elseyaNewsletter of the Montana Native Plant Society Kelseya uniflora K ill. by Bonnie Heidel Important Plant Areas Update by Peter Lesica Pine Butte Peatlands The Pine Butte Peatlands IPA surrounds Pine Butte along the Rocky Mountain Front, about 15 miles west of Choteau. The Pine Butte Peatlands are possibly the largest peatland complex in Montana and include a large patterned area and several plant communities: (1) open fen1 dominated by sedges, small shrubs and mosses, (2) open fen dominated by hardstem bulrush, (3) dwarf carr2 dominated by bog birch, shrubby cinquefoil and Baltic rush, (4) carr dominated by large willows and birch. In addition, there are two types of wetland community on mineral soil rather than peat. Marsh vegetation is dominated by cattails, bulrush and beaked sedge and wet meadows supporting shrubby Pine Butte Fen. Photo by Dave Hanna cinquefoil, tufted hairgrass and Nebraska sedge. Due to the spatial distribution of wetland vegetation, some upland grassland and aspen communities are also included within the IPA boundary. The Pine Butte Peatlands IPA provides habitat for 13 species of concern that are considered rare in Montana, although more common elsewhere. Many of these populations are very large. Braya humilis, Primula incana, Carex crawei and Juncus acuminatus occur as small populations in discrete habitat patches. Salix serissima. Photo by Dave Hanna Eleocharis rostellata and Trichophorum cespitosum occur as large but localized populations in open fen and dwarf Gentianopsis macounii. carr communities. Gentianopsis macounii, Kobresia Photo by Dave Hanna simpliciuscula and Trichophorum pumilum are widespread The Pine Butte Peatlands are fed primarily by sub- in open fen and dwarf carr communities. Salix serissima surface water from the Teton River moving through is widespread in dwarf carr and localized in carr intervening alluvial deposits. Maintenance of the communities. The mosses, Cinclidium stygium, Meesia functional hydrologic system from the Teton River triquetra and Scorpidium scorpioides, are widespread in watershed to the Teton River and surrounding substrates open fen communities. continued on page 3 VOLUME 26 NO. 1 I FALL 2012 Chapter Events Calypso Chapter Wednesday, 11/28, 7 pm. [Note date change due to The Chapter had a very successful spring field trip season and Thanksgiving Holiday.] Join botanist Mel Waggy and Terry members are looking forward to regrouping this fall with a Divoky from Windflower Nursery as they present “From program in November and the winter brunch in December. the Mountains to the Prairies: Conservation Efforts at the For information about Chapter programs and events, contact MPG Ranch.” The ranch encompasses about 10,000 acres Catherine Cain, 498-6198 or [email protected]. that include parts of the forested Sapphire Range, large grasslands and four miles of Bitterroot River riparian plant Clark Fork Chapter communities. Chapter meetings are held the second Thursday of the month at 7:30 pm in Room L09, Gallagher Business Bldg., UM, unless Wednesday, 12/19, 5:30 pm. Annual Christmas Party. The otherwise noted. gathering is at Edd and Betty Kuropat’s house, 2688 Witty Lane, Columbia Falls. Bring a potluck dish, beverages and an Thursday, 10/11. “Digital Macro Photography Demystified.” inexpensive or recycled gift for exchange. Watch your email Digital cameras have made photography a lot easier, but for directions. Info: Betty at 892-0129. close-ups of wildflowers are still a challenge. Clare Beelman and Ken Stolz, two of our most dedicated photographers, will give us important tips and some hands-on help. So bring your Kelsey Chapter For information about upcoming Chapter events and camera and the instruction book that came with it and join us! programs, contact Kathy Lloyd, 449-6586 Thursday, 11/8. “How Surprising Complexities in Historical Wednesday, 11/7, 7:00 pm. “Wildflowers of the Utah Fire Patterns Shaped Today’s Forests.” Elaine Sutherland has Canyon Country.” Peter Lesica, author of the new “Manual been studying Montana’s forests for the U.S. Forest Service of Montana Vascular Plants,” presents this prgoram at the for the past two decades. Come listen to her tell the story. Lewis and Clark Library. The event is free and open to the public. Thursday, 12/13, 6:30 pm. Our annual Christmas potluck will again be held in the Del Brown Room, Turner Hall, UM campus on the northwest side of the Oval. With luck, parking will be Maka Flora Chapter available west of the Gallagher Business Bldg., in lots or on For information about upcoming Chapter events and the streets off Arthur Ave. and Connell St. We will email a map programs, contact Libby Knotts, 774-3778 or rek@midrivers. in early December. Bring plates, utensils and a dish to share. net. Alcoholic beverages are okay! Don’t forget to bring a few of your favorite slides or digital pictures from the summer. Info: Valley of Flowers Chapter Peter, 728-8740 or Kelly, 258-5439. Meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month from October through March at 7 pm in Room 108, Plant Flathead Chapter Biosciences Building, unless otherwise noted. Chapter meetings are held the third Wednesday of October, November and January through April at Teakettle Community Tuesday, 10/9. Program to be announced. Hall, 235 Nucleus Ave., Columbia Falls, unless otherwise noted [Note new location]. Programs begin at 7 pm; members are Tuesday, 11/13. “Digital Resources for Plant Information.” encouraged to come to the 5:30 business meeting beforehand Katie Gibson will speak about the smart phone application to discuss and help plan Chapter activities. Feel free to bring for native plant identification that she and Whitney Tilt have a sack supper. For more information, contact Rachel Potter, developed. She will demonstrate the “Flora of Yellowstone” 892-2446 or Jen Hintz, 270-7028. and tell us about similar projects they have going. Also, Matt Lavin will discuss the www.pnwherbaria.org site, which is a Wednesday, 10/17, 5:30 pm. Potluck Dinner. We’ll be sharing bit improved since his last presentation on it, and also talk adventures from the summer and planning events in the about Google, Flickr and USDA Plants Database. coming year. With no program, this evening gives us more time for socializing, getting to know other members and Tuesday, 12/11. Holiday Potluck. Details to be announced. catching up. Bring dishes, utensils and some food to share. 2 IPAs, continued is crucial to the existence of the Pine Butte Peatlands. While the importance of these areas outside the IPA boundaries is recognized, they were not included within the IPA since current threats to hydrologic function between the Teton River and the peatlands appear limited. 1Fen is an area of saturated peat that receives water from surface and subsurface sources, and is dominated by herbaceous vegetation. 2Carr also is an area of saturated peat, but the dominant vegetation is woody. South Pryor Mountains The South Pryor Mountains IPA is located in Carbon County about 50 miles south of Billings between the Bighorn River to South Pryor Mountains IPA. Photos by Peter Lesica. the west, the Clark’s Fork of the Yellowstone River to the east and the Wyoming state line to the south. The South Pryor Mountains IPA supports a large number of plants considered species of concern in Montana. The majority of these are plants with affinities to the Great Basin floristic province. They are more common in Wyoming and Utah but reach the northern margin of their range in the South Pryor Mountains area. These include Astragalus aretioides, Astragalus geyeri, Boechera demissa, Camissonia andina, Camissonia parvula, Cleome lutea, Eriogonum salsuginosum, Grayia spinosa, Leptodactylon caespitosum, Malacothrix torreyi, Mentzelia pumila, Nama densum, Stipa lettermanii and the lichen Rhizoplaca haydenii. Five species of vascular plants in the IPA are globally rare, being endemic to the north end of the Bighorn Basin of Montana and Wyoming: Erigeron allocotus, Penstemon caryi, Physaria lesicii, Shoshonea pulvinata and Sullivantia hapemanii. The IPA encompasses the entire known range or a significant portion of the known populations of these species within Montana. The South Pryor Mountains IPA has 5,000 feet of vertical relief and supports roughly 29 distinct plant communities (DeVelice and Lesica, 1993). Forests and woodlands dominated by limber pine occur on warm, often exposed, stony-soil slopes at or above 6,500 feet. Douglas-fir forests occur on slopes between 5,000-7,000 feet. Woodlands dominated by Utah juniper occur on shallow, calcareous soil of slopes and ridges at 4,000-6,000 feet. Limber pine-juniper woodlands are found on shallow, calcareous soils of slopes between 4,000-5,300 feet. Shrublands dominated by black sagebrush and big sagebrush occur at 4,200- 6,700 feet on slopes, ridgetops and benches. Toeslopes, terraces and alluvial fans at 3,800-5,300 feet, often with heavy soil, support shrublands dominated by big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata), bird’s-foot sagebrush (Artemisia pedatifida), black greasewood (Sarcobatus vermiculatus) and Gardner’s saltbush (Atriplex gardneri). Idaho fescue grasslands occur above 8,000 feet on gentle slopes. Grasslands dominated by bluebunch wheatgrass and cushion plants are common on gravelly soils of low-elevation ridgetops and upper slopes. Townsendia spathulata. Photo by Peter Lesica 3 News & Notes 2013 Small Grant Competition Open MNPS Committee Update: by Linda Lyon Conservation Goals by Peter Lesica The Montana Native Plant Society (MNPS) announces the 17th annual Small Grant competition The Agricultural Research Service (ARS), part of for projects or studies that support the small grant the U.S. Department of Agriculture, has introduced program objectives to: 1) stimulate research, many Asian and European plants for agricultural conservation and educational activities that help purposes. Some of these plants, such as tamarisk foster an appreciation of Montana’s native plants (Tamarix spp.) have become serious weeds.