Chapters of the Colorado Native Plant Society

Reach out to the Boulder chapter – BoulderCoNPS@gmail.com

The Boulder Chapter welcomes those in Boulder County and surrounding areas.

The Boulder chapter engages communities in Boulder County, south of Loveland, north of Denver, east to the plains and west to the Rocky mountain front. Our Chapter embraces diversity in not only traditional matters of civil rights but also diversity in botanical interests and expertise. Our members range from experienced professional botanists with broad ecological skills to amateurs just learning about our wonderful native flora. By offering classes, workshops, meetings, and field trips to all members, we strive to share our love of native plants and encourage all members to improve their knowledge and skills.

We hold winter meetings from October-April on the first Wednesday of each month from 7-8:30 pm. These meetings are currently virtual on the GoToMeeting platform. When meetings are in person, location will be announced in the chapter newsletter. We offer field trips in the summer, typically April-August. Event information can be found in the chapter newsletter and on the CoNPS event calendar. Please email boulderconps@gmail.com if you have questions.

The widely diverse topography in Boulder County — from plains to alpine tundra – creates a unique opportunity for plants – approximately 1,500 vascular plants occur within the 750 square miles of Boulder County, which represent nearly half of all the plant species found in Colorado.*  The Continental Divide (the county’s western boundary) reaches its easternmost approach in North America, and its steepest gradient and shortest distance between the high peaks and plains. The Flatirons of the City of Boulder reach 8,000 feet, forming a sharply tilted wall where mesic conditions allow for a varied floristic community. The Central Great Plains and the Southern Rocky Mountain ecoregions meet in Boulder County.  The convergence of forested foothills and prairie grasslands provides particularly diverse habitats:  Bell’s twinpod (Physaria bellii), a rare plant found only in Boulder and Larimer Counties, grows here on shale barrens in grasslands.

Another rare species, prairie violet (Viola pedatifida) is found in our county’s grasslands and open ponderosa pine forests. Also in the foothills, on rocky or sandy soils, is the rare dwarf leadplant (Amorpha nana). The county’s high-quality wetlands and riparian areas are another prime location for native plants, including the federally threatened Ute ladies’-tresses orchid (Spiranthes diluvialis). Coupling with the incredible floral richness is the diversity of pollinators such as bees and butterflies.

The Denver Chapter webpage has good resources on plant identification.

PDF: A Cautionary Tale about Native and Non-Native Thistles

Prairie Violet (Viola pedatifida), Violet Family (Violaceae). Native and S2 (9mperiled in Colorado but secure globally). Found on dry grasslands and open ponderosa pine forests from plains to foothills along the Front Range on the eastern slope. Blooms April through June. Photo by Anna Theodorakos.

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Prairie Violet (Viola pedatifida), Violet Family (Violaceae). Native and S2 (9mperiled in Colorado but secure globally). Found on dry grasslands and open ponderosa pine forests from plains to foothills along the Front Range on the eastern slope. Blooms April through June. Photo by Anna Theodorakos.

Credits

Our Metro-Denver chapter reaches all of the communities in the greater Denver area, from Douglas county to the south, Aurora county to east, Jefferson county to the west and south of Boulder County, including Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, Clear Creek, Denver, Douglas, and Gilpin counties.

Reach out to the Metro-Denver chapter – metrodenverconps@gmail.com

Learn more about the Metro-Denver chapter HERE.

Our Northern chapter engages communities north of Boulder, east to the Kansas and Nebraska borders, north to the Wyoming border, and west to Routt counties, and is most active in Loveland, Fort Collins, and Estes Park.

Reach out to the Northern chapter – ColoradoNativePlantSociety@gmail.com

The Northern Chapter includes members from Loveland, Laramie, Red Feather Lakes, Greeley, Longmont, Estes Park, and more. We hope that wherever you are in north central and northeastern Colorado, you will join us for our free programs and field trips!

The Northern chapter does amazing work in the native plant gardening world. From installing public gardens to growing native plants for the NOCO Plant Swap and other initiatives, the Northern chapter is a leader among CoNPS chapters in these engagements.

In the winter, we meet to discuss botanical topics, look at plants, visit herbariums, and socialize. Our botany hikes are scheduled throughout the months of May through September and are posted in the event calendar of the CoNPS website.

Click HERE to view a video about the Northern Chapter’s Demo Garden Project at River’s Edge Natural Area.

Our Plateau chapter engages communities between Montrose and Grand Junction, and throughout the Grand Valley. The Plateau chapter meets the Gunnison chapter on it’s eastern boundary and extends to the Wyoming border to the north, west to the Utah border, and south where it meets the SW chapter.

Reach out to the Plateau chapter – PlateauCoNPS@gmail.com

The Plateau Chapter encompasses the west-central and northwest area of Colorado: from Grand Junction to Montrose to Gunnison to Glenwood Springs to Craig.  This broad geographic area means we have amazing localities for field trips from the sandstone canyons near Gateway to the high alpine of the San Juan Mountains. Meetings are typically held in Grand Junction and are combined with “mini-workshops” to build member’s botanical knowledge. These have included investigations of the diverse sunflower family, a detailed look at grass anatomy, and introductions to botanical terms to help in plant identification.  Wherever you are in Western Colorado, come join us for meetings and field trips.

Our San Luis Valley chapter meets our Arkansas River Valley chapter on Poncha Pass to the north, and extends east to the Sangre de Christo mountains, west to Curecanti National Recreation Area and our Gunnison chapter, and south to the New Mexico border.

Reach out to the San Luis Valley chapter – nativeplants4wildlife@gmail.com 

A Message from the New President

We will be starting a new Colorado Native Plant Society Chapter in the San Luis Valley. This chapter will include the counties of Saguache, Alamosa, Rio Grande, Conejos, Costilla, and Mineral. Currently there are over a dozen folks that are interested in participating and helping out with the chapter. My thoughts at this time include a slow SLV Chapter Beginning. I would like to offer a few native plant classes this year just to get the plant ball rolling. For the future I would like to offer the following opportunities including a Native Plant Master Program, gardening with native plants, classes and citizen science about native plants and pollinators, and botanical explorations in specific areas around the valley. I am intending to connect with local agencies such as USFS, Great Sand Dunes National Park, BLM, NRCS, Southwest Conservation CORPS, Orient Land Trust, TNC, and State Land Board for possible volunteer opportunities. I will also offer programs via Zoom and other web options.

If you are interested or know folks that may be interested, please contact slvchapterpresident@gmail.com.

Our Southeast chapter engages communities in the lower Arkansas River and Monument valleys, south of Douglas county to the north, east to the Kansas border, south to the New Mexico border, and westward until it meets the Arkansas River Valley chapter. The SE chapter is active in El Paso, Pueblo, and Otero counties.

Reach out to the Southeast chapter – laurel.conps@gmail.com

The Southeast Chapter encompasses a botanically diverse region that includes the deep canyons and riparian habitats that comprise the Arkansas River watershed, the peaks and foothills of the Wet and Sangre de Cristo ranges, the Pike’s Peak and Spanish Peaks regions, and millions of acres of short-grass prairie, including the Comanche Grasslands. 

Our Southwest Chapter engages communities west of the San Luis Valley, south to the New Mexico border, west to the Utah border, and north to the Plateau chapter. The SW chapter is very active in the Durango area.

Reach out to the SW chapter – swchapterconps@gmail.com 

Our newest chapter, the Gunnison Valley chapter is nestled between the Arkansas River Valley chapter to the east, the Plateau chapter to the west, and the SW chapter to the south.

Reach out to the Gunnison Valley chapter – ADD EMAIL ADDRESS

Our friends in Telluride are working to build a new chapter centered in Telluride. This chapter will be nestled between the Gunnison chapter to the north and the SW chapter to the south.

Reach out to the Telluride chapter – ADD EMAIL ADDRESS

If you do not have a CoNPS chapter in your area, you may create one; and it isn’t even very difficult.  All you need to do is to pull together ten friends who will form the chapter.  You then send a letter to the CoNPS president listing your 10 member which goes to the board for approval.  You then designate one person to be your “president” and that person becomes your representative at quarterly board meetings.  The president can attend the meeting in person on on our telephone hook-up.

Once your chapter is set up you are required to have at least one meeting a year and you must organize at least three field trips per year.  In order to fulfill our goal of educating the public about native plants, your meeting(s) must be open to the public.  Give it a try!

Details on chapters are located in Article IV of CoNPS Bylaws.