may-june 2008 sego lily newsletter, utah native plant society

8/9/2019 May-June 2008 Sego Lily Newsletter, Utah Native Plant Society

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Sego Lily May 2008 31 (3)

May 2008 Volume 31 Number 3

In this issue:

Capitol Reef National Park and its Flora . . . . 1

Its our Birthday . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2Chapter News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22008 Rare Plant Meeting

UNPS Honors Duane Atwood . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Selected Abstracts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Andrew Lafayette Siler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Wildflower Hotline Warms Up . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Googling the Earth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10How to Answer the Question: What Native

Plants Can I Grow in my Yard? . . . . . . . . . 11For the Bookshelf (or Glove Compartment) . 11

Copyright 2008 Utah Native Plant Society. All Rights Reserved.

A plants eye-view (in this case the Rose-heath, Chaetopappa eri-coides) of Chimney Rock in western Capitol Reef National Park.

Photo by Maggie Wolf

Capitol Reef NationalPark and its Flora

By Walter & Laura Fertig

In a state synonymous with na-tional parks, Capitol Reef remainsone of Utahs least known protectedareas. While cars are backed up try-ing to get into Zion, Arches, or BryceCanyon on most summer weekends(and often weekdays), one rarelyexperiences a traffic jam in CapitolReef National Park. Perhaps theparks relative anonymity stemsfrom its isolation (located in south-central Utah between Torrey and

Hanksville along UT Hwy 24, Capi-tol Reef is a little ways off the beatenpath). Or perhaps the area just isnt

well publicized. Whatever the rea-son, we cant complain. It is nice tohike without the madding crowds, to

have room to ponder and muse atthe overlooks, to find a parkingspace on the first try. All the Utahparks enjoy indescribable beauty,

but solitude allows us to penetratethat splendor more deeply. And

what splendor there is here!First and foremost, the beauty

and character of Capitol Reef isshaped by its geology. The parks

very name is derived from two geo-logical [continued on page 4]

UNPS Spring Meeting inCapitol Reef National Park,sponsored by the FremontChapter, May 16-17. See page5 for details.


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Utah Native Plant Society

Officers

Co-Presidents: Bill Gray (Salt Lake Co)and Bill King (Salt Lake Co)Treasurer: Celeste Kennard (Utah Co)Secretary: Mindy Wheeler (Summit

Co)Board Chair: Larry Meyer (Salt Lake

Co)

UNPS Board: Walter Fertig (Kane Co),Robert Fitts (Utah Co), Susan Garvin(Utah Co), Marie Griffiths (Salt LakeCo), Ty Harrison (Salt Lake Co), Char-lene Homan (Salt Lake Co), Kipp Lee(Salt Lake Co), Margaret Malm(Washington Co), Therese Meyer (Salt

Lake Co), Jeff Mitchell (Utah Co), LeilaShultz (Cache Co), Maria Ulloa (SevierCo), Dave Wallace (Cache Co), MaggieWolf (Salt Lake Co), Loreen Woolsten-hulme (Utah Co).

CommitteesCommunications: Larry MeyerConservation: Bill King and Tony

Frates

Education: Ty HarrisonHorticulture: Maggie WolfInvasive Weeds: Susan GarvinRare Plants: Walter Fertig

Chapters and Chapter PresidentsCache: Steve RippleEscalante (Garfield Co): Allysia AngusFremont (Richfield area): Rebecca

HarmonManzanita (Kane Co): Walter FertigMountain (Summit Co): Mindy

WheelerPrice (Carbon Co): Mike HubbardSalt Lake: Kipp LeeSouthern (Washington Co): Margaret

MalmUtah Valley (Utah Co): Celeste Ken-

nard

Website: For late-breaking news, theUNPS store, the Sego Lily archives,Chapter events, links to other websites(including sources of native plants and

the digital Utah Rare Plant FieldGuide), and more, go to unps.org.Many thanks to Xmission forsponsoring our website.

For more information on UNPS:Contact Bill King (582-0432) or SusanGarvin (356-5108), or write to UNPS,PO Box 520041, Salt Lake City, UT,84152-0041 or email [email protected]

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

plete. We know of only two issuesthat are missing: Volume 20, #6(1997) and Volume 21, #6 (1998).So, packrats please check yourmiddens. The first person to comeup with the missing items will re-ceive a free copy of the CD. Sendan email to Bill Gray at [email protected]. Copies will

be scanned and returnedpromptly. Early volumes were ir-regularly produced and numbered,so it is possible there are issues wedon't even know about: If you havestashes from 1979 through 1985,

please list them in an email so wecan check against our records.

Special Members MeetingOur annual members meeting isscheduled for October 18th or25th in Salt Lake City. This is

when we elect our board of direc-tors for the coming year. This time

we are planning a bigger than av-erage party at which we will look

both backwards and forwards, atour past and our plans. We hope to

Sego Lily Editor: Walter Fertig([email protected]). News items, arti-cles, photos, and illustrations frommembers are always welcome. Thedeadline for the July 2008Sego Lily is15 June 2008 (Fathers Day!).

Copyright 2008 Utah Native PlantSociety. All Rights Reserved

TheSego Lily is a publication of theUtah Native Plant Society, a 501(c)(3)not-for-profit organization dedicatedto conserving and promoting steward-ship of our native plants. Use of con-tent material is encouraged but re-quires permission (except where ex-empted by statute) and must be cor-rectly credited and cited. Articles,photographs and illustrations submit-ted to us remain the property of thesubmitting individuals or organiza-tions. Submit permission requests [email protected]. We encourage read-

ers to submit articles for potentialpublication. By submitting an article,an implicit license is granted to printthe article in the newsletter or otherUNPS publications for reprint withoutpermission (in print and electronicmedia). When submitting an article,please indicate whether it has beenpreviously published or submitted forconsideration to other publications.

It's our Birthday

This year we celebrate our 30thanniversary! Back in 1978 a smallgroup of people organized a societyto further the cause of Utah's nativeplants, and in 2008 we plan severalthings by way of celebration.

Special Edition ofSego LilyIn the Fall we shall devote a specialissue to looking back at what wehave accomplished over the past 30

years, calling on our records and onthe memories of some of our mem-

bers who have been active for the

whole period of time.Sego Lily Archive We are

working on a total recall edition: acomplete compendium of all issuesfrom first to last. Only for the pastseveral years do we have electronic

versions, so we have to scan old pa-per copies to create it. The finalproduct will be a CD-rom readableon any computer. Thanks to a fewmajor caches from Keith & Kathy

Wallentine, Tony Frates, and DuaneAtwood, we are about 99% com-

have a great turnout of memberswho have played significant roles,from founding fathers and mothersto up-and-coming kids. Please mark

your calendars and save the dates.Where do we go from here?

The world changes and we need tochange with it. In August our Boardof Directors is planning to take timefor looking ahead to the next 30

years. How can we best adapt to newchallenges that arise from things likeglobal climate change and local po-litical change? What will be the bigissues in a few years? - Bill Gray

Chapter News

Cache: Native Plant VegetativePlant Propagation Workshop: July10, 6:30 PM, with a possible secondsession July 12 at 10 AM. Learn howto propagate native plants from cut-tings. We will provide an assortmentof cuttings and supplies for raisingthem at home. Some of the species

will likely include Coyote willow,


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Netleaf hackberry, Silver buffa-loberry, California fuchsia, manza-nita, Ceanothus, and others. Cost:$15 for Master Gardeners orUNPS members, $20 for others.Location: to be announced. Pre-register at the USU/Cache CountyExtension Office (179 North MainSt., Suite 111, Logan, next to the

historic Cache County Court-house), or call or email (435-752-6263, [email protected]).

Alterniscapes Tour: June 21(time to be announced). Tour na-tive plant and waterwise land-scapes throughout Cache Valley.This year we have a whole new setof landscapes that range fromhardscape intensive to more infor-mal cottage gardens. We will alsohave a visit to USU's GreenvilleFarm where techniques for low

water-use will be demonstratedand discussed. The tour is self-guided and you will need to fur-nish your own transportation, buttour guides will be stationed at allsites to answer questions. Cost: $5per person. Pre-register at theUSU/Cache County Extension Of-fice (179 North Main St., Suite 111,Logan), or call or email (435-752-6263, [email protected]).-Steve Ripple

Escalante (Garfield County):

Dennis Bramble presented a greattalk on animal/plant interactions(fascinating stuff on ants andgrass and rabbits and shrubs) inUpper Valley, outside Escalante,for our February chapter meeting.In March, more than 20 volun-teers participated in the EscalanteMain Street cleanup. In AprilTerry Tolbert and I gave a presen-tation entitled "So how native arethey?" on native plants readilyavailable in local retail nurseries. -

Allysia Angus

Manzanita (Kane County):Roger Hoverman of Wild Moun-tain Fire and Forestry describedlandscaping practices to reducerisk of wildfire in the wildland-urban interface for our Marchmeeting. In April, Bala Chaudharyof Northern Arizona Universitydescribed recent research that ischanging our perspective on the

biological richness and ecological

Center, 126 Lion Blvd., Spring-dale. The June 2 chapter meeting(also at 7 PM in the Canyon Com-munity Center) will be onFirescaping with a panel com-posed of Rich Heflebower, KatieJohnson, and Claire Crow. ContactBarbara Farnsworth (772-0525)for information. -Margaret Malm

and Barbara Farnsworth

Utah Valley (Utah County):Every Tuesday at 2:30-4:30 PMour chapter is working with stu-dents at Wasatch Elementary(1040N 900E in Provo) on theHeritage Garden (call BitsySchultz for more information).Every Thursday morning at 10 AMour Plants and Preschoolers groupgoes on short walks tailored for

young children (though everyone

is welcome). We hike trailsthroughout Utah County. Call oremail me (801-377-5918,[email protected]) forinformation.

Join us Saturday, May 3, at9:30 AM for a work day at the Wa-satch Heritage Garden located at1040N 900E in Provo. We will bepreparing the garden for two ac-tivities celebrating its 10th anni-

versary.Friday, May 23rd from 9-11 AM

we will have a tour of the garden

during school hours and other ac-tivities to honor the gardens 10th

birthday.Saturday, May 31: Anniversary

celebration and potluck brunch,10-12 AM. If you have ever

worked in or enjoyed a heritagegarden or want to learn moreabout water-wise gardening,please join us for a reunion hosted

by Susan Meyer and Bitsy Shultz.Darin Johnson, now owner ofMountain Meadow Nursery, was a

teacher at Wasatch Elementaryand offered a home for our firstHeritage Garden. The garden iseasy to spot at 1040N 900E inProvo and there is plenty of park-ing. Bring a chair or a picnic blan-ket and your favorite brunch item.

We will provide the tableware.Final note from the President: I

would love to have a garden tourthis year or some field trips or lec-tures. Call me if you are willing tolead an activity - Celeste Kennard.

interplay between soil microbesand plant roots. On May 6, Ethan

Aumack of the Grand CanyonTrust will give a presentation onhis organization's research pro-grams on grazing and fire manage-mentpractices at the historicKane/Two Mile Ranch in theHouse Rock Valley and Kaibab

Plateau in northern Arizona. Thismeeting will be held at 7 PM in theGrand Staircase-Escalante NM

Visitor Center in Kanab. - W. Fer-tig

Salt Lake: Saturday, May 3rd, 9AM-2 PMPlant Sale at REI. Ourannual plant sale fundraiser will besponsored by Jeanette Warner of

Wildland Nursery. She will have ahuge selection of various nativeperennials, shrubs, and trees. 10%

of the proceeds will benefit the SaltLake Chapter. Please pass theword to friends and family!

Wednesday, May 21st, 7 PMChapter meeting. Jack Brown ofthe Utah Bureau of Land Manage-ment will discuss the Great BasinRestoration Initiative, an ambi-tious project being carried out bythe BLM in several western states.The goal of this project is to reha-

bilitate the land after many yearsof abuse, fires, overgrazing, etc.

Bill Gray

Southern (WashingtonCounty): The chapter's plant salein April was a great success, with

Wildland Nursery and Great BasinNatives present and nearly sellingout of their entire stock. For those

who may have missed it, at leastone of the nurseries will be backon the weekend of May 3-4 at theDesert Bloom Festival in Kayenta.

Also on May 3 The Nature Conser-vancy is sponsoring its annual field

trip, led by Renee Van Buren ofUtah Valley State University, to seethe endangered Dwarf bearclawpoppy and other Mojave plants ofthe St. George area. The field tripis limited to 20 people, so youmust make a reservation (801-531-0999, or email [email protected]) by April 25.

On May 5, Carolyn Shelton willpresent "Sex in the garden andfield" (about plant reproduction)at 7 PM in the Canyon Community


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[continued from page 1] references:capitol for the white domes of Na-

vajo Sandstone like so many capitolrotundas, and reef for the tilted

bedrock along the east boundarythat was as much a barrier to pio-

neer travel as a coral reef is to ship-ping. This reef, better known todayas the Waterpocket Fold, is theparks preeminent geological fea-ture. Spanning nearly 100 milesfrom Thousand Lake Mountainnearly to Lake Powell, the Fold is afaulted spine of colorful sedimentary

bedrock that was uplifted more than7000 feet in the late Cretaceous.Over time the different geologic lay-ers exposed by the great fault have

been carved by wind and rain into

deep canyons, picturesque domes,arches, and waterpockets (alsoknown as potholes or tenajas) thatprovide valuable water sources for

wildlife following rainstorms.As with so many parks and

monuments of southern Utah, manyof the most notable cliffs, canyons,and other stone features of CapitolReef are derived from the Navajoand Wingate sandstones. However,at least 17 other major geologic for-mations are represented in the park,spanning more than 200 million

years of earth history. These rocklayers represent a variety of pastenvironments, including coastal del-tas, ancient rivers, deep marine wa-ters, Sahara-like dune fields, anddebris from ancient lava flows andglaciers.

Geology has helped shape thehistory of human settlement andland use in the Capitol Reef area.The earliest known inhabitants werethe Ancestral Puebloan and Fre-mont, who occupied the area from

2000-8000 years ago (the latterculture was named for the FremontRiver that slices through the parkand where many of the first Fremontsites were discovered). These cul-tures practiced farming along thefertile banks of the Fremont untilthe great droughts of the 13th Cen-tury, after which the region waspopulated by nomadic bands ofhunter-gatherers.

The Waterpocket Fold provided abarrier to white exploration and set-

From a botanists perspective,Capitol Reef is one of the more nota-

ble national parks because of its di-versity of vegetation and high spe-cies richness. Ken Heil, Mark Por-ter, Rich Fleming, and Bill Rommeconducted a major survey of theparks vegetation in the late 1980sand early 1990s and identified 34

main plant communities. Theyfound the vegetation to be stronglyinfluenced by elevation, geology,and proximity to water.

The driest, lowest areas of thepark tend to coincide with benton-itic (shrink-swell) clays and gypsum

badlands derived from the Moen-kopi, Chinle, and Mancos shale for-mations. These areas typically are

vegetated by salt desert scrub con-sisting of Shadscale, Mat saltbush,Castle Valley saltbush, and Spiny

hopsage. Desert lowlands with shal-low soil over impervious bedrocktend to support stands of Black-

brush.At higher elevations and on old

alluvial terraces, desert scrub andblackbrush are replaced by sage-brush grasslands of Big sagebrushand Rubber rabbitbrush. Sites thatare especially sandy may be locallydominated by Sand sagebrush, whilesaline terraces are vegetated byGreasewood.

Capitol Reef National Park and its Flora

Above: Capitol Reef National Park, by Maggie Wolf

tlement until the mid-19th century.Almon Thompson of the Powellsurvey made the first scientificforay into the Capitol Reef coun-try. Shortly thereafter Mormonpioneers settled the area in the late1870s and early 1880s. The pre-sent orchard in the park was

planted when the small farmingcommunity of Fruita began in1886. Limited road access anddistance to markets kept the com-munity small and made farming astruggle, however, and local civicleaders began searching for alter-natives to promote the local econ-omy. In the 1920s, many startedto advocate for protection of thegeologic features of the Fruita areaas a state or national park underthe name of the Wayne Wonder-land (after Wayne County). After

a few false starts, Capitol Reef wasdeclared a national monument in1937. The boundaries wereenlarged nearly 600% by LyndonJohnson as one of his last officialacts as President in January 1969to the dismay of many in the localcommunity (perhaps not surpris-ingly, Utah has not voted for a De-mocratic presidential candidatesince). Congress made CapitolReef a national park in 1971.


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2008 UNPS SpringMeeting in

Capitol Reef NationalPark

The new Fremont Chapter(covering Richfield and the greater

Richfield area) will be hosting theUNPS Spring meeting in CapitolReef National Park on the weekendof May 16-17. The following is a listof events being offered:

Friday, May 16: for those whowant to arrive early, Group Area Aof the Sunglow Campground onHighway 24 (just outside of Bick-nell) has been reserved. There arealso individual camp sites availableon a first come first served basis.For those who prefer not to camp,there are several nice but reason-able motels in the area (such as the

Aquarius Inn in Bicknell, and Won-derland and Boulder inns in Tor-rey). You will need to make yourown motel reservations.

Saturday, May 17: BLM botanistMaria Ulloa will lead a morninghike in Capitol Reef National Park.Meet at 9 AM at the Sunglow Camp-ground, Group Area A and fromthere we will travel to the trailheadin the park. Bring a sack lunch andplenty of water.

No formal outdoor activities areplanned for the afternoon. Thestate UNPS board will meet in theconference room at the AquariusInn in Bicknell at 3 PM. At 5 PMBob Campbell, ecologist with theFishlake National Forest, will give apresentation on the ecology of theCapitol Reef area in the AquariusInn conference room.

The day concludes with a potluckdinner hosted by the FremontChapter at 6:30 PM at the Group

Area A site at the Sunglow Camp-ground. The chapter will providemeat, but participants should bringtheir own beverages. C.R. Wood,local cowboy poet will provide din-nertime entertainment. Rebecca

Harmon

Much of the park consists ofwoodlands of Two-needle pinyonand Utah juniper on thin, rocky soilsderived from sandstone bedrock.Open expanses of slickrock may besparsely vegetated by low cushionplants, rounded clumps of Dwarfmountain mahogany, or, rarely,Bristlecone pine. At the highest ele-

vations or in shady canyons, thepygmy pinyon-juniper forest gives

way to Ponderosa pine-Greenleafmanzanita on dry sites and Quakingaspen in more mesic environments.

A variety of wetland vegetationtypes are associated with the Fre-mont River and its smaller tributar-ies as well as wet seeps or springs.Fremont cottonwood and willowoccur commonly along the larger

watercourses, often interspersedwith marshy stands of Common

reed and Baltic rush. Hanging gar-dens, associated with shady cliff al-coves and perennial seeps, are com-monly inhabited by Southern maid-enhair fern, Giant helleborine or-chid, and Western poison ivy.

All told, the mix of vegetationtypes and geologic substrates inCapitol Reef National Park provideshabitat for at least 887 species of

vascular plants. Capitol Reef is sec-ond only to Zion in overall speciesrichness among national parks inUtah and third behind Grand Stair-

case-Escalante National Monumentamong all protected areas of thestate. In fact, an industrious bota-nist can find almost of all vascu-lar plant species native or natural-ized in Utah within Capitol Reef.The park is especially well-repre-sented by local and regional endem-ics, with over 140 plant species re-stricted to the immediate vicinity ofCapitol Reef or the Colorado Pla-teau. Of these, more than 60 areconsidered species of concern by the

Utah Conservation Data Center andseven are currently listed as Threat-ened or Endangered under the USEndangered Species Act (18 more

were under consideration for listingat one time).

Capitol Reefs rarest plants tendto be edaphic endemics restricted toa particular soil or geologic type thatis itself of limited distribution.These include Jones cycladenia(Cycladenia humilisvar.jonesii),

Above: Last Chance townsendia(named for Last Chance Creek) is un-usual within its genus for having yel-low flowers, rather than the moretypical white, pink, or bluish blossomsof other Townsendia species. Photoby W. Fertig.

found only on gypsiferous clays;Barnebys reed-mustard(Schoenocrambe barnebyi) ofMoenkopi talus; Last Chancetownsendia (Townsendia aprica),

Winklers cactus (Pediocactuswinkleri) and Wrights fishhookcactus (Sclerocactus wrightiae)found on siltstone and clay soils;and Harrisons milkvetch(Astragalus harrisonii), Maguiresdaisy (Erigeron maguirei), Becksspring-parsley (Cymopterusbeckii), and Rabbit Valley gilia(Gilia orAliciella caespitosa) ofNavajo sandstone slickrock. Oneof the parks rarest species is thefederally Threatened Ute ladies-tresses orchid (Spiranthes diluvi-alis), which has not been relocatedat Capitol Reef for more than adecade.

Although the parks flora is welldocumented, new discoveries con-tinue to be made. Just since 2004,

botanists and ecologists working

on various projects for the parkservice have reported 35 new plantspecies for Capitol Reef. The mostnotable finding has been

Eriogonum corymbosumvar.heilii, discovered by Debi Clark onThousand Lake Mountain and de-scribed as a new variety by buck-

wheat systematist James Reveal in2004. What other plants remainto be found in the high peaks andshadowy canyons of the park?


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Above: N.D. Atwood holding UNPSlifetime achievement award.

After working first as zone bota-nist for the Forest Services Inter-mountain Region from 1978 to1983 and then as regional botanistuntil 1992, he has since been theassistant curator/collections man-ager at the BYU Herbarium inProvo where he tirelessly contin-ues his role of taxonomist, educa-tor, author and explorer. This life-

time achievement award, whileoverdue, was appropriately madeat a rare plant conference and asUNPS nears its 30th anniversary.

As an expert in theHydro-phyllaceae, co-author ofA UtahFlora, the discoverer and re-discoverer of numerous Utah na-tive plant species, and the mostprolific Utah native plant collectorever (with over 32,000 collectionsand counting), Duane would beeligible for any number of lifetimeachievement awards related to

Utah botany and is truly one ofUtahs botanical legends. Howeverit is in connection with his leader-ship, inspiration and continuingefforts to promote and improvecommunication between govern-ment agencies, education institu-tions, conservation groups and thegeneral public that we are the mostgrateful.

Congratulations Duane, andthank you.

UNPS Honors DuaneAtwood

Article and photo by Tony Frates

On March 4, 2008 at the annualrare plant task force meeting, theUtah Native Plant Society presentedDr. N. Duane Atwood with a lifetimeachievement award. The presenta-tion was made following Duaneskeynote speech relating to the earlyhistory of UNPS (and the concern

we should all have for the future ofsystematic botany).

Armed with an MS degree fromBYU in 1967 followed by a Ph.D.degree also from BYU in 1973,Duane became the first Utah BLM

botanist in 1975, and the secondBLM botanist nationally. On theheels of the passage of the Endan-gered Species Act of 1973, Duane

became actively involved in develop-ing various rare plant programs andpublications in a number of westernstates. In Utah, this ultimately ledto the publication of the Utah En-dangered, Threatened and Sensitive

Plant Field Guide in 1991, a pioneer-ing work which other states laterfollowed (and which is the basis for

the Utah Rare Plant Guide hostedand maintained by UNPS atwww.utahrareplants.org).

In September of 1978 Duane waspart of a small group of botaniststhat helped found UNPS. Duane

was the first president of UNPS,serving in that capacity until 1981(and continuing on as a board mem-

ber for many years).As the primary mover and shaker

of the UNPS rare plant committeethroughout the 1980s, Duane spear-headed annual rare plant meetings

that provided input to the status ofcandidate species to the Fish &

Wildlife Service and which in es-sence began the tradition of infor-mation sharing and networking that

we attempt to continue today. Hisextensive efforts with rare plant con-servation have led to continued re-search and protective actions formany species but perhaps most no-tablyPhacelia argillacea andArcto-mecon humilis.

2008 Utah Native Plant Society-Red Butte Garden Rare Plant Meeting

Selected Abstracts

Interagency Rare PlantConservation in South-

central Utah

By Tom Clark, Capitol Reef Na-tional Park and Debi Clark, USFS/BLM Interagency botanist

The Waterpocket Fold and SanRaphael Swell in south-centralUtah encompass spectacular scen-ery and unique geologic features.The convergence of semi-arid envi-ronmental conditions, rapid eleva-tion change, and unique geologicsubstrates has resulted in ex-tremely high levels of plant en-

demism. Numerous federallylisted and candidate plant speciesoccur in the area and 32 additionalspecies are considered endemicand rare. In the past, each federalagency did rare plant work on itsland as funds became available,resulting in a piecemeal approachto species management. In 1999,Capitol Reef National Park, Bureauof Land Management RichfieldField Office, Fishlake NationalForest, and Dixie National Forest

developed an interagency agree-ment to hire a botanist and coordi-nate inventories for these speciesacross agency boundaries. Infor-mation gathered has enabled theagencies to concentrate on speciesthat are truly rare. Inventory datahas shed light on life histories ofmany species. Monitoring hasprovided information about rarespecies that has enabled the agen-cies to make informed manage-ment decisions. Information gath-ered during this partnership has

enabled the participating agenciesto coordinate their management ofrare plants and to meet the funda-mental beneficial intent of the En-dangered Species Act.


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Uinta Basin Rare PlantForum Update

By Joan Degiorgio, Northern Moun-tains Regional Director, The NatureConservancy

The Uinta Basin Rare Plant Fo-rum had its first meeting in Novem-

ber 2005. In general the Forum pro-vides an opportunity for university,agency, industry, consultant, con-servation group and local govern-ment participants to discuss the lat-est surveys, studies, and findings forthe Uinta Basins most at-riskplants. More specifically, they are

working together to produce a bio-logically-driven strategic plan forthe nine most at-risk rare plantsimpacted by energy development inthe Uinta Basin. The planning proc-

ess provides a structure throughwhich known information about thenine plants is being assembled:common threats will be assessed,and specific strategies will be collec-tively developed to abate the threats.In 2008 the Forum will completethe Plan. Prior to plan completion,the group has moved ahead with no-regret strategies, e.g., additionaltraining needed for consultants, bet-ter data sharing, and need for addi-tional surveys. Several actions are

being implemented this spring: 1) aninter-agency training for consultantsdoing surveys for energy companies;and, 2) a May 2-3 volunteer surveyeffort for Grahams penstemon. Weare looking for both experts and non-experts for the surveys please joinus!

Finding Gaps in the Pro-tected Area Network in the

Utah Portion of the ColoradoPlateau

By Walter Fertig, Moenave Botani-cal Consulting, Kanab, UT

About 19% of the Colorado Pla-teau region of Utah is currentlyunder some form of permanentprotective status. Most of theseprotected areas, however, wereestablished for their scenic, cul-tural, or recreation value ratherthan conservation of biologicaldiversity. I used Gap Analysismethods to determine how well

vascular plant species are repre-sented in the existing protectivenetwork and to identify types ofspecies, habitats, and geographicareas that are unprotected. At pre-sent 1948 of the 2859 species inthe study area (68.1%) occur inGap Status 1 or 2 protected areas,

while 911 taxa (31.9%) are unpro-tected. Among protected species,438 (22.5%) are Colorado Plateauendemics and 419 (21.5%) arelisted as rare by the Utah NaturalHeritage Program, while 1510(77.5%) are widespread native ornon-native species and 1529(78.5%) are considered common.

By comparison, plateau endemics(288 taxa) comprise 31.6% of theunprotected flora, and rare species(345 taxa) comprise 37.9%. Spe-cies from high elevation habitatsare more likely to be unprotectedthan those from desert shrub,sagebrush, and pinyon-junipercommunities. Almost 70% of theunprotected taxa occur in just 12plant diversity hotspots (UintaBasin, Tavaputs Plateau, BookCliffs, Wasatch/Fish Lake pla-

teaus, San Rafael Swell, La SalMountains, Abajo Range, HenryMountains, Richfield area/

Arapien shale, Tushars, AquariusPlateau, and Pine Valley Moun-tains) that are not currently part ofthe states protected area network.

Update on White DomeNature Preserve

By Elaine York, The Nature Conser-vancy

The Nature Conservancy (TNC)and partners are making significantprogress in their efforts to purchaseand protect an 800-acre WhiteDome Nature Preserve for two of

Washington Countys federally-listed plants - the dwarf bear poppy(Arctomecon humilis) and Siler pin-cushion cactus (Pediocactus sileri).Located in south St. George City, theproject is supported by U.S. Fishand Wildlife Service, the State ofUtah, School and Institutional TrustLands Administration (SITLA),Utah Department of Transportation(UDOT), St. George City, Washing-

ton County, Red Cliffs Desert Re-serve, TNC and others. The land-owner, SITLA, and TNC have signeda Letter of Intent that establishedSITLAs willingness to sell approxi-mately 660 acres to the Conservancyas funds are available up to the year2015. By spring 2008 TNC will haveacquired 190 acres of the Preserve

with generous grants from U.S. Fishand Wildlife Service (applicationsmade through the State of Utah) andfunds from TNC. All are optimistic

that the funds will be raised to pur-chase the remaining acreage. Addi-tionally, SITLA has sold 140 acres toUDOT as a mitigation property forthe Southern Corridor, a soon-to-be-

built highway south of the preserve.UDOTs and TNCs properties will

be managed as one preserve.An endowment for the White

Dome Nature Preserve has recentlybeen established to generate fundsfor some of the ongoing manage-ment costs. Long term plans for thePreserve include rare plant monitor-

ing, habitat restoration, fencing anda limited trail system so local resi-dents and visitors alike can appreci-ate the natural treasures of Wash-ington County through a series ofhiking trails and educational sign-age. In addition to the two federally-listed plants, the White Dome Na-ture Preserve is home to burrowingowls, roadrunners, kit fox, zebra-tailed lizards, and sandpaper bush.


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but he also collected ferns, bulbsand other desert species such as

Eriogonum andPenstemon. Hesent his cactus collections to GeorgeEngelmann in Missouri for identifi-cation. His great interest in cactus

likely blossomed after he moved toWashington County in 1864. An-drew sent many other plant collec-tions to Asa Gray and Sereno Wat-son at Harvard to be determined.Once identified, Siler sold duplicatesof the specimens to other interestedinstitutions and individuals aroundthe world. His collections are heldat over ten herbaria even today.

The completion of the trans-continental railroad in 1869 broughtmany government sponsored ex-plorers and collectors to Utah and

also made it practical for local indi-vidual collectors to ship their speci-mens east as well. Siler had as earlyas 1864 donated fossil wood, shellsand Indian curiosities to the Smith-sonian Institution. Siler may alsohave had contact with John WesleyPowells survey of the HundredthMeridian including the Grand Can-

yon, which had its headquarters inKanab during 1871 and 1872. FromMay to August, 1875, Lester Frank

Ward collected plants in central

Utah in connection with the PowellSurvey from his base in Glenwood,near Richfield. Siler may have

bumped into him too.Siler surely knew Joseph Ellis

Johnson, another local Mormonbotanical collector, nurseryman,druggist, printer and newspaperman

who moved to St. George in 1865and started the Gardeners Club.Charles C. Parry made a collectingtrip in 1874 to the Valley of the

Vergin and made his headquartersat Johnsons house in St. George. In

his Botanical Observations inSouthern Utah in 1874. publishedin the American Naturalist in 1875,Parry credits Siler and Johnson withextending our knowledge of plantsof this region.

The Siler family also supple-mented their income by collectingSego lily bulbs (Calochortus nuttall-ii) in the springtime and shippedthem to Germany for sale. He sup-plied cactus and seed to Albert A.

By William H. King

Andrew Lafayette Siler was bornDecember 4, 1824 at Sweetwater,Roan County, Tennessee, son of Wil-liam Syler and Charlotte Foute of

German descent. Around 1836 thefamily moved to Cassville, Georgia.In 1847, Andrew served in the Mexi-can American war as a Georgia Vol-unteer. Andrew joined the LatterDay Saints church in 1850 andmoved to Great Salt Lake City, Utah.The 1850 census records in Salt Lakeshow him as single and a cabinetmaker, same as his fathers profes-sion, but soon thereafter in 1851 hefiled a petition to practice law and he

became one of the first attorneys inSalt Lake City. Also in 1851, he was

ordained a seventy by his church.In 1856 he helped guide the WillieHandcart Company from Iowa Cityto Salt Lake. Later from May 1864to December 1866 he served a LDSsouthern states mission in Missouri,Georgia and Tennessee.

On May 18, 1851 he married RuthAnn Van Valkenburgh at Big Cotton-wood Canyon and on January 14,1857 he also married Ruvina JaneMount in Salt Lake City (they woulddivorce in 1866). Between his two

wives he had at least 14 children.Andrew moved from town to town atthe bequest of his church acting as ateacher and lawyer. The birthplacesof his children provide a good recordof the movements of his family inUtah. They lived in Brigham City(1851, 1857, 1858), Manti (1853),

American Fork (1859, 1860), Foun-tain Green (1861, 1863), WashingtonCity (1864), Grafton (1866), Spring-dale (1868), Belvue (1870, now Pin-tura) and Glendale (1873). About1875, he finally settled for most of

the rest of his life in Upper Kanab,near the present Alton, in KaneCounty. This area was variously re-ferred by him as Pah Reah, Osmer orRanch, Utah. He also may havelived in Hillsdale for a short periodin 1883. The Siler Ranch grew hay,grain and potatoes for their ownconsumption and produced butterand cheese to sell or trade.

It is not known when or how An-drew developed his keen interest in

Above: Silers pincushion cactus(Pediocactus sileri), a Threatened spe-cies from southern Utah and northernArizona named for A.L. Siler. Illustra-tion by Kaye Thorne.

collecting plants but Siler did writeJohn A. Kennicott, a well knownnurseryman in Grove, Illinois, in1862 to ask for nursery seeds andcuttings. He said that he had

made his living as a cabinetmakerbut had become heartily tired ofjack planes and rip saws andthought he would find the labor offruit and flower growing certainlymore healthy and pleasant and inall probability equally as remu-nerative.

The earliest Siler herbariumspecimen dates from 1870 and thelast was made in 1889. In the1880 Utah census Silers occupa-tion was described as botanist and

naturalist. He collected mostly insouthern Utah, especially in Kaneand Washington counties. He alsocollected some in the WasatchMountains of northern Utah as

well as in northern Arizona alongthe Grand Canyon and southeastNevada. Siler made a cactus col-lection trip to Coahuila, Mexico in1889. Many of his specimens haveonly the most general of locationdescriptions and most lack nu-meration. Cacti were his delight

Andrew Lafayette Siler (1824- 1898), Cabinet Maker, Lawyer, Teacher and Collector


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Blanc, a Belgian printer andengraver who published a cactuscatalog in Philadelphia, Pennsyl-

vania during the 1880s and 90s. In1876, he sent 4,000 specimens,(principallyAbies concolor) to the

well known nursery, Backhouse andSon, York, England.

Marcus Jones visited Siler at his

ranch in June, 1890 and in the jour-nalZoe (Vol. 2, 1891), namedAstra-galus sileranus (nowA. subcinereus

var. sileranus) in his honor. I takepleasure in dedicating it to myfriend A.L. Siler, who has laboredunder the greatest difficulties in col-lecting the flora of that inhospitableregion and who, though he hasnever seen this plant, has collectedmany rare and some new species,and has never had due recognition.Jones writing again in 1931 did not

speak as nicely of Siler: a kindlyand ignorant old man, a Mormonand polygamist. He was about sevenfeet tall and as slim as a rail and

wore about a No. 14 shoe. He wasawkward and uncouth, but a realman. Jones, in his later years, hadthe reputation of overstating his de-scriptions of other botanist and col-lectors. Silers great grand daughter,

Velma Hansen, in her bookBorn ofGoodly Parentsdescribes Siler as atall man, standing six feet six inchestall and weighed 185 pounds. His

hair was dark brown.Perhaps Silers most notable col-

lection was that ofEchinocactussileri(nowPediocactus sileri) whichhe collected in May 1883 near Cot-tonwood Spring and Pipe Springs.Siler reported that these locations

were in Utah but most likely theywere just across the Utah Arizonaborder in what is now called the Ari-zona Strip.

John M. Coulter references sixdifferent Siler collections of cactus

from 1870 to 1889 in his revision ofCactaceae in Contributions fromthe U.S. Herbarium, published in1896. Among them wasEchinocac-tus polycephalus var.xeranthem-oides. Siler first collected the type ofthis plant in 1881.

Siler collected the type specimenofSheperdia rotundifolia in the up-per valley of the Virgen in 1873and gave it to Parry for determin-

Above: Roundleaf buffaloberry(Shepherdia rotundifolia): A.L. Silercollected the type of this species fromsouthern Utah in 1873. Photo byLaura Fertig

ation. The name was published intheAmerican Naturalistin 1875.

Among Silers other collectionswasPenstemon linariodes ssp.sileri, first collected by him insouthern Utah in 1874 and deter-mined by Asa Gray in 1878. HecollectedLupinus sileri(nowL.kingiivar. kingii) in 1873 in Wash-ington County (published in 1875

by Sereno Watson). He also col-lected the type ofEriogonum triste(nowE. alatum) in January 1874

in Kane County.In 1876 and 1877 Siler authored

several articles in The GardenersMonthly entitled Notes on RarePlants of Southern Utah in whichhe espoused Utah plants, shrubsand cactus for their use in the gar-den. Parry credits Siler with intro-ducingPenstemon palmerito gar-deners. In 1874 Siler donatedseeds of various Utah trees to the

Arnold Arboretum at Harvard.Besides plants, Siler also had an

interest in shells, fresh water fish,snakes, mammals, fossils, insects,galls and ancient Indian sites.

Siler suffered a paralyzingstroke sometime in the 1890s. Hedied on May 19, 1898 and is buriedin Kanab, Utah. It is indeed ironicthat Silers great delight, cactus,may have become threatened byhis collection and commercializa-tion of them, especiallyPediocac-tus sileri.

Wildflower HotlineWarms Up

Looking back through old issuesofSego Lily it was interesting to seesome of the features that were triedat different times. One of these aguide to what was blooming in vari-

ous parts of the state must havebeen a real challenge, given that thenewsletter was at best monthly. Butthat did not prevent some very goodarticles from being written that canstill be useful guides.

Inspired by this, and by MargaretMalm's 'What's up in Zion?' link onour UNPS website, I decided to cre-ate a small website to provide infor-mation in a more timely fashion. It

was a steep learning curve, but thereis now something to show for it athttp://web.mac.com/wasatchgrays/

Wildflower_Hotline/. This is, in es-sence, a small satellite of our mainsite at unps.org, with reciprocallinks.

So far there are two main hotlinepages, one for the Salt Lake area, theother for Zion (reposting Marga-ret's). Feel free to send me reportsfor other parts of the state, and I'lltry to post them promptly. A fewphotos would also be very good toinclude. For some of my reports I

will include 'Virtual Hikes' as out-

lined in the article about GoogleEarth and/or plant lists. This willenable one to follow the actual routetaken and see exactly where plants

were found (subject to masking thelocations of sensitive species).

In parallel to the hotline pagesthere are photo albums of plants,organized by family. Most of my col-lection of plant images, about eightthousand and growing, will becomeavailable for viewing. Right nowthese are organized by botanicalname, but a more user-friendly sys-tem will follow. We shall also be ableto post a moderate number of otherpeople's photos, with proper attribu-tion. Eventually I would hope to in-corporate an identification guide forthe layman, and checklists for manysites large and small. It will take a

while for the site to grow and havethe bugs shaken out, but it is apromising way to put the electronicmedia to good use. - Bill Gray


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By Bill Gray

A few years ago I was visiting anephew in England when his 13 yearold daughter introduced me to'Google Earth'. With a few mouseclicks she transported me around

the world, back to Salt Lake City,and perched me high in the sky.Then, swooping down we couldclearly make out my home street! Iremember thinking this would begreat for keeping track of where un-usual plants grow, and where onehas seen anything of particular in-terest. Back at home, however, Ifound that coverage outside the cityareas was quite variable in quality,so I set aside the idea for later.Later is now. Satellite images have

improved immensely, so that overmuch of Utah one can clearly distin-guish the individual bushes of sage-

brush. Many new program featureshave been added and beautifullyintegrated into a handsome, smooth

working system. And it's free. Withit I have begun converting my collec-tion of plant locations into a formthat can be readily shared by emailor internet, and viewed by anybody

with Google Earth (GE). Yourown photographs can be built intothe display.

How it works. The program is acivilian spin-off from the old'Keyhole' spy satellite days. Far inspace satellites circled the earth,taking photographs of the surface.Knowing where the satellite was,how high above the surface, whatdirection the camera was pointing,and what lens it was using, a personon the ground could figure out ex-actly what was being viewed. Mil-lions of images and several genera-tions of computers later, the basic

system is now accessible to every-body. At a central location in Moun-tain View, CA, images are computer-stitched into a mosaic that coversthe entire earth. As you move thecontrols on your computer at home

GE returns a continuous stream ofinformation from the satellite im-ages of that part of the earth's sur-

face. You are there - and you cancontrol the zoom, the orientationand the perspective! Not only that,

you can easily set the computerdrifting over the landscape to givea very realistic 3D sense of actuallycruising along a low elevationflight.

Is it really free?Yes, in thesense that television is free it isfinanced by advertising. If youinstruct GE to search for Moab, it

will show all the restaurants, mo-tels and campgrounds, which isgreat if you need them. But if not,

you can hide them all with a singleclick. For the purpose of displayingplant locations, photos and habi-tats the advertising need nevereven appear.

Getting the program. Visithttp://earth.google.com/, where

you can download a free version ofthe software that runs on eitherMac (OS X 10.4) or Windows(2000 or XP). You will need a fastInternet connection such as DSL

or cable, and good graphics dis-play. It is easy to set up, and veryintuitive to use. I have written a

brief user's guide, downloadable atLink 1 below.

Give it a whirl. Once you have setup the program, try Link 2 in your

browser (you may have to copy and

paste to get a single line). Thisshould download a file with the .kmzextension, which is a simple text filereadable by Google Earth. The 'k' isin honor of the program's origin

with Keyhole. Double click on it toview a pair of hikes in City CreekCanyon, Salt Lake City. Places where

Yellowbells (Fritillaria pudica) andGlacier lily (Erythron-ium grandi-

florum) were blooming are markedwith blue and green balloons respec-tively. Balloons with a star indicatethere is a photo attached not nec-essarily taken on that date or at thatplace, just an illustration. Link 3 isof a hike taken in Cedar Breaks lastsummer. There was a wonderful ar-ray of plants blooming, though onlyone photo is included at present.

With both of these files you can doflyovers of the route, which I call'Virtual Hikes' especially effectivein Cedar Breaks. The routes them-selves, recorded by GPS, are shownas blue lines.

When publishing location data of

this kind, I shall remove specificreferences to plants that are vulner-able to exploitation, such as cacti,penstemons and other collectibles.

All too often the plants become vic-tims of somebody's greed.

Googling the EarthLeft: Google Earth

view looking NE

along upper City

Creek Canyon. At

left is a huge land-

slide that blocked the

stream, which now

runs underground.

Blue line: track of aUNPS-led hike to

map Corydalis case-

ana. Yellow pushpins

mark exact locations

where plants were

found on this and a

previous hike.

Link 1 (user guide) http://web.mac.com/wasatchgrays/Wildflower_Hotline/Virtual_Hikes_files/080325%20Google%20Earth.pdfLink 2 (City Creek) http://web.mac.com/wasatchgrays/Wildflower_Hotline/Virtual_Hikes_files/080404%20City%20Creek-Morris%20Meadows.kmzLink 3 (Cedar Breaks) http://web.mac.com/wasatchgrays/Wildflower_Hotline/Virtual_Hikes_files/Cedar%20Breaks%20plants.kmz


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in the landscape, but broaden theirperspective so they will under-stand that not ALL native speciesare adapted to desert. Nativeplants also support native insects,

which support native birds and anentire food chain, helping to keepour ecosystem balanced.

Cite a few of your favorites.Heres your chance to brag on oneof your own landscape choices.Palmer Penstemon, perhaps.Fairly easy to grow, extremely tol-erant of very little irrigation, andremarkably beautiful. Avoid mis-leading claims like cant kill it.

Recommend resources.Gardening books on this topic arerare, and there is still much to

learn about Utah native plants incaptivity. The website

www.utahschoice.org is a goodplace to start. Forty species ofUtah native trees, shrubs, grassesand perennials are described withphotos. Tell them to watch for theUtahs Choice plant tags when theyshop at participating garden

Two field guides may be of inter-

est to members who don't insist thateverything have a flower.Field Guide to Plant Galls of Cali-

fornia and other Western States byRon Russo (California Natural His-tory Association, $16.47 from Ama-zon.com). When certain insects laytheir eggs on plants the plant mayrespond by forming distinctivestructures known as galls. These arefamiliar to anyone who walks in theoutdoors and take on various formssuch as knobs, spongy tissues orquite elaborate shapes. The insect

develops inside this custom-builthome until it is ready to emerge.Rarely do we take the trouble to in-

vestigate, and even if we do the re-sult is usually no more informativethan a squishy grub or pupa. Thislittle book gives a fascinatingglimpse into the world of galls andthe insects (plus a few fungi andother organisms) that producethem. There is a very clear introduc-tion that explains the broad outlineof gall production. This is followed

By Maggie Wolf,UNPS Horticulture Committee Chair

Youve probably been in thissituation at least once maybemany times. New acquaintanceslearn that you know about Utah na-tive plants. They have good inten-tions to go green and make theirlandscape more environmentallyfriendly. Their question seems sim-ple enough what should I plant?But as a native plant enthusiast,there is no simple answer. Here aresome tips for helpful, non-misleading, supportive, yet fairlyquick responses:

Encourage continued inter-est. Echo their statements about

wanting to conserve native plants,use less water, apply fewer pesti-cides, etc. Assure them its smart toemploy sustainable landscapingpractices and that by growing nativeplants they will be leaders amongtheir peers.

Introduce a larger concept.Initial focus may be on saving water

How to Answer the Common Question:What Native Plants Can I Grow in my Yard?

Above: Penstemon rostriflorus in a gar-den in Cedar City.

centers and nurseries (listed on thewebsite).

Invite them to your UNPSChapter meetings. Everyone hassomething to contribute. Welcome

your new acquaintances into UNPS,assuring them that they can partici-pate at whatever level of commit-ment they can afford. Brag on someof the accomplishments UNPS hasachieved in protecting rare and en-dangered species, and how mucheveryones membership helps con-tinued efforts.

by a short section organizedaround the various agents(inducers) that produce the galls.

A majority of the book's 397 pagesis devoted to the plants on whichparticular galls occur, brokendown between trees and shrubs,and then more specifically to oak,sagebrush, rabbitbrush, etc. A fewhundred galls are covered, many

with good photographs and somewith line drawings. After our SaltLake Chapter hike on StansburyIsland we were able to easily iden-tify some galls on rabbitbrush as

bubble galls produced by a littletephritid fly. Inside each was asmall black pupa waiting for the

weather to warm up before hatch-ing. This book is thoroughly rec-ommended for those with a gen-eral interest in natural history.

A Field Guide to Biological SoilCrusts of Western U.S. Drylands:Common Lichens and Bryophytes

by Roger Rosentreter, MatthewBowker and Jayne Belnap (U.S.Government Printing Office).

Available free as a spiral bound bookfrom the USGS (email [email protected]), or by download as a pdffile (http://sbsc.wr.usgs. gov/products/pdfs/Field_Guide_Book_25.pdf). This is a very nicelittle guide of about 100 pages, in-tended to help workers in the fieldidentify and monitor the soil cruststhat are such an important part ofour desert ecosystems. A brief in-troduction to the crusts and their

biological function is followed bykeys to the mosses, liverworts andlichens. Each species has its own

page with color photos, descriptionsand distribution maps. The nar-rower scope of this guide (it does notinclude lichens that occur predomi-nantly on rocks, for instance) limitsthe number of people who will reallyget a lot out of it, but it does providea compact source of informationabout these fascinating organismsfor any interested person. I suggest

you check out the web version to seeif it is really of interest to you beforesending off for a hard copy.

For the Bookshelf (or Glove Compartment)by Bill Gray
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://sbsc.wr.usgs.gov/products/pdfs/Field_Guide_Book_25.pdfhttp://sbsc.wr.usgs.gov/products/pdfs/Field_Guide_Book_25.pdfhttp://sbsc.wr.usgs.gov/products/pdfs/Field_Guide_Book_25.pdfhttp://sbsc.wr.usgs.gov/products/pdfs/Field_Guide_Book_25.pdfhttp://sbsc.wr.usgs.gov/products/pdfs/Field_Guide_Book_25.pdfhttp://sbsc.wr.usgs.gov/products/pdfs/Field_Guide_Book_25.pdfmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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may-june 2008 sego lily newsletter, utah native plant society

Documents