Iris No. 68 • November 2012 The Alberta Native Plant Council Newsletter Botany Alberta Visits Dry Island By Kristen Anderson & Kelly Ostermann This summer’s Botany Alberta field trip day. They was held around Dry Island Buffalo enjoyed Jump Provincial Park on June 1–3, Charley’s 2012. It was organized and coordinated botanical by Tony Blake, Jim Posey and Kelly teachings and Ostermann. Dry Island Buffalo Jump were happy Provincial Park is located east of to get some Trochu. Its diverse landscape provides assistance with a multitude of habitats—badlands and plant ID from riparian forests, coulees and grasslands, the group. hill slopes and ridge tops—with They seemed stunning views of the Red Deer River especially valley. On Friday, we botanized the interested in area above TL Bar Ranch, just north the fact that of Tolman Bridge west campground Alberta had on the Red Deer River. It was good native cactus practice for those not familiar with and seemed central and southern Alberta plants and Charley Bird examines round-leaved hawthorn intent on trying to distinguish (Crataegus chrysocarpus). got us primed for Saturday when we Opuntia fragilis (brittle prickly pear Photo J. B. Posey were going to be in the park. cactus) from O. polyacantha (prickly pear cactus). Clouds above us provided the right On Saturday, we assembled at the amount of shade during the day, and lookout in Dry Island Buffalo Jump The provincial park is near the despite the name Dry Island, the rain Provincial Park. Charley Bird led the northern end of the range for many started just as we were leaving the way, and a group of Junior Forest species, while other species are at the park and ended just before we finished Wardens from Red Deer accompanied southern end of their range here. These supper at a restaurant in Trochu. It was us for a short while at the start of the grasslands are not very far from the in many ways a perfect day, ending at parkland natural subregion, the Tolman Bridge campground around In this Issue . so species diversity a fire, with friends discussing the finds certainly characterizes the of the day and what might be found Welcome to New Volunteers .........................................3 park. It was possible to see tomorrow. Native Plants in Urban Environments ........................ 4 O. polyacantha (prickly-pear Thoughts on Taxonomy: Scrophulariaceae .................6 cactus) growing not very Sunday morning, Tony Blake led the Thanks to Myrka, Chad, Marilyn & Gillian ................ 8 far from Betula papyrifera group to an area south of Tolman Tricky Trio of Trailing Dwarf Shrubs .........................9 (paper birch). Bridge, in one of the locations Endangered Species Committee Update ...................11 See Dry Island, page 2 Dry Island, from page 1 Rare Species and Communities Found During Botany Alberta 2012 Scientific Name Common Name Rank* Artemisia tilesii Herriot’s sagewort S3 Brachythecium campestre moss S3 Bryohaplocladium microphyllum moss S3 Caloplaca flavorubescens bark sulphur-firedot lichen S3 Cathartes aura turkey vulture S2S3 Crataegus chrysocarpa round-leaved hawthorn S3 Distichium inclinatum inclined-fruited didymodon (moss) S3 Dorothy Fabijan & Charley Bird joined Festuca altaica northern rough fescue S2 those who explored grasslands near Trochu during Botany Alberta 2012. Grimmia plagiopodia bird grimmia (moss) S3 Photo J. B. Posey Hennediella heimii long-stalked beardless moss S2 Oxytropis borealis var. viscida boreal locoweed S3 where the Tolman Badlands Heritage Papilio machaon old world swallowtail S2S3 Rangelands form a string of quarter sections along the Red Deer River. Papilio machaon dodi Dod’s old world swallowtail S2S3 This natural area preserves badlands Phaeophyscia hispidula whiskered shadow lichen S3 and parts of the Red Deer River valley. Physcia caesia blue-gray rosette lichen S3 These small upland plateaus of fescue Populus deltoides plains cottonwood S3 grassland are especially significant Preissia quadrata liverwort S3 because much of this landscape has Psora decipiens blushing scale lichen S3 been cultivated to produce cereal crops. Psoralea esculenta Indian breadroot S3 Rhizoplaca chrysoleuca orange rock-posy lichen S3 We concluded that it was a very Townsendia exscapa low townsendia S2 successful Botany Alberta. We recorded over 240 species, both vascular and Triglochin maritima emergent seaside arrow-grass emergent S2? marsh marsh non-vascular plants as well as butterflies and birds. To the left is a list of the rare Wolffia borealis northern ducksmeal S3 species (and one plant community) that *Provincial Rank from Alberta Conservation Information Management System were found during our botanizing. S2 = Known from twenty or fewer occurrences, or vulnerable to extirpation because of other factors S3 = Known from 100 or fewer occurrences, or somewhat vulnerable due to Thanks to all the folks that came out to other factors, such as restricted range, relatively small population sizes, or other make it a successful trip, and we hope factors to see you next year. ♦ Join Our Volunteers Are you looking to get more involved with the ANPC? There are many positions available that suit a variety of interests. Please send an email to [email protected] or contact Janine at 403-478-2911 for further information. 2 Iris No. 68 • November 2012 We Welcome . Alberta Native Plant Council Garneau P.O. 52099 by Kelly Ostermann Edmonton, AB T6G 2T5 website: www.anpc.ab.ca The ANPC is a great organization to be Amar is an accountant by trade, and we e-mail: [email protected] involved in, mostly due to the energy welcome him as our new Treasurer. President Kelly Ostermann and enthusiasm that its volunteers [email protected] possess and pass on to those around Dana Bush – Dana, who has volunteered with ANPC in the past, Vice- President them. We would not be able to continue Leslie Monteleone to do good work without input from the is once again with us, this time as [email protected] many people involved in ANPC. Like Newsletter Editor. Dana is currently Secretary any volunteer organization, we struggle taking a break from full-time consulting Laurie Hamilton with getting volunteers, and it thrills us work as a botanist to study art at The [email protected] when people come forward and say, “I Alberta College of Art and Design in Treasurer want to volunteer.” Some new faces Calgary. Amar Keshri [email protected] have joined us in the last year, so read on to find out who those people are and Kristyn Housman – Kristyn has Directors Marsha Hayward (Northern) what they do within the ANPC. In no expressed an interest in assisting with [email protected] particular order: reclamation-related questions and Tony Blake (Central) [email protected] work that may come up for the ANPC. Vacant (Southern) Janine Lemire – We often get inquiries Kristyn recently graduated from the Chrissie Smith (Nature Alberta) about volunteering and have often said, U of A, and we look forward to having dragonfl[email protected] wouldn’t it be great to have a volunteer her involved in the Reclamation and Horticulture component of the ANPC. Membership Secretary coordinator? Well, Janine thought Kelly Ostermann so, too; she is helping us recruit and [email protected] work with new volunteers as our first Sam Pittman – Sam is taking over Volunteer Coordinator Volunteer Coordinator. Due to her the role of Volunteer Steward for Janine Lemire efforts we have seen a lot more interest Whitehorse Wildland Area from Allison [email protected] expressed in the ANPC. Dinwoodie. Allison had been doing this Conservation Action volunteer job for a number of years, John Potter [email protected] Amar Keshri – The treasurer position and she put her heart and soul into is a critical one within ANPC because maintaining and protecting this jewel Education and Information Mari Decker it is required under the Societies Act, and of an area. Sam is stepping into some [email protected] we need to have a person in the job who pretty big shoes, but he has already been Jim Posey likes looking at numbers even more to the area, and we look forward to [email protected] than at plants! And actually, they don’t having him as steward of Whitehorse Rare Plants Leslie Monteleone even need to know much about plants. Wildland Area. ♦ [email protected] Norma Calvo [email protected] Reclamation and Horticulture Kristyn Housman ANPC Needs a Webmaster [email protected] Webmaster Do you, or someone you know, have webmaster skills? The ANPC is currently Vacant seeking a Webmaster volunteer who would manage and complete updates to Newsletter Committee information on the ANPC website: seasonally featured plant, news and events, Dana Bush [email protected] links of interest, volunteer opportunities, and publications. Additional website Laurie Hamilton projects may also be undertaken as required. [email protected] Patricia McIsaac [email protected] If interested, please email [email protected] or contact Janine at 403-478-2911. Alfred Falk [email protected] No. 68 • November 2012 Iris 3 The Value of Native Plants in Urban Environments: Workshop Highlights by Kelly Ostermann The ANPC had its 25th annual workshop on Saturday, April 21. The event focused on native plants in urban environments and was held at Hole’s Enjoy Centre. The Centre was the perfect location, adjacent to Lois Hole Provincial Park and in St. Albert. The day started with an introduction to the Enjoy Centre by Jim Hole. With most of our population living in urban environments, we thought it was a timely topic for our workshop. Pam Wright, Executive Director of the Edmonton and Area Land Trust (EALT), provided a good summary of challenges and opportunities facing the EATL with conserving Workshop session at Hole’s Enjoy Centre in St. Albert. Photo C. Willms and preserving natural landscapes within the Edmonton area.