The Southeast Chapter is newly revitalized and your participation, no matter where you are in Southeast Colorado, is welcomed. Activities will be scheduled throughout the year with most meetings in Pueblo and field trips to a variety of sites throughout the area.
Southeast Chapter meetings are held from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. All meetings, unless otherwise noted, will be held at the Colorado State University Extension Office Meeting Room, 212 W. 12th. Street in Pueblo.
For more meeting information, please call Warren Nolan: (719) 543-6196.
Chapter officers are:
President Ed Roland (email)
Secretary Elizabeth Catt (email)
Treasurer Marcia Weaber (email)
Media/Publicity Warren Nolan (email)
Meetings and Field Trips Committee members are Linda McMulkin (email), Christina MacLeod (email), Warren Nolan (email), and Steve Olson (email).
Oenothera harringtonii, Comanche National Grasslands. Photo by Steve Olson.
Programs and Field Trips
Programs
Programs for 2010 will be posted soon. For more information about programs, call Warren Nolan [719-543-6196] or email him.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2010
Taking the Confusion out of Woody Shrub I.D.
Presenter: Dr. Neal Osborn
Location: Cheyenne Mountain Branch of the Pikes Peak Library District, Cheyenne Meeting Room. 1785 S. 8th Street, Colorado Springs
If you're not current on your currants, or you're trying to identify Oreobatus deliciosus by taste-testing the berries (won't work, they're X @# awful!), PLEASE, PLEASE, avoid consternation and confusion on the trail and attend this meeting.
Dr. Neal Osborn, Professor Emeritus of plant taxonomy and morphology at Colorado State University, Pueblo, will show you how to avoid getting stumped by woody shrubs. Even Snowberries in their various iterations will become so easy to identify that you'll be looking for them on the trail instead of avoiding their known habitats. And, if you consider yourself a woody shrub expert, chances are you'll learn something you didn't already know (but mistakenly thought you did).
For additional information contact Warren Nolan at (719) 543-6196 or warrenn@aculink.net
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2010
Taking the Confusion out of Woody Shrub I.D.
Presenter: Dr. Neal Osborn
Location: CSU Extension Pueblo County (New Location) 701 Court Street, Suite C, Pueblo
See above description.
THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2010
The Weed Invasion
Presenters: Emily Lockard and John Powell
Location: Pueblo
THURSDAY, MARCH 25, 2010
The Weed Invasion
Presenters: Emily Lockard and John Powell
Location: Colorado Springs
THURSDAY, APRIL 29, 2010
Protecting Rare Plants in the Arkansas Valley Barrens
Presenters: Colorado Rare Plant Initiative Management Team Location: Colorado Springs
THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2010
Native Plant Digital Photography Workshop
Presenter: Pat McCraken
Location: Pueblo
Field Trips
General Information: All trips start in the morning and go into the afternoon, except for the photography workshop on May 20. The time or duration of each trip will depend on the distance traveled and the number of plant species observed. Except as noted, participants should bring a lunch, plenty of water, their favorite flora keys, 10X hand lens, and rain gear.
The Southeast Chapter welcomes everyone from professional botanists to beginners. Beginners may experience "plant terminology shock." However, with increased participation, the terminology will become a familiar and even enjoyable part of the learning experience.
REGISTRATION: Advanced registration is required since leaders typically limit participation to somewhere between 10 and 15 persons.
TO REGISTER FOR A TRIP: E-mail your name, trip date, and phone number (in the event of a last minute cancellation), to SEtrips@gmail.com. You will be contacted by reply email to confirm your registration or, if a trip is full, given the option of being wait-listed.
IMPORTANT: AN ANNOUNCEMENT WITH DETAILS ON EACH TRIP IS E-MAILED 2 TO 3 WEEKS IN ADVANCE OF EACH TRIP DATE. Details may include exact meeting locations, directions to the trailhead, and/or car pooling information. These detailed announcements will be emailed to you after you register.
Please see CoNPS policies for field trips. Following are some of the basic policies.
1) Refrain from plant collecting except for scientific study.
2) Share rides and pay the driver.
3) No pets on trips.
4) Trips are typically aimed at adult audiences unless otherwise specified.
5) Participants must sign a waiver and release of liability form. The written policies and waiver form can be found at the bottom of the Field Trips page.
6) Please be sure to notify the trip leader if you need to cancel, otherwise everyone will be waiting for you at the meeting place.
Every Tuesday throughout the summer of 2010
Join Jeff Jones for his weekly Hewlett-Packard Bird/Plant/Nature Walks in Colorado Springs. Jeff leads the walks every Tuesday from noon to 1 p.m., late March through September.
Meet at the extreme southeast corner of the CX01 building (which is 301 Rockrimmon Blvd) on the HP property. The hour is spent walking the various undeveloped habitats on the 300 acre property identifying all matter of life (birds, plants, mammals, reptiles, etc). Jeff keeps a formal database of all things seen and identified. Questions? Email Jeff or call him at 719-205-5650.
April 3, 2010
Early Season Botanizing
Leader: Doris Drisgill, area naturalist
Location: Garden of the Gods Park, several miles west of Colorado Springs
We will take an easy hike of 2 to 3 miles through Garden of the Gods Park. We will look for the first signs of spring, including Townsendia grandiflora (Showy Easter Daisy), Townsendia hookeri (Easter Daisy), Musineon divaricatum (Musineon), and Lesquerella Montana (Bladderpod).
This trip may be postponed to the following week (Saturday, April 10) in case of inclement weather, or to optimize our chances for seeing early season blooms.
Doris Drisgill is an interested amateur botanist who has lived in Colorado since 1968. In 1992 she started volunteering at the El Paso County nature centers, where she developed an interest in native plants of the Pikes Peak area. She has taken courses in botany from George Cameron at Pikes Peak Community College, the late Beatrice Willard in Rocky Mountain National Park, and Linda and Richard Beidleman, also in Rocky Mountain National Park. She brings spunk, joy, and an all encompassing wildflower vocabulary to her trips.
Equipment: water, sturdy walking shoes, sack lunch, rain jacket, and an extra layer. Optional equipment: camera, hand lens, and key books.
Call Doris Drisgill at 719-578-1092 for additional information. This trip will start in the morning. To register for this trip put your name, this trip date, and your phone number on the subject line of an email to SEtrips@gmail.com. Additional details will be forthcoming and will include exact meeting time and location, directions to the trailhead, and/or options for car pooling.
May 20, 2010, 6:30 p.m.
Digital Photography Workshop
Instructor: Pat McCracken
Location: Southeast Colorado Water Conservation District meeting room (near Pueblo Airport)
Wherever you are in your progression toward photographic perfection, this workshop will help you take better pictures. The emphasis will be on botanical subjects, of course, but the techniques will help you with just about any close-up.
Pat is a photographer and a member of the contra dance band Nimble Fingers. Pat offered a Digital Photography class through Colorado STate University Extension last spring, and everyone came away raving about what a great teacher Pat is. Pat knows digital photography, and unlike many people who know their subject matter but can’t teach it, Pat can teach it.
Equipment: Bring your digital camera, memory card, and extra batteries.
To register for this workshop put your name, this workshop date, and your phone number on the subject line of an email to SEtrips@gmail.com.
May 22, 2010
Descent to the Purgatorie (River, That Is)
Leader: Steve Olson, Botanist, United States Forest Service
Location: Comanche National Grasslands, approximately twenty miles south of La Junta
Brought back by popular demand, this is a repeat of last year's field trip to Picketwire Canyon, but this time we intend to visit the Red Rocks section of Picketwire Canyon. We will identify various and interesting plant species including shrubs (Atriplex canescens / Fourwing Saltbush), perennial wildflowers (Asclepias asperula /Antelope Horns), and grasses (Chondrosum gracile / Blue Grama). In addition, we will also discuss the relationships of these plant species to the very interesting geology of the area. The plan is to have a United States Forest Service geologist along to explain and describe the geology.
One of our members writes this about Picketwire Canyon: “A beautiful canyon filled with amazing archaeology, paleontology, and botany. My favorite natural place in Colorado.”
This is a moderate to strenuous trip. Go to http://www.exploresoutheastcolorado.com/picketwire.htm for additional information.
Steve Olson, Botanist with the United States Forest Service, led this field trip last year. Participants from that trip complimented his enthusiasm, knowledge, and quiet, low key demeanor.
Equipment: water, sturdy walking shoes, sack lunch, rain jacket, and an extra layer. Optional equipment: camera, hand lens, and key books. This trip will start in the morning. To register for this trip put your name, this trip date, and your phone number on the subject line of an email to SEtrips@gmail.com. Additional details will be forthcoming and will include exact meeting time and location, directions to the trailhead, and/or options for car pooling.
May 23, 2010
Colorado Native Plant Society Coral Bluffs Field Survey
Leader: Jackie Hilaire, Coral Bluffs Alliance
Location: Coral Bluffs Open Space, approximately four miles east of Colorado Springs
This trip is for those with some plant identification experience. Familiarity with a flora key, such as William Weber's, would be helpful. Participants will help complete an essential field survey in the Coral Bluffs Open Space near Colorado Springs. To get a relatively complete picture of species in the area, the survey will include subsequent visits over the course of the 2010 growing season. This is a moderate to strenuous trip.
See www.savecorralbluffs.com for a map and details on what to wear and bring.
Equipment: water, sturdy walking shoes, sack lunch, rain jacket, and an extra layer. Optional equipment: camera, hand lens, and key books. We will meet at the Loaf ‘N Jug on Peterson Road off of Platte Road. Additional details will be forthcoming. The Corral Bluffs Open Space is not yet open to the public. Advanced reservations are required are required for this trip. Please email corralbluffs@aol.com to reserve your place.
June 5, 2010
“How to Use a Botanical Key” Workshop
Instructor: Dr. Tass Kelso, Professor of Botany at Colorado College
Location: Colorado College, Colorado Springs
The day will start with a classroom session detailing what you need to know to take your favorite flora key into the field and make it work for you. After these academics, we'll go where the plants are and practice, practice, practice.
Dr. Kelso is a teacher, researcher, and Director of the Carter Herbarium at Colorado College. She received her Ph.D. at the University of Alaska. Her research interests include: plant taxonomy, biogeography of the alpine/arctic, flora, and conservation of rare plants.
Equipment: Bring your favorite plant key and a hand lends.
To register for this workshop put your name, this workshop date, and your phone number on the subject line of an email to SEtrips@gmail.com.
June 6, 2010
Aiken Canyon
Leader: George Cameron, Biologist, Botanist and Instructor at Pike's Peak Community College
Location: Aiken Canyon (Nature Conservancy Preserve), approximately 12 miles south of Colorado Springs
We will traverse this 1,621 acre preserve to find and identify plant species in a diverse spectrum of life zones including: lower montane shrub lands, mixed woodlands, foothills riparian habitats, and tall grass prairie. This is an exceptional foothills ecosystem with new things to discover at every bend of the trail.
The Nature Conservancy web site says this about Aiken Canyon: “Striking images can be found here - the zone between the plains and mountains where dramatic red spires and outcrops collide with rich green flora. This is a high-quality foothills ecosystem along the southern Front Range. A treasure trove of plant and animal communities call this home.”
This is a moderately strenuous trip. Go to http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/colorado/preserves/art517.html for additional information.
George Cameron teaches “Biology of Plants and Plant Taxonomy” courses at Pikes Peak Community College. He has written numerous booklets, including “Identifying Wildflowers in Red Rocks Open Space.”
Equipment: water, sturdy walking shoes, sack lunch, rain jacket, and an extra layer. Optional equipment: camera, hand lens, and key books. This trip will start in the morning. To register for this trip put your name, this trip date, and your phone number on the subject line of an email to SEtrips@gmail.com. Additional details will be forthcoming and will include exact meeting time and location, directions to the trailhead, and/or options for car pooling.
June 12, 2010
Birds and Botany
Leader: Jeff Jones, Avian Specialist and Naturalist
Location: Trout Creek Riparian Corridor, near Woodland Park in Teller County
On this trip, the emphasis will be on the interrelationship between avian species and the native plant species they depend on for food and shelter. Birders consider the Trout Creek Riparian Corridor the crown jewel of Teller County. We will see why it is essential to protect the native plant communities which provide the foundation for so many other living species. Since we will be on the lookout for both flora and fauna, a pair of binoculars will come in as handy as your 10X camera lens.
This is a moderately strenuous trip. Go to http://www.coloradocountybirding.com/county/bird_a_county.php?name=Teller for additional information.
Equipment: water, sturdy walking shoes, sack lunch, rain jacket, and an extra layer. Optional equipment: camera, hand lens, and key books. This trip will start in the morning. To register for this trip put your name, this trip date, and your phone number on the subject line of an email to SEtrips@gmail.com. Additional details will be forthcoming and will include exact meeting time and location, directions to the trailhead, and/or options for car pooling.
June 19, 2010
Spring in the Alpine
Leader: Doris Drisgill, Area Naturalist
Location: Pike's Peak Tollgate, approximately 10 miles west of Colorado Springs
We will search for early tundra alpine wildflowers including the endemic Oreoxis humilis (Alpine Parsley), Mertensia alpina (Alpine Bluebells), and the rare Aquilegia saximontana (Dwarf Columbine). The hike will be fairly easy, about 1 mile in length, but remember, you will be hiking at high altitude. It is all too easy for those of us who live near Pikes Peak to take this majestic peak for granted, and to forget that its immense swath of tundra is home to many alpine wildflowers we too often associate with more distant and exotic locales.
Doris Drisgill is an interested amateur botanist who has lived in Colorado since 1968. In 1992 she started volunteering at the El Paso County nature centers, where she developed an interest in native plants of the Pikes Peak area. She has taken courses in botany from George Cameron at Pikes Peak Community College, the late Beatrice Willard in Rocky Mountain National Park, and Linda and Richard Beidleman, also in Rocky Mountain National Park. Every June, since 1993, she has led trips up Pikes Peak to look at the alpine flowers. They are her special passion.
Equipment: water, sturdy walking shoes, sack lunch, rain jacket, and an extra layer. Optional equipment: camera, hand lens, and key books.
We will meet at the Pike's Peak tollgate; expect to pay an entrance fee of $7 per person. We will then carpool up to Elk Park Knoll at 12,000 feet. This trip will start in the morning. To register for this trip put your name, this trip date, and your phone number on the subject line of an email to SEtrips@gmail.com. Additional details will be forthcoming and will include exact meeting time and location, directions to the trailhead, and/or options for car pooling.
June 20, 2010
Mosca Pass to the Great Sand Dunes
Leader: Steve Olson, Botanist, United State Forest Service
Location: Mosca Pass, approximately fifty miles southwest of Westcliffe
We will hike a a fabulous trail for all things botanical from the top of Mosca pass, west toward the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. The trailhead is easily accessed by car from the eastern side of the Sangre de Cristo mountains. This trails traverses moist meadows, rocky exposures, and riparian habitats. After botanizing, some of the more intrepid souls may want to make a day of it and hike all the way to the dunes. This is a moderately strenuous trip unless you do the round-trip from the top of Mosca Pass to the Sand Dunes.
Go to http://www.trails.com/tcatalog_trail.aspx?trailid=HGR114-362 for additional information.
Steve Olson, Botanist with the United States Forest Service, has led several field trips for our organization. Participants from these earlier trips compliment his enthusiasm, knowledge, and quiet, low key demeanor.
Equipment: water, sturdy walking shoes, sack lunch and appropriate outerwear—rain jacket and an extra layer. Optional equipment: camera, hand lens, and key books This trip will start in the morning.
To register for this trip put your name, this trip date, and your phone number on the subject line of an email to SEtrips@gmail.com. Additional details will be forthcoming and will include exact meeting time and location, directions to the trailhead, and/or options for car pooling.
June 26, 2010
The Riparian Foothill of Emerald Valley
Leader: Doris Drisgill, area naturalist
Location: Cheyenne Canyon near Colorado Springs
We plan to explore Emerald Valley which is off of the Old Stage Road west of Colorado Springs. We will hike a moderate 4 to 5 miles in search of the very rare Cypripedium calceolus (Lady’s Slipper Orchid) as well as associated streamside plants.
Go to http://www.etrailmaps.com/Trail_Guides/Emerald_Valley_Trail_Guide.pdf for additional information.
Doris Drisgill is an interested amateur botanist who has lived in Colorado since 1968. In 1992 she started volunteering at the El Paso County nature centers, where she developed an interest in native plants of the Pikes Peak area. She has taken courses in botany from George Cameron at Pikes Peak Community College, the late Beatrice Willard in Rocky Mountain National Park, and Linda and Richard Beidleman, also in Rocky Mountain National Park. Every June, since 1993, she has led trips up Pikes Peak to look at the alpine flowers. They are her special passion.
Equipment: water, sturdy walking shoes, sack lunch and appropriate outerwear—rain jacket and an extra layer. Optional equipment: camera, hand lens, and key books.
We plan to carpool up the Old Stage Road to Emerald Valley; high clearance vehicles are recommended for this portion of the trip. This trip will start in the morning. To register for this trip put your name, this trip date, and your phone number on the subject line of an email to SEtrips@gmail.com. Additional details will be forthcoming and will include exact meeting time and location, directions to the trailhead, and/or options for car pooling.
July 10, 2010
Up the Greenhorn
Leader: Dr. Neal Osborn, Botanist and Professor Emeritus, Colorado State University, Pueblo
Location: Cuerno Verde Trailhead, Greenhorn Mountain near Rye Colorado
We will identify native shrubs such Jamesia americana (Waxflower), Holodiscus dumosus (Rockspirea), Ribes aureum (Golden Currant), and Rhus trilobata (Skunkbush or Three-Leaf Sumac), and many other herbaceous species in montane habitats, ranging from pastoral creekside to massive exposures of granite and gneiss. Based on past experience, this will be a leisurely trip up an easy trail to one of the upper canyons of Greenhorn Creek. Go to the following web address for an informative article about Greenhorn Peak and the Wet Mountains: http://www.gazette.com/articles/wilderness-61612-mountain-greenhorn.html.
Dr. Neal Osborn was a legendary botany teacher at what is now Colorado State University, Pueblo, and his lectures and field trips always attract a crowd, a mix of former students and those anxious to learn botany from this kind and patient teacher. Yes, Dr. Osborn is an amazing lecturer, but to really see him in his element you must do a wildflower hike with him. Someone posted this note about him on the web: “Two weeks ago on our church hike, Neal Osborn showed us several plants along the way. One that I remember in particular was a pretty little flower with a bluish, waxy sheen to it. Neal explained that this bluish, waxy covering was the plant's way of being able to both receive the helpful qualities of the sun for photosynthesis yet protect itself from harmful UV rays.”
Equipment: water, sturdy walking shoes, sack lunch, rain jacket, and an extra layer. Optional equipment: camera, hand lens, and key books. This trip will start in the morning. To register for this trip put your name, this trip date, and your phone number on the subject line of an email to SEtrips@gmail.com. Additional details will be forthcoming and will include exact meeting time and location, directions to the trailhead, and/or options for car pooling.
July 17, 2020
Grass Identification Workshop and Field Trip
Leaders: Rich Rhoades, District Conservationist, Natural Resources Conservation Service and
Kimberly Diller, Rangeland Management Specialist, Natural Resources Conservation Service
Location: Chico Basin Ranch, east of I25 between Pueblo and Colorado Springs
Join us for an introductory session on the morphology of the Poaceae (the grasses), then practice your in-the-field grass identification skills under the tutelage of the experts from the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Chico Basin is a unique blend of working cattle ranch and educational venue. It was selected for this workshop because of its pristine meadows and wide diversity of grass species: long grasses, short grass prairie, and even riparian types of grasses. The Greater Chico Basin has been identified by the Nature Conservancy as one of Colorado’s “last great places.” Go to http://www.chicobasinranch.com/ for additional information.
Rich Rhoades and Kimberly Diller taught a grass identification workshop to our group last year. They are both passionate and knowledgeable about grass and this promises to be a standing room only workshop.
Equipment: water, sturdy walking shoes, sack lunch, rain jacket, and an extra layer. Optional equipment: camera, hand lens, and key books. This trip will start in the morning. To register for this trip put your name, this trip date, and your phone number on the subject line of an email to SEtrips@gmail.com. Additional details will be forthcoming and will include exact meeting time and location, directions to the trailhead, and/or options for car pooling.
July 18, 2010
Lilies in Cheyenne Canyon
Leader: Doris Drisgill, area naturalist
Location: Cheyenne Canyon, west of Colorado Springs
We'll hike a moderately strenuous 5 to 6 miles to see the rare Lilium philadelphicum and associated streamside species below St. Mary's Falls on Buffalo Creek. Go to http://e-trailmaps.com/Trail_Guides/St._Mary_s_Falls_Trail_Guide.pdf for additional information.
Doris Drisgill is an interested amateur botanist who has lived in Colorado since 1968. In 1992 she started volunteering at the El Paso County nature centers, where she developed an interest in native plants of the Pikes Peak area. She has taken courses in botany from George Cameron at Pikes Peak Community College, the late Beatrice Willard in Rocky Mountain National Park, and Linda and Richard Beidleman, also in Rocky Mountain National Park. Every June, since 1993, she has led trips up Pikes Peak to look at the alpine flowers. They are her special passion.
Equipment: water, sturdy walking shoes, sack lunch, rain jacket, and an extra layer. Optional equipment: camera, hand lens, and key books. This trip will start in the morning. To register for this trip put your name, this trip date, and your phone number on the subject line of an email to SEtrips@gmail.com. Additional details will be forthcoming and will include exact meeting time and location, directions to the trailhead, and/or options for car pooling.
July 24, 2010
High Season Botanizing and Photography in the Sangres
Leaders: George Cameron, Biologist, Botanist and Instructor at Pikes Peak Community College Wojtek Rychlik, professional photographer
Location: Sangre de Cristos Mountain Range, Specific trail to be announced
This trip is timed to take advantage of the spectacular mid-summer wildflower displays in the high meadows of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The specific location is to be announced, but wherever we go, you are likely to be dazzled. This will be a moderately strenuous trip.
Botanist George Cameron will help us identify the many species of wildflowers. George Cameron teaches “Biology of Plants and Plant Taxonomy” courses at Pikes Peak Community College. He has written numerous booklets, including “Identifying Wildflowers in Red Rocks Open Space.”
We will also get pointers on how to photograph wildflowers from renowned photographer, Wojtek Rychlik. Wojtek Rychlik is a nature photographer who received his Ph.D. degree in biology in Poland in 1980; he has published scientific biochemical journals and has been interested in photography for nearly fifty years. He is author, editor, and illustrator of "Lakes of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains,” a portable document file (e-book) with searchable names for the lakes and mountains of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
Equipment: water, sturdy walking shoes, sack lunch, rain jacket, and an extra layer. Optional equipment: camera, hand lens, and key books. This trip will start in the morning. To register for this trip put your name, this trip date, and your phone number on the subject line of an email to SEtrips@gmail.com. Additional details will be forthcoming and will include exact meeting time and location, directions to the trailhead, and/or options for car pooling.
July 24, 2010
Horsethief Park Wetlands
Leader: Doris Drisgill, Area Naturalist
Location: Highway 24, Horsethief Park Trailhead
We will hike a moderately strenuous 4 to 6 miles to see the montane beaver ponds, wetlands, and meadows at 10,000 ft. We may find Calochortus, Aconitum, and several varieties of Gentiana, among many others. Go to the following web address for additional information about this trail: http://www.localhikes.com/hikes/HorsethiefFalls_0000.asp
Doris Drisgill is an interested amateur botanist who has lived in Colorado since 1968. In 1992 she started volunteering at the El Paso County nature centers, where she developed an interest in native plants of the Pikes Peak area. She has taken courses in botany from George Cameron at Pikes Peak Community College, the late Beatrice Willard in Rocky Mountain National Park, and Linda and Richard Beidleman, also in Rocky Mountain National Park. Every June, since 1993, she has led trips up Pikes Peak to look at the alpine flowers. They are her special passion.
Equipment: water, sturdy walking shoes, sack lunch, rain jacket, and an extra layer. Optional equipment: camera, hand lens, and key books. This trip will start in the morning; we will carpool from the Safeway lot on Colorado Ave. (west of 31st) to the trailhead. To register for this trip put your name, this trip date, and your phone number on the subject line of an email to SEtrips@gmail.com. Additional details will be forthcoming and will include exact meeting time and location, directions to the trailhead, and/or options for car pooling.
August 15, 2010
West Spanish Peak
Leader: Dr. Neal Osborn, Botanist and Professor Emeritus, Colorado State University-Pueblo
Location: West Spanish Peak via Cordova Pass, approximately 11 miles southwest of La Veta
If we are lucky this will be the perfect time of year to catch the departure of summer wildflowers and the arrival of fall wildflowers, and what better place to witness the mix of seasons than West Spanish Peak, a special area to view both the famed geological dikes, and of course, some beautiful alpine species!
We will start hiking at approx. 11,000 ft. elevation; we will see one of the most picturesque stands of Bristlecone Pines in Colorado, plus Gentians and many other alpine species. Note that the trip date could be changed depending on seasonal moisture and the opportunity to see species in bloom. This is a moderately strenuous hike unless you decide to climb West Spanish Peak. Go to http://www.summitpost.org/mountain/rock/150802/west-spanish-peak.html for additional information.
Dr. Neal Osborn was a legendary botany teacher at what is now Colorado STate University, Pueblo, and his lectures and field trips always attract a crowd, a mix of former students and those anxious to learn botany from this kind and patient teacher. Yes, Dr. Osborn is an amazing lecturer, but to really see him in his element you must do a wildflower hike with him. Someone posted this note about him on the web: “Two weeks ago on our church hike, Neal Osborn showed us several plants along the way. One that I remember in particular was a pretty little flower with a bluish, waxy sheen to it. Neal explained that this bluish, waxy covering was the plant's way of being able to both receive the helpful qualities of the sun for photosynthesis yet protect itself from harmful UV rays.”
Equipment: water, sturdy walking shoes, sack lunch, rain jacket, and an extra layer. Optional equipment: camera, hand lens, and key books. This trip will start in the morning. To register for this trip put your name, this trip date, and your phone number on the subject line of an email to SEtrips@gmail.com. Additional details will be forthcoming and will include exact meeting time and location, directions to the trailhead, and/or options for car pooling.
August 22, 2010
The Fens of Greenhorn
Leader: Steve Olson, Botanist, United States Forest Service
Location: Greenhorn Peak, approximately forty miles west of Pueblo
If you doubt there are Fens in Colorado then you must go on this trip. Yes, fens are the stuff of Gothic literature and pale young women chasing vampires across some cloudy English moor, but there are also honest-to-god fens on Greenhorn Peak in southern Colorado. On this trip to the fens we should see find many species in the huge Carex family, including a number that are considered to be quite rare. We will also see numerous riparian grasses and other interesting wetland species in this extensive, high altitude fen.
This is an easy trip, but you must be prepared to wade through 6 to 12 inches of cold alkaline or neutral water (remember, bogs are acidic). Go to the following web address to view pictures of the area we will be visiting: http://www.sangres.com/mountains/greenhorntour.htm . An added bonus to this trip could be the budding of Boletus mushrooms along Greenhorn Road. Note that this trip could be changed to Sunday, August 29 to improve out chances of viewing certain species.
Steve Olson, Botanist with the United States Forest Service, has led several trips for our chapter. Participants in these trips compliment his enthusiasm, knowledge, and quiet, low key demeanor.
Equipment: water, sturdy walking shoes, sack lunch, rain jacket, and an extra layer. Optional equipment: camera, hand lens, and key books. This trip will start in the morning. To register for this trip put your name, this trip date, and your phone number on the subject line of an email to SEtrips@gmail.com. Additional details will be forthcoming and will include exact meeting time and location, directions to the trailhead, and/or options for car pooling.
