Spring and Summer 2026 Gatherings
Posted May 21, 2026
Meetings
June 12 – 15: Please join us for the Arizona Botany/American Penstemon Society Conference
Tuesday, July 21, 7:00 PM. Ries Lindley: What is a Moss? A Short Story About
a Walk in the Woods
When we walk through the woods and get swept away by the beauty of what we see, we don’t always have time to stop and think about the various microcosms that make up the ecology we see in nature. What are those tiny green plants that can grow in hot, dry deserts or under ice and snow? Ries will take us through an introduction to the wonderful world of mosses. What are they, where can they be found, do they have names, and a few other things you may find interesting.
Ries is a retired city bureaucrat who took up botany in retirement and is still working his way through the plants of Arizona. His interest in mosses was given a big boost by the pandemic of 2019.
Hybrid meeting: in-person and via Zoom.
Juniper haircap moss with a mushroom centerpiece.
Field Trips
Please watch for specific details. Carpooling is usually available.
June 13 – 15. Please join us for the Arizona Botany/American Penstemon Society
Conference for field trips to Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, Mt
Elden, NAU Greenhouse, Michael Moore Medicinal Garden, and Sedona
Sycamore Canyon,
LO Spring: Search for sweetgrass (Hierochloeodorata)
Tentative date: Saturday, July 11.
The sweetgrass in Robin Wall Kimmerer’s book Braiding Sweetgrass grows in
northern Arizona. According to Kimmerer, sweetgrass increases in abundance
after being harvested. We’ll check out the population at the Michael Moore
Medicinal Garden at the Museum of Northern Arizona on the way to Sycamore
Canyon.
Anderson Mesa: Search for Arizona sunflower (Helianthus arizonensis)
Tentative date: Saturday, August 15.
Arizona sunflower (Helianthus arizonensis) is critically imperiled in
Arizona. Debra Crisp found a population in 2020 that had not been
documented since 1945. We’ll go back to that population and make a collection.
