Olympic Peninsula Chapter Washington Native Plant Society February-May 2019 Newsletter

To promote the appreciation and conservation of Washington’s native "Botany consists in the gathering of plants, and the dismembering of them, in connection with the use of a plants and their habitats through study, education and advocacy

“There is a thing in me that dreamed of trees…” starts Mary Oliver’s poem. (A Dream of Trees) Like so many others of hers, she contemplates the busy-ness of our lives with what she sees and receives from the natural world she took in. With the passing of the sea- sons, winter to spring that this newsletter encompasses we embrace the changes within our chapter and the area it covers. Programs, hikes, work parties and the second local offering of Fayla’s plant identification and appreciation class presented here all are a part of what continues to inspire us. Pay attention to the trip leaders and authors for updates on specifics..…. Sharon Schlentner

John Haskins Tunnel Creek hike

PROGRAM Tuesday February 19, 2019. Stalking Washington’s Rare Plants by Dr. Walter Fertig. Port Townsend Community Center 620 Ty- ler St. Social time at 6:30 pm; program begins at 7:00 Dr. Walter Fertig was recruited to Washington in September 2017 to serve as our State Botanist with the Washington Natural Heritage Program based in Olympia, which is a division of the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. Throughout his extensive career as a botanist, Walter developed a ranking system for conservation of rare plants and has helped guide manage- ment plans for more than 100 rare plants throughout the western and south- western states. Walter will share with us how the WNHP works and will take us on a journey revisiting rare plant populations throughout Washington dur- ing the 2018 field season..Kathy Darrow.

Sweet Vetch/Chain Pod (Hedysarum Miller Peninsula to Thompson Spit. Friday Feb 22. 2019. 10am. occidentale) on Mt. Townsend.Imperiled in Washington, (Kathy Darrow) 5 miles RT, 360 ft elevation gain. Winter walk through the newest state park on the Olympic Peninsula. We will walk through forest to the beach. Meet at the Miller Peninsula State Park parking lot at 10 AM. Coming from Sequim, drive southeast on Highway 101 for approximately 12 miles. Turn left on Diamond Point Rd, go about two miles to the parking lot with facili- ties. Discover Pass required for parking. RSVP and carpool from Port Townsend area arranged by contacting Fayla, [email protected]

1 Crack Plant Society Annual Hike Friday March 15, 2019. Port Townsend.1 10:00 a.m. till 2:00 p.m., with picnic in between. About 4 miles, easy walking, some paved, some beach, some forest trails. Beginning at Chetzemoka Park, we will tour Port Townsend searching for and iden- tifying “crack plants” in city streets, sidewalks and rock walls. We will also turn our attention to other “neo-natives” that have become long term residents in our local meadows, forests and sea- shores. We will also learn some of the common and iconic street trees and cultivars that inhabit Port Townsend. Arthur Lee Jacobson’s field guide, “Wild Plants of Seattle,” is recommended reading and guide to accompany this walk. For meeting place and RSVP contact Kathy Darrow, [email protected]

Kah Tai Prairie Preserve; Welcome to Spring and General Mainte- nance Work Party. Saturday March 16, 2019 10:00-12:00. . Meet at the parking lot within the Port Townsend Golf Course by the Kah Tai Prairie Preserve sign This year we plan to upgrade fencing around the Garry Oaks since the local deer have enjoyed the prairie more every year. Common Parsnip (Pastinaca The work party will also include the usual spring cleanup and again we sativa) Port Townsend will evaluate future maintenance strategies. In March the camas sprouts, YMCA (Kathy Darrow) spring gold Lomatium utriculatum, grass –widows Olsynium douglasii, and old man’s whiskers Geum triflorum will be either flowering or starting to bud. Bring gloves and Olsynium douglasii (Sharon Schlentner) small weeding tools. Contact Dixie Llewellin if you want a Kah Tai Preserve plant list sent to you electronically. Questions contact [email protected]. or 360 385-6432.

PROGRAM Tuesday March 19, 2019. Kah Tai Valley Past and Present. Port Townsend Community Center in Uptown Port Townsend at 620 Tyler Street. Social time at 6:30pm; program at 7:00. This special program features the proposed Chetzemoka Trail hon- oring native people that once thrived in the valley and along the beaches. The program will include the history of the Kah Tai Prai- rie Preserve, restoration of Froggy Bottoms, Kah Tai Lagoon Na- ture Park and early Port Townsend changes to the landscape. Ques- tions; contact Dixie at [email protected]

Kah Tai Prairie Camas in full bloom (Dave Llewellin)

Lyre Conservation Area . Friday April 12, 2019. 9:00 AM Leave Jct. SR 20 and US 101 (Fat Smitty's) This North Olympic Land Trust property 20 miles west of Port Angeles features the estuary at the mouth of the Lyre river, streams, tide- flats, kelp beds, and a 1/2 mile of Strait of Juan de Fuca shoreline which is reached via a one mile walk through an 80 year old forest along a gentle former access road. Dress for the weather and bring your field guides, hand lens, and a lunch. RSVP to Wendy McClure [email protected] 360-779-3820

Lyre River tree growth (Sharon Schlentner)

2 PROGRAM Tuesday April 16, 2019. Trees Live Here:The Role of American Arboretums in the Appreciation and Conservation of Na- tive Trees, by Susan McDougall and David Biek. Port Townsend Community Center 620 Tyler St. Social time at 6:30 pm; program begins at 7:00 In 2011 and 2012, Susan McDougall and David Biek set out to explore, photograph, and write about arboretums across America, from Seattle to Miami and Honolulu to Boston. In this program, they will outline their journey and highlight arboretums that have made special efforts to present native trees to gardeners as well as to conserve endangered species. Other examples will present arboretums that have preserved tracts of native forest and have worked to establish (or re- establish) local ecosystems. Susan’s book, Trees Live Here: the Arbore- tums of America presents her photographs and text of the 33 “places for trees” that they visited. Not content to simply visit arboretums, Susan, a retired Boeing engi- neer, and David, a retired librarian, recently moved to Sequim from Se- attle, to a small plot of land where they are building the Sequim Prairie Arboretum.

Tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica ) in restored pond habitat at Crosby Arboretum, formerly a strawberry field. (Submitted photo by Susan and David)

Native Plant Appreciation Week: April 21-28. check wnps.org for event updates Flora of the Quimper Peninsula Quimper Peninsula Wildflower Hot Spots, A Celebration of Native Plant Appreciation Week: Friday, April 26, 2019. 10:00 am. Meet at the Port Townsend Golf Course at the Kah Tai Prairie Preserve kiosk to see its spring display of native flowers (a sea of blue camas and spring gold). Learn the history of the preserve at this relict prairie. We will proceed to the Kala Point beach strand, one of the most floriferous of the dune/beach strand communities on the Quimper Peninsula. If there is interest and time we go on to the main parking lot at Fort Townsend State Park where we will hike among old growth trees and see several parasitic species that are signature plants for the park. We will also see Calypso orchids that will just be finishing blooming.. If you have questions, contact Ann Calypso bulbosa Weinmann at 379-0986, [email protected] (Kathy Darrow)

Gibbs Lake. Thursday May 2, 2019.Three or four miles around Gibbs Lake with a stop at the Gibbs Lake Bog. Easy trail with a short bushwhack to the bog. Both bog laurel (Kalmia microphylla) and Labrador tea (Rhododendron groenlandicum) will likely be in bloom at the bog. We will also see sundew (Drosera rotundifolia) and perhaps Carex pauciflora. Meet at PT Park and Ride before 9:30 to car pool or meet at the first parking area on the right along Gibbs Lake Road. RSVP to Fred Weinmann at [email protected] or 360-379- 0986.

Kul Kah Han’s Native Plant Demonstration Garden . Spring Plant Sale Saturday May 4.2019. HJ Carroll Park in the Salmon Shelter. (Time TBD.~. 9:00- 12:00 ) A variety of new plants not previously available will be offered. Linda Landkammer [email protected]

Work Party, Wednesday May 15, 2019. HJ Carroll Park, Chimacum. Meet on site at 2:00, carpooling can be arranged, work party is from 2-3:30. Linda Landkammer and crew have created a native garden with special attention to habitat location over the last 19 years. This is an opportunity to lend a hand and upgrade areas of the garden, do a bit of weeding, and see what species might work in your garden. Several of the species on site will be in full bloom providing a great opportunity to become familiar with native plants you may encounter on a hike. Grab a friend, some gloves, and small weeding tools for this event…. snacks and drinks will be provided. For a preview to the garden go to the following web page: https://nativeplantgarden.org/.Contact Dixie Llewellin if you have any questions [email protected]. or 360 385- 6432.

3 New WNPS state website – take a look! Recently the Washington Native Plant Society totally revamped its state website, and it is one you should have on your Bookmarks list. Due to the tremendous efforts of Salal Chapter member Sarah Ver- linde and the state Business Manager Denise Mahnke, all information from the old website, along with lots of new features, were transferred over to the new, more user-friendly format.

Here are a few of the reasons why you might want to make checking www.wnps.org a regular action:

Complete calendar of events for all chapters around the state and statewide events such as the annual Study Week- end. If you are visiting another part of the state, you can check ahead to see if there is a chapter hike or program on the days you will be there. As a WNPS member, you can participate! Links to extensive plants lists for hundreds of trails and natural areas around the state. State organization bylaws, policies, board meeting minutes and annual reports WNPS grant programs in Conservation, (due March1) Research (Jan 15)due and Education, (May 15, Nov 15) available to all members. For education: https://www.wnps.org/education-grants Membership information and merchandise for sale Information about the Native Plant Stewardship program and WNPS publications. Information and links about gardening with native plants in different areas of Washington, conservation, Washing- ton ecosystems and ethnobotany The WNPS blog Starflower teaching activities about native plants Upcoming statewide events 2019 Annual Study Weekend: Bays, Bogs and Balds, will be held May 17-19 2019 in Anacortes and sponsored by the Salal Chapter. Botany Washington: Late Spring on the Eastern Slope of the Cascades, will be held June 7-9 2019 in Clifdell WA Knowing Your Grasses workshop in Seattle, June 21 2019 ((at UW Hitchcock Hall) And everyone is welcome to attend state board meetings, held twice a year in October (North Bend) and April (Ellensburg). _____Fayla Schwarz

UW Botanical Garden events:

2019 Washington Botanical Symposium: https://botanicgardens.uw.edu/education/adults/conferences-symposia/ wa-botanical-symposium/

2019 Urban Natural Areas Seminar: https://botanicgardens.uw.edu/education/adults/conferences-symposia/ urban-natural-areas-seminar/ chapter members interested in attending can contact Kathy Darrow to carpool to both of the above. Kathy Darrow [email protected]

4 Additional news Native Plant Identification and Appreciation Class in Port Townsend!! For the second year in a row, Fayla Schwartz will be teaching a 5 week community education course about our native flora. This class will be held at the Fort Worden campus of Peninsula College. Suitable for beginners and those who have some fa- miliarity with plant identification, we will learn to use the Hitchcock key (both the new edition and the older one) and to recognize about 20 common plant families in our area. Plants will be studied in relation to the vegetation zones and ecosystems in which they are found. Fayla taught a longer version of this course for over 25 years at Everett Community College and the University of Washington. The class will meet on Wednesday afternoons from 1-4 or 1-5 PM, from April 24 through May 22, 2019. To register, go to pencol.edu, click on “Community and Business Education,” Register for Community Education Classes. Select East Jeffer- son County classes. Registration should be available starting early March. For more information, contact Fayla, [email protected] or 206-883-2176.

Naval Magazine Indian Island Spring/Summer 2019. Arrangements are being made for an environmental tour of Naval Magazine Indian Island. Since our last visit a few years ago security requirements have tightened up and partici- pants will need to register and provide documentation beforehand. Foreign nationals will need to provide other documentation. Let me know if you are interested and I will keep you informed when a date is set and what we will need to do. Wendy McClure 360-779-3820 [email protected] Eco-Fests Let me know about any one-day eco-fests where our Olympic Peninsula chapter display can be shown. We have a nice information board, a canopy, and handouts. Wendy McClure 360-779-3820 or [email protected] “Botany consists in the gathering of plants, and the dismembering of them, in connection with the use of a complicated terminology. That is the beginning and end of botany as it is understood by the majority." wrote Herbert Maule Richards from "Torreya: A Monthly Journal of Botanical Notes and News", Vol. 8 (1908) . Lets hope it inspires more than that in most because “There is a thing in me still dreams of trees.”

General chapter info Our Botany programs are currently scheduled for the third Tuesday of the month from October through April. Port Townsend Community Center, 620 Tyler St., Port Townsend.6:30 social 7:00 program. Our next chapter board meeting Thursday May 9 . Contact Fayla Schwarz for details. Chapter Apparatus

Co-Chairs: Fayla Schwarz [email protected] or 206-883-2176.and Kathy Darrow [email protected] Programs and website : Dixie Llewellin 360-385-6432; [email protected] (for the Web site go to wnps.org and click on the link to Chapters) Treasurer: Dan Post 360-390-8635; [email protected] Secretary: Eve Dixon 360-775-0470; [email protected] Conservation Chair: Wendy McClure 360-779-3820; [email protected] Board members at large; John Haskins, Varn Brooks Immediate Past chair. Ann Weinmann Newsletter: Sharon Schlentner [email protected] 360 379-9810 The next newsletter will be for : SUMMER: June through September. Submit information in PROPER FORMAT (as events in this newsletter) no later than May 12. Include details including time, place, and the name and contact information for the coordinator/leader of the event. Send input to Sharon Schlentner [email protected]. 360 379-9810.

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

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

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