Welcome to the Colorado Native Plant Society!
We are dedicated to the preservation of native plants in Colorado, and are so glad you found us! Browse our site to see what’s new, discover a wealth of information about our plants and habitats, events and chapters in your area, methods for native plant gardening, and ways to volunteer ‘in the field’.
Become a Member
Discover the benefits of membership in the Colorado Native Plant Society.
Join a Local Chapter
Connect with fellow nature lovers in your immediate area, and find out how you can help preserve our native plants.
CONPS Chapters for Local Connection
Find an Event
See our Calendar of Events to find a gathering or field trip near you!
Events Per Year
Learn About our Plants & Habitats
Find out more about the diversity of our plant zones and the native (and non-native)plants that thrive in each one.
Colorado Native Species to Discover
CONPS News
The Bouncy Butterfly Proboscis!
Butterfly pollination and some amazing facts: About three decades ago, I sat in an ecology class while the professor, Dr. Cheesman, went on about the amazing elasticity of the proboscis on a butterfly. I sat wide-eyed and amazed as he explained the tissues that assist...
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...
Pollen Wasps
Pollen Wasps will often rest in Penstemon flowers. These rested all night next to my tent. We all felt the sunrise together. Often mistaken for yellow jackets, but actually a non-stinging gatherer of pollen and nectar. You will not see a yellow jacket collecting...
Bumble Bees Pollinating Boulder Raspberry
Bumblebees pollinating Boulder raspberry- Rubus deliciosusIn Crestone, Colorado at 8,500' Just as we gather berries in a basket, bees gather pollen and nectar in their own specialized pollen baskets. On bumblebees these are called curbiculae. The curbiculae, or pollen...
Butterflies and Moths
"Butterflies are very active during the day and visit a variety of wildflowers. Butterflies are less efficient than bees at moving pollen between plants. Highly perched on their long thin legs, they do not pick up much pollen on their bodies and lack specialized...
Aquilegia – The CONPS Magazine
CoNPS’ Aquilegia Magazine was first published in January 1977 after the first CoNPS board meeting. The magazine has been published quarterly from that date to the present.
In 2013 the magazine’s editor Jan Turner moved from the previous printed black and white format to a full-color on-line edition through our CoNPS website. Limited copies were still printed with a color cover only for members who preferred a printed copy.
Members have FREE access to digital subscriptions after logging in.
Print copies are available to everyone for $20.
We are a non-profit organization dedicated to furthering the knowledge, appreciation and conservation of native plants and habitats of Colorado through education, stewardship and advocacy.
Administration – Virtual Office
1536 Wynkoop Street, Suite 911
Denver, Co 80202
Programs HQ & Store
704 East Boulder Street
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
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Contact the CoNPS Team
Administration (virtual office)
1536 Wynkoop Street, Suite 911
Denver, Co 80202
Programs HQ & Store
704 East Boulder Street
Colorado Springs, CO 80903