ABDSP BOTANY SOCIETY NEWSLETTER

October/November 2015

Travis Huxman to Address Botany General Meeting November 9, 10 a.m. at the ABDSP Visitor Center

Travis E. Huxman, Ph.D. will speak at the November meeting of the ABDSP Botany Society on the projected effects of climate change on desert plants. Dr. Huxman studies plant evolution, plant physiology, ecohydrology, and the ecosystem consequences of climate change. Much of his recent work focuses on how drought structures plant communities and how vegetation change in water-limited regions influences the goods and services provided by natural ecosystems.

Dr. Huxman embraces a community-engagement approach to studying environmental challenges that involves local communities and vested stakeholders in the issues at hand. He is a product of California’s higher education system, attending Chaffey Community College and CSU San Bernardino prior to earning his PhD in Biology from University of Nevada Las Vegas. He carried out a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Colorado, Boulder from 2000 to 2001 and from 2001 to 2012 he was a professor at the University of Arizona. At UA he led the development of a one-of-a-kind Earth System Experiment at the Biosphere 2 facility, developed public outreach programs at the Flandrau Science Museum, and established a teacher training program through the Arizona Center for STEM Teachers. Since 2012 he is Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California, Irvine and the Director of the Center for Environmental Biology. In addition, Dr. Huxman oversees the Steele/Burnand Anza-Borrego Desert Research Center and the expanding campus-wide Sustainability Initiative.

A message from your co-presidents, Joanne Ingwall and Julie Taylor…. Welcome to the 2015-2016 ABDSP Botany Society season! We are looking forward to a season full of familiar activities and some new ones as well. But first we must share some bittersweet news.

Judy Ramirez, who has led our certification curriculum for many years, has left Borrego and moved to the coast for personal reasons. We are so very grateful to her for all that she has done for the Botany Society and its mission. There is no aspect of our program that Judy did not make better. Judy revitalized and led a now active herbarium program; she transformed the certification curriculum into team-led, hands-on teaching enjoyed by all; and Judy also actively participated in the Botany Study Group and weed removal programs. She did all this and more with grace and a willing smile. Thank you, Judy! You have touched us all in many ways and will be greatly missed! We wish you well in your new adventures!

In just a few weeks, Botany Society programs will begin. Here is the schedule as it now stands. Botany Study Group (BSG), led by Joanne Ingwall and Mike Strandberg What: Certified Botany Society members participate in a self-directed series of classes designed to expand our knowledge of botany and make us better able to fulfill our mission. The specific goals of the Botany Study Group are to study selected topics in depth and to study topics not covered in the Botany Certification Course so as to improve our ability to educate the public, document changes in the flora of the ABDSP and serve as early warning sentries for invasive plants in the ABDSP and its immediate environs. Participants take turns researching and presenting materials drawn from botany monographs, botany textbooks and videos. Typically two or three topics are discussed each session. The best part of the BSG is that we choose what we want to study! When and where: Classes are typically 4 hours long every Monday in November, December and April, bracketing the Botany Curriculum taught January-March. They are usually held in the District Conference Room behind the Begole Archeology Building, beginning at 9 am (but at noon on the days of our monthly lectures). Bring your lunch! Preliminary schedule for November BSG sessions: Nov 2 Kathy Bussey on Palms

Joanne Ingwall on Plant Evolution We will also choose the topics for sessions to be held on Nov 22 & 29

Nov 9 Following the monthly public meeting and lecture (see below) the BSG topic will be: Jojoba. We need a volunteer for this presentation; please volunteer by emailing Joanne at ingwallr@mac.com

Nov. 16 Kate Harper will use the entire session to present Grasses Monthly Botany Society Public Lectures What: One of the many ways that the Botany Society fulfills its mission of educational outreach to the public is to sponsor monthly (November thru April) lectures given by

regional botany experts. These are open to the public, and there is no charge. Diana Lindsay has organized this program each year – thank you, Diana! 2015-2016 is the 6th season of this highly successful activity. You won’t want to miss a single one. When and where: Every second Monday at 10 am in the Discovery Lab at the ABDSP Visitor Center 2015-2016 Schedule: Nov 9 Travis E. Huxman, PhD from UCI and the Steele-Burnand Research Center will speak on The Impact of Climate Change on

Plants. Dec 14 Carl Bell, an invasive species specialist, on Southern California invasive plant management January 11 Kate Barrows , past president of the California Native Plant Society February 8 Don Fosket, on plant physiology March 14 Daniel Winkler, Ph.D. student at the UCI Desert Research Station April 11 LuAnn Thompson, who leads the CDD PORTS program will discuss the use of plants and ecology in educational programs Fall Botany Festival What: Seven years ago, our first president, Don Rideout, created the Fall Botany Festival. There are several parts to the festival – all educational and all fun.

The main activity is the sale of desert-adapted plants. This is held Friday and Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend (Nov. 27 & 28) at the ABDSP Visitor Center (co-sponsored by the Anza-Borrego Foundation). Experts will be on hand to answer your questions about the plants and how to grow them. See below for further details on the plant sale.

On Saturday at 10 am (Nov. 28) in the Discovery Lab of the Visitor Center, Teresa Everett from Moosa Creek Nursery will continue the tradition of having a commercial plant specialist talk to us about gardening.

Botany Society volunteers will lead tours of the VC Garden. Please volunteer for a 2 hr. stint to help sell the plants and/or to lead a VC Garden tour. Contact Don Rideout at don@rideouts.net. See further details on the Botany Festival in this newsletter. We plan to use the Newsletter/Web page to communicate with you about what is happening in the Botany Society. Minutes will be posted on the members only page so you can keep up with our planning.

"Plants offer so much to so many. For the scientist there are endless new questions to ponder as modern technologies reveal more facts about plant biology. For the naturalist there is constant opportunity to gain an ever-growing appreciation of the miracles of nature--a simple magnifying glass can open up a whole new world. For the artist--what a richness of material for pen or paintbrush or camera. And for a child there is the magic of a beautiful flower springing from a bulb planted in the soil." Jane Goodall SEEDS OF HOPE

FALL FESTIVAL & PLANT SALE

This year, for the first time, we will be taking pre-orders for plants. That means you can plan ahead for what you want and be assured that there will be enough of the most popular plants. How to Order – Look at the plant list below and decide what you want. Then go to our web site to complete the order form, http://www.anzaborregobotany.org/plant-sale/.

Select the plants you want and submit the form to us. We will send you an email confirmation that your order has been received and tell you the cost.

Picking Up Plants – You can pick up your plants on Friday or Saturday, November 27 or 28, between 9:00 am and 3:00 pm at the Visitor Center. Or you can make arrangements to pick them up at another time. You won’t be limited to the plants you pre-ordered. When you pick up, you can buy more from whatever we have in stock. If you don’t want to pre-order you can just come to the plant sale either day and select from what we have on hand. Below is the list of available plants as it will appear on the order form. We sell primarily 1 gal. plants, and these are usually the best value at $10 each. However, we can get up to 15 gal. plants which may be the only sizes available for trees or large shrubs. These will be priced depending on the species. If a column is checked it means the plant is usually available in that size. The Source column refers to the nursery the plant comes from, either Green Desert Nursery in Indio (GDN), Moosa Creek Nursery in Valley Center (MCN), or Living Desert Museum in Indian Wells (LDM). All species listed here are native to southern California deserts, and most are found within ABDSP.

Botanical Name Common Name 1 gal. 5 gal.

15 gal.

Source

Abutilon palmeri Indian Mallow X X GDN

Asclepias subulata Rush Milkweed X X GDN

Bahia parishii (formerly Viguiera deltoidea)

Parish’s Golden Eye X X GDN

Bursera microphylla Elephant Tree Special Container

Calliandra eriophylla Pink Fairy Duster X X X GDN

Chilopsis linearis Desert Willow X X GDN

Cylindropuntia bigelovii Teddy Bear Cactus X GDN

Encelia farinosa Brittle Bush X X GDN

Ericameria (Chrysothamnus) nauseosa

Rabbitbrush X MCN

Eriogonum fasciculatum var. polifolium

Eastern Mojave Buckwheat

X MCN

Fallugia paradoxa Apache Plume X X GDN

Ferocactus cylindraceus Barrel Cactus X X X GDN

Fouquieria splendens Ocotillo X GDN

Fraxinus veluntina Arizona Ash X GDN

Hyptis emoryi Desert Lavender X X

Justicia californica Chuparosa X X X

Larrea tridentata Creosote Bush (in case you don’t already have enough creosote)

X X GDN

Muhlenbergia rigens Deer Grass X X GDN

Parkinsonia (Cercidium) microphyllum

Foothill Palo Verde X GDN

Parkinsonia (Cercidium) ‘Desert Museum”

Hybrid Palo Verde X GDN

Parkinsonia (Cercidium) florida

Blue Palo Verde X GDN

Penstemon eatonii Eaton’s Penstemon X X GDN

Peritoma (Isomeris) arborea

Bladderpod X MCN

Rhus ovata Sugar Bush X X GDN

Salvia apiana White Sage X MCN

Salvia clevelandii Cleveland Sage X X GDN

Simmondsia chinensis Jojoba X X X GDN

Sphaeralcea ambigua Apricot Mallow X X GDN

Vitis girdiana Desert Wild Grape X

The newsletter editors, Don and Sheila Rideout, invite contributions from Botany Society, Park staff, and any interested member of the community. Please email your contributions to thebotanysociety@gmail.com. If you have single photos or short contributions, try Tweeting to @Botany Society.