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.

Field trip at Todd Gulch Fen
CoNPS booth at Boulder's Farmers Market

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

native plant summit speakers
a photo of a subalpine delphinium plant with a whitelined sphinx Moth

Learn About our Plants & Habitats

Find out more about the diversity of our plant life zones and the native (and non-native) plants that thrive in each one.

Colorado Native Species to Discover

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.

CONPS Blog

2021 John Marr Grant Award Winners

Marr Grant Recipients: Valerie Martin, $1000 for “Microbial Facilitation of Floral Exploitation in a Subalpine Pollination Mutualism,” Justin Yow, $1000 for “Understanding how climate variability within the Colorado Rocky Mountains affects fuel load dynamics in...

Native Gooseberry Brings in the Pollinators

Early this week the native gooseberry began to bloom. Immediately the shrubs were filled with pollinators including native bees (Osmia spp., and Anthophora spp.), syrphid flies, flies, and butterflies (thicket hairstreak, Milbert's tortoiseshell, hoary comma). Also, I...

Travel Blog to the Purgatoire River

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...