Yuma Meeting News
Posted Jun 03, 2023
Yuma will forgo regular monthly, in-person meetings for the foreseeable future.
Instead, we will focus on outdoor activities, such as field trips and work projects,
with a virtual format for meetings and similar indoor activities.
Announcements of these events and other news updates will be posted via email.
If you would like to receive updates, please contact us at our chapter email
(yumanativeplant@gmail.com) and ask to be put on our list.
Chapter Offices
President: Valerie Morrill; Vice President: Karen Reichhardt; Secretary: Deirdre MacDonald; Treasurer: Tom Fox
Trip Reports
This spring, Yuma came to life again, both the chapter and the desert! Following a hiatus, members
reconvened in time for a limited but surprisingly good spring bloom. During our first outing, we visited
Imperial Sand Dunes, Tumco Historic Mining District, with the option of a tour of the Center of the
World. The sand dunes stop is a favorite of ours, as we can count on seeing the unusually tall creosote. But what we hadn’t expected was an abundance of blooming flowers. En route to our next stop, we marveled over a small runnel exploding in pink. There we were, again so enamored with the array of blossoms, we oohed and aahed in delight. We eventually completed the half-mile or so to our destination, but instead of entering the historic site, we made a side trip down a wash to see even more spectacular blooms. We had the presence of mind to take the obligatory photo (after about half of us had left, of course!) to prove that we had indeed been there. Perhaps next time we’ll try to see the site.
We made our second field trip to Painted Desert trail, in the Imperial Wildlife Refuge. This trail, through
bands of volcanic tuff, is colorful in its varied palette of infertile ash, but it is not known as a wildflower
hotspot. However, 50 species later, our group was content with the outing. Again, we posed for an obligatory photo after several of our group had headed back to civilization. We were glad we remembered how to document, even if it was old school.
On a completely different note, the city of Yuma reached out to our chapter to collaborate on the annual
dinner theater event, Native Gardens. In conjunction with Master Gardeners and AZ Wildlife Federation,
we advised on native plant ingredients for set design, table decor, and dinner and specialty beverages
(prickly-pear margaritas!). In addition to acknowledging our collaboration in the printed programs and
during performances, the city gave us the opportunity to provide information displays. And perhaps by
accident, we also performed as extras in the play.
This sort of collaboration could be a wonderful opportunity for chapters across the state. It gave us
exposure to upwards of 900 attendees, providing them with access to information on native plants that
may be new to them. For additional information on Native Gardens, please see playwright Karen Zacarías’s website (www.karenzacarias.com/plays/native-gardens-2/).
Lastly, the summer is a time for Yumans to hibernate, estivate, or migrate. We will continue learning and
exploring our virtual options to stay engaged and look forward to returning in the fall with field trips
across our region. Stay tuned.
