Utah Native Plant Society

Selected Titles from the Sego Lily Archives (cont’d)

2000 Discovering Relatives in the Flowering Plant Family Tree What Causes Species Extinctions? Loss of Traditional Knowledge of Plants Rock Canyon Ecological Restoration Project: Progress Update Molecular Phylogeny Made Ridicu- lously Simple Now We Are Ten: Utah Heritage Gar- den Update Native Plant: Medicine and Poison Wacky Weed Warriors on the Warpath The Botanical Parts of the Patterson Bundle Arabidopsis thaliana: First Plant Ge- nome Deciphered

2001 Interagency Botany Project Benefits Several Rare Plant Species in South Central Utah The Sego Lily in its 20th Year: A Look Back Above: One of several “Wanted” and booklet to promote gardening Passport Please: A Global Strategy to posters printed in the Sego Lily in with native plants and developing Curb Invasive Species Ten Great Native Shrubs for Landscap- the mid 1990s to encourage (and industry standards for native seed ing reward) searches for possibly ex- collectors to protect ecosystems Gardening with Utah Natives: A Begin- tirpated plant species. from degradation*. Local UNPS ner’s Guide participants left the meeting in- Rare Indeed! spired and immediately formed the Ten Great Utah Native Perennials for history of the Sego Lily the calen- long-postponed Utah Valley Chap- Landscaping dar section was absent on several ter. Shearing and Growth of Five Inter- occasions as there were no events In 1998, Susan Meyer helped mountain Native Shrub Species scheduled by UNPS or its two jump start the UNPS Horticulture Yellow Starthistle: Destructive Weed is Encroaching on the Beehive State chapters in Salt Lake City and Committee and proposed the idea of Plant Profile: Desert Four O’Clocks Cache Valley. Larry and Therese creating a ―Utah Heritage Garden‖ (Mirabilis multiflora) Meyer kept the Sego Lily afloat as a demonstration project to intro- State’s Native Plants are Thriving in with interesting articles but in- duce Utahns to native plants with Heritage Gardens creasingly had to turn to outside horticultural appeal. The first gar- Going Native in Joseph, Utah sources for content as the number den was created on the grounds of Endangered Status for Holmgren and of original contributions by UNPS Wasatch Elementary School in Shivwits Milkvetch members dwindled. Without Provo as one of the first projects of much in the way of chapter and the new Utah Valley Chapter. The 2002 society activities to report, the av- Plant Profile: Rock Sandwort erage number of pages per issue Groping Towards a Native Plant Aes- began to decline. *Regulars of professional conferences thetic Susan Meyer of the USFS Shrub may be surprised to know just how Interagency Botany Project Continues many of the actions proposed at this to Benefit Federal Agencies and Rare Research Lab helped reinvigorate UNPS in the late 1990s. Along meeting came to fruition over the next Plant Species few years. The call for a native plant Fungi Can Whack Invasive Weeds with Phil Allen and Janett Warner, website helped lead to the creation of God’s Take on Lawns Susan organized the Utah Native UNPS’s own webstite (UNPS.org), Biocontrol Beetles Set Free to Tackle Plant Forum at Utah Valley State launched in early 2000. The profes- Saltcedar College in February 1997. This sional growers at the conference formed Sego Lily and Cactus Refuge Popula- meeting attracted a large turnout a non-profit group, Intermountain Na- tions of people from government, acade- tive Plant Growers Association (INGPA) Creating a Sense of Place mia, industry, and the private sec- in 2003 to help achieve some industry The Utah Heritage Gardens Come of standards. This group, along with UNPS, Age! tor with a common interest in native plant propagation, landscap- helped launch the Utah’s Choice pro- Plant Profile: Globemallow gram in 2003 to promote native plants ing, and revegetation. Several act- UDOT Seeks to Reduce Impacts to the and produced the informational booklet Clay Phacelia ion items emerged out of the meet- Utah at Home, Landscaping with Na- ing, including developing a website tive Plants in 2004. 16 Sego Lily November 2008 31 (6) success of this garden spawned in- 2001-2006 Paula and Paula Selected Titles from the Sego terest from other communities and After five years on the job, Larry Lily Archives (cont’d) in 1999 Meyer and colleagues were and Therese Meyer retired as helping plan and break ground for newsletter editors in March 2001. 2003 additional heritage gardens at Paula Mohadjer stepped in to fill Summary of the Interagency Rare Plant Thanksgiving Point, Rock Canyon the void, assisted by co-editors Inventory Project, 1999-2002 trailhead (Provo), the grounds of the Mindy Wheeler in 2001-2002 and Utah’s Choice- Native Plants for Inter- mountain Landscapes University of Utah, and Ensign Ele- Allisun Korth in 2003. Mohadjer Adopt a Waterbody Program Huge Suc- mentary School in Salt Lake City. and Wheeler gave the Sego Lily its cess for Malad River Perhaps the biggest boost to first makeover in over a decade Native Seed Programs a Success at Ski UNPS, however, came from the ini- starting with the July/August 2001 Areas tiation of propagation workshops, issue. In addition to new fonts, the Noxious and Invasive Weed Survey ... again spearheaded by the indefati- editors introduced new gray-scale of the Inland Sea Shorebird Reserve gable Susan Meyer. The first work- headers, experimented with layout The Effects of Fire on Rare Plants shops were held in Provo and Salt (using 1, 2, or 3 columns), and lib- Lake City in February 1989 and at- erally added clip art and illustra- 2004 Drought Tolerant Grasses tracted over 60 participants. In ad- tions. Color appeared for the first Utah’s Choice – Dreams do Become dition to getting seed and instruc- time in the newsletter, though for Reality tion on planting 12 different native economic reasons it was restricted Alert! Rock Canyon in Danger wildflowers, the workshop attendees to the digital version of Sego Lily Washington County Prepares: South were lured into helping with many available via email or password on Block Planning of the new heritage garden projects. the UNPS website. In keeping Biologists Move to Protect Mojave Rare Most also joined UNPS and their with the changing demographics of Plant Habitat local chapter, swelling the member- UNPS membership, the Sego Lily ATV’s – Man Versus Microbe ship roles. In the coming years ad- increasingly focused on native Botanists Hope to Find Vanishing Plants ditional propagation workshops plant horticulture with a variety of Seed Facility Changing Landscape helped create interest in UNPS well articles on gardening techniques Botanical Adventures in Lick Wash outside the Wasatch Front area. and profiles of species well suited Goodrich on Badlands From 1999-2001 new chapters for cultivation (many provided by Utah’s Sagebrush Die-off is Wrecking popped up in Price (Carbon Susan Meyer and Bitsy Schultz). Havoc on Desert Life County), Park City (Mountain Chap- Much more space in the newsletter Don’t Kill Native Plants With Too Much ter/Summit County), St. George was devoted to chapter news and Kindness (Southern Chapter/Washington events, reflecting the welcome County), Vernal (Uinta Chapter), spike in chapter activities since the 2005 The Defeat of Initiative 1 and Moab (Canyonlands Chapter). mid 1990s. Plant conservation JVWCD’s Demo Gardens: A Place to The growth of UNPS was re- stories were still featured as well Cultivate Your Imagination flected in the pages of the Sego Lily. (such as articles on rare plants of Save the Flow – Conserving Rain Water More activities and chapters directly central Utah by Debi Clark and What’s in a Name – Besseya correlated into more news to be re- refuge cactus populations by Jeff The Phragmitization of the Great Salt ported in the newsletter. Phil Allen, Mitchell), but such articles were Lake Susan Meyer, and others kept read- increasingly uncommon. UNPS Honors Dick Hildreth ers informed on the progress of In the fall of 2003, Paula Habitat for Critically Endangered Heritage Gardens and other related Longhurst was hired on a part- Plants in Southern Utah Fernbush: A Native Shrub for Utah projects. Articles of a horticultural time basis by the UNPS board to Landscapes nature became more commonplace, manage many of the society’s day Utah Declares War on Tamarisk such as Robert Johnson’s ―Partial to day affairs and to edit the Sego Native Plants Flourish – Beautifully for Penstemons‖, and David Joy- Lily. Paula #2 retained the look Bees Under Siege: Mites Munch on ner’s ―The Genus Castilleja in and feel of the newsletter devel- Utah Insects Utah‖ (with instructions on cultiva- oped under Paula #1 and her co- Endangered Utah Flower Gets its Very tion). Other articles focused on tra- editors. Over the next three years Own Lawsuit ditional subjects of interest to the Sego Lily remained a source of Experiences with the San Rafael Cactus: UNPS, such as endangered plants, information on chapter activities* Pediocactus despainii weeds, and special areas of the state. and horticulture, but increasingly 2006 The editors still needed to supple- emphasized conservation issues, Wasatch Fitweed Joins Rare Plant ment issues with outside material especially relating to development Guide from time to time, but by the new in the St. George area and its im- The Common Pincushion Cactus – millennium UNPS writers were Coryphantha vivipara again contributing a significant *Several new chapters were also born The Claret Cup Cactus – Echinocereus amount of original content to the during this period – including Esca- triglochidiatus newsletter. lante (Garfield County) and Manzanita Catalyze Your Wildflower Memories (Kane County) in 2004 and Fremont Pediocactus simpsonii (Richfield area) in 2007.

17 Utah Native Plant Society Selected Titles from the Sego Excerpt: Gardening With Utah Natives: Lily Archives (cont’d) A Beginner’s Guide Warning to Native Plants in Foothills (Myrtle Spurge) Sweet Scent of Native Cactus to be Ana- lyzed The Conservation Genetics of the Paria Breadroot (Pediomelum pariense), a Rare Utah Endemic The Sand Cholla – Opuntia pulchella Natural Landscaping Benefits Our Community Noteworthy Discoveries: Cypripedium montanum in Summit County and a New Umbel in Barnie’s Garden The Badlands at Factory Butte Utah Plant Families: The Mistletoes (Viscaceae)

2007 Utah Plant Families: The Mallow Fam- By Susan E. Meyer and Bitsy Shultz, May/June 2001 ily (Malvaceae) Some Common Globemallows of Utah and How to Recognize Them Zero-Scaping? Not! Xeriscape is probably the most misunderstood gar- No Listing for Two Rare Utah Plants den word in Utah. People hear it as zero-scape, and immediately conclude Rare Utah Cactus Turns Up at Salt Lake two things. First, they think the zero-scape is going to LOOK like zero, Chapter Meeting gravel and a couple of scraggly cactus – nothing could be further from the Utah State University and Utah Botani- truth. But perhaps even worse, they conclude that the zero-scape is going to cal Center Work to Boost Native Plant REQUIRE zero—plant it and walk away. Alas, this idea is equally erroneous. Seed Supplies It is true that a xeriscape, a landscape that includes drought-tolerant plants Veg Mappers Find ―New‖ Plants for and where plants are grouped according to their water requirements, re- Utah National Parks Seed Dormancy and Native Plant quires less material input—less water, fertilizer, pesticide, lawn mower fuel, Propagation and annual bedding plant investment—than a traditional high water-use A New Version of the Utah Rare Plant home landscape. But the old saying that the best fertilizer is the gardener’s Guide shadow is as true for native gardens as for any other. Native garden mainte- Conservation Groups Respond to nance is not zero maintenance. USFWS Reversal on Listing Graham’s The first maintenance task for the native plant gardener is to water ap- Penstemon propriately the first season after planting. Even plants that are drought New and Improved Utah Plant Atlas hardy need to be watered until their roots grow into the soil. How often? It Now On-Line depends—but for late spring and summer plantings, watering once a week Flora and Vegetation of Grand Staircase -Escalante National Monument for the first month, once every two weeks for the second month, and then Utah’s Noxious Weed Law Reflects ―Old once a month until cool weather arrives, should be more than adequate. West‖ Attitude When you water, water deeply to encourage deep root growth. For filling in Utah Plant Families: The Dogwood an established garden, it is best to plant in very early spring, so that the Family (Cornaceae) plants have naturally moist soil for rooting in. This obviates the problem of Plant Life of Cedar Breaks National too-frequent watering for already established plants. Most natives are very Monument cold-hardy and can be planted out as early as peas are planted. Fall planting What’s in a Name? Linnaea is another option for filling in or establishing new gardens—but be sure to Carnivorous Plant Turns Vegetarian mulch well for the first winter to avoid frost-heaving if you plant later than What is Troubling our Oaks? TNC Acquires First Portion of White the end of September. Dome Preserve The biggest maintenance job in a native garden is undoubtedly weeding. The Limits of Restoration in an Age of Most natives do not compete well against weeds, especially perennial weeds Weeds and must be given a leg up through hand-weeding, especially the first year. How on Earth Did They Get There? This job gradually tapers off. Depending on what natives were planted, they Statistical Summary of the Exotic Flora themselves may need to be restrained to keep them from taking over– this of Utah includes clipping or stripping seeds before they shatter as well as pulling out Introduced and Naturalized Plants of volunteers in the wrong places (the hard part). Utah Clipping off spent flower stalks and lightly pruning shrubs and trees may Exploitation of Utah Cacti Began Early USFWS Decision Keeps ESA Protection also be necessary to keep the garden looking its best. And although most of for Three Uinta Basin Sclerocacti the flowers and grasses are perennial and can live many years, they are not Noteworthy Discoveries: Sulfur Cinque- immortal, and replanting is an on-going process each year. Sometimes one foil in Utah of those mis-located volunteers can be gently moved with a shovel to take its deceased mother’s place. 18 Sego Lily November 2008 31 (6) pacts on a suite of rare Mohave Bill Gray, Dorde Woodruff, Bill Selected Titles from the Sego endemic plants. Several UNPS King, Tony Frates, Therese Meyer, Lily Archives (cont’d) members contributed original arti- and Maggie Wolf, though many cles and photos to the newsletter, others have helped as well. Was a Fossil Tree Just a Humungous most notably Jeff Mitchell and The Sego Lily has changed a Fungus? Dorde Woodruff on native cacti great deal in 30 years and will un- Utah Plant Families: The Duckweeds and Tony Frates, Susan Garvin, doubtedly continue to evolve in the (Lemnaceae) and Bill Gray on conservation mat- future. My goal is to have the 2008 ters. A large number of feature newsletter continue to promote Prickly Pears as Food Plants stories, however, were obtained society and chapter events but also Botanic Verses: Invaders and Invadees (with permission) from the Salt serve as a central repository for Rare Moonwort Off Candidate List Lake Tribune, Deseret News, and Utah news and research that per- Rock Canyon Restoration native plant society newsletters tains to native plants. I also want What’s in a Name? Fendler, Fendlera, from other states. While some of to produce a magazine-like publi- and Fendlerella these were quite good (such as a cation with original content that Botanical Arts and Crafts: How to Make series of profiles of native species will inform and entertain. Ideally, a Cocklebur Poodle Volunteers Across the Nation to Track by UNPS’s own Maggie Wolf from I want to have a mix of articles that Climate Clues in Spring Flowers her Tribune column), others were capture the full array of interests Utah’s Oldest Inhabitants (Bristlecone more suspect. As happened fre- held by UNPS members. This Pines) quently over the history of the would include stories on plant con- Medicinal Qualities of Utah Prickly Sego Lily, it became increasingly servation, horticulture, natural Pears (Opuntia species) difficult to get original material. history, new discoveries, notable Botanic Verses: Roses are Red? individuals, and interesting areas Noteworthy Discoveries: New Species of 2006-2008 The Present Day to botanize in the state. Thank- Camissonia and Erigeron in Utah and Beyond fully in a state like Utah with its Utah Plant Families: The Caper Family Capitol Reef National Park and its Flora In November 2006, I volun- tremendous diversity of plant life UNPS Honors Duane Atwood teered to become the latest editor and variety of environments, there Interagency Rare Plant Conservation in of the newsletter. Prior to taking should never be a shortage of ma- South-Central Utah over the Sego Lily, I had edited the terial. Uinta Basin Rare Plant Forum Update Wyoming Native Plant Society’s Sitting on my messy desk is the Finding Gaps in the Protected Area Net- newsletter (Castilleja) from 1993- entire 30 year set of the Sego Lily work in the Utah Portion of the Colo- 2001. Since arriving in southern (over 180 issues give or take a cou- rado Plateau Utah in 2001 I had missed the fun ple that may be missing). The pile Update on White Dome Nature Pre- of pulling a native plant newsletter stands over a foot tall, weighs close serve Andrew Lafayette Siler, Cabinet Maker, together from scratch. The Sego to 20 pounds, and contains over Lawyer, Teacher, and Collector Lily presented some different chal- 1800 pages. In reading through Googling the Earth lenges than those I faced in Wyo- the issues, I’m struck by how far What Native Plants Can I Grow in My ming (for starters, the Castilleja our native plant society and its Yard? only came out four times a year newsletter have come from their Salt Lake Chapter Trek to the Beaver and averaged just 8 pages per is- modest origins 30 years ago. I am Dam Mountains sue) and I was hindered a little by also pleased with how well UNPS Growing Sego Lilies living in Kanab, far from the Wa- and the Sego Lily have succeeded Richard Joshua Shaw (1923-2008) satch Front epicenter of UNPS. in meeting the goals outlined by Ten Things You Always Wanted to Know About Sagebrush (But Were Fortunately, my job as editor Stan Welsh in his opening remarks Afraid to Ask) has been made significantly easier at the society’s first meeting. We A New Sagebrush for Utah? thanks to the help of many con- have helped bring together a di- What’s in a Name: Rafinesque and Rafi- tributors. My wife, Laura, and Bill verse community of professional nesquia Gray serve as an editorial board, and amateur plant enthusiasts. Speciation and Soils: What Can the proofing each issue for typos, fac- We have promoted education on Wild Buckwheats Tell Us? tual errors, and poor grammar. the value and perpetuation of na- Noteworthy Discoveries: New Potentilla Tony Frates helps get the issue tive plants and native ecosystems. in Utah and Nevada posted on-line and sent to email We have helped fill in gaps in our Horseshoe Milkvetch Hides Out in Colorado subscribers and Steve Budelier and knowledge of the state flora and in Will Plants Run Your Car? associates at Canyonlands Adver- the distribution and life history of Elizabeth Neese (1934-2008) tising in Moab print the hard cop- our rarest species. But most im- Further Weakening of the Endangered ies. While I write a fair share of portantly, UNPS and the Sego Lily Species Act each copy, a number of UNPS have helped bring about, in Noteworthy Discoveries from A Utah members help enormously by con- Welsh’s eloquent words, ―a fuller Flora, Fourth Edition (2008) tributing well-researched original appreciation of life and of living Special 30th Anniversary Issue articles as well as drawings and things as appurtenances to that photos. Foremost among these fitful fever which marks the exis- contributors are Doug Reynolds, tence of each of us‖. 19 Utah Native Plant Society

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