CoNPS Blog
Big and Little Bluestems Not So Blue in Fall
Perhaps you missed the flowers, they’re pretty tiny, but during the rich light of a late sunny afternoon, you can’t miss the brilliant shine of the seed heads of our two native grasses, Big bluestem and Little bluestem. So alike, yet so different, and each is from a...
Meet the New Executive Director – Maggie Gaddis!
Sue: Maggie, I am so excited that the Colorado Native Plant Society now has its first ever Executive Director, but I’m especially excited that it is you! At my first CoNPS conference three years ago you gave a presentation called ‘Botany and Ecocities: Restoring...
Edible, Medical and Useful Plants
Bob Kennemer acquired more than a casual taste for collecting edible, medicinal, and useful plants soon after leaving the University in Denver when he attended the legendary National Outdoors Leadership School (NOLS). Considered the Harvard of outdoor schools, NOLS...
The Art and Science of Nature Journaling
Editor’s note: The author of this post will be leading a field trip on nature journaling at our 2021 Annual Conference in Trinidad! Nature Journaling can mean something different to each person who practices it. There are numerous approaches for both teaching and...
Wild Bergamot: Commonly Extraordinary
Wild bergamont (Monarda fistulosa) attracts an Aphrodite fritillary butterflyWild Bergamot is abundantly in bloom right now, covering the hills with exuberant bursts of purple, scenting the air nearby with gentle fragrance, and generously providing nectar to a variety...
Travel Blog to the Purgatoire River
Why not? With a fresh dump of snow smothering the wildflowers nearby, and no family obligations for the weekend, why not run down to the ominously named Purgatoire River and discover its mysteries for myself? A check on the weather cam revealed bare ground in La Junta...
Habitat for Native Pollinators
A native bee heavy enough to lower the keel of a Golden banner flower, (Thermopsis divaricarpa) and receive the pollen reward. ©Carol EnglishProviding foraging habitat for native pollinators with diverse needs! Depending on where you live in Colorado, we are...
Colors of Winter: Colorado Native Plants
Mahonia repens, brilliant in the winter snow.Plant people can go a little nuts in winter, it just can’t be denied. We know of course, that our beloved plants are just taking the necessary precautions to survive winter, and to be prepared for magnificent spring when...
Mountain Mahogany: What’s in a Name?
In the case of Mountain Mahogany, not much! Cancel any images of grand and stately trees bravely crowning mountaintops, this Colorado native rarely reaches 16 feet. And, partly because it is a favorite browse-snack for deer and elk, its stature is more contorted than...