Growing Native Plants in Containers

Growing Native Plants in Containers

Yes, you can plant natives in containers! You can attract birds, butterflies, and native bees with them, too. And as you build your container garden you will also be contributing to the corridors of connectivity that environmentalists are trying to encourage...
Grateful for the Colorado Native Plant Society

Grateful for the Colorado Native Plant Society

The year 2023 did not always carry good news, but one star always shone brightly for me, and that was the activity of the Colorado Native Plant Society. Throughout our beautiful state there were opportunities to hike, to learn, to write, to gather seeds, and to help...
First Hints of Spring – Willow Trees in Flower

First Hints of Spring – Willow Trees in Flower

Flowers on willow trees are usually dioecious, or with female flowers on one tree and male flowers on others. The male flowers as pictured here can be quite colorful. In our snowy and variable spring this year the bright yellow and orange colors of willow twigs  were...
A Unique Native Shrub for Shade: Creeping Barberry

A Unique Native Shrub for Shade: Creeping Barberry

When talking about native plants for landscaping or restoration we normally think of colorful flowers that can grow well out in the sun in dry landscapes. But ecologists learned long ago that diversity and ecological function in most places is tied to a diversity of...
Challenges of Being a Wildflower in Early Spring

Challenges of Being a Wildflower in Early Spring

By Paul Alaback, Professor Emeritus of Ecology, University of Montana How can early spring wildflowers produce seeds when it is so cold and pollinators are scarce? I have been following the parade of flowers that emerge each spring for many years. It is usually quite...