Spring and Summer 2026 Gatherings

Posted on 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.

2026 Meetings

Posted on Feb 26, 2026

Tuesday, March 17, 7:00 PM.

Julie Crawford: A Botanical Journey

Julie Crawford will discuss the career path that lead her to write and illustrate her recent book, Flagstaff Plants in Black and White: 160 of the Most Common Plants of Our Area. Copies of her book and greeting cards are available for purchase at The Arboretum at Flagstaff, Babbitt Outdoor Outfitters, Babies to Kids, Bookman’s, Brightside Bookshop, Lily of the Field Nursery, and Winter Sun Trading Company.
Julie Crawford is a plant ecologist with a broad range of botanical, conservation,
and outreach experience. Her professional career includes over 35 years in the fields of botany, plant ecology, horticulture, and conservation with federal, state, and non-profit organizations throughout the western United States. Much of her research over the years has been on direct and indirect impacts of human activity on plant species, communities, and ecosystems of the western United States, including post-fire recovery, exotic plant invasion, livestock grazing, urban development, recreational activity, and climate change. She holds three university degrees in this field.

Hybrid Meeting: In-person and via Zoom

Tuesday, April 21, 7:00 PM.

Claire Reynolds and Olivia Steinmetz: Pollination of Globemallow (Sphaeralcea), Thistle (Cirsium) and Pediocactus

NAU student Claire Reynolds and recent NAU graduate Olivia Steinmetz will each give a short presentation on plants and their pollinators. Steinmetz will discuss the pollination and reproductive biology of two endemic cacti of northern Arizona (Pediocactus peeblesianus var. fickeiseniae and Pediocactus paradinei) and Reynolds will discuss the pollination of Globemallow (Sphaeralcea) and
Thistle (Cirsium) and the changes due to climate change.
Hybrid meeting: In-person and via Zoom

Tuesday, May 19, 7:00 PM. Emily Palmquist and James Holderer: Let’s Talk About Phragmites australis: Changing Distributions of Native, Nonnative, and Gulf Coast Common Reed in Arizona

Emily Palmquist and James Holderer will each discuss their research into common reed (Phragmites australis) and whether the subspecies that are encroaching into the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon and the Verde River are the native, nonnative, or Gulf Coast subspecies. Dr. Emily Palmquist is a research ecologist for the USGS Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center. She studies the effects of river regulation on riparian vegetation communities, riparian plant population genetics in a restoration context, and physiological responses of riparian plants to flooding and climate.
James Holderer is a research affiliate at the Natural History Institute and a local field botanist. He focuses on special status plant and noxious weed surveys, botanical inventories, and riparian ecology monitoring projects throughout the southwest.
Hybrid meeting: In-person and via Zoom

Field Trips
Please watch for specific details. Carpooling is usually available.

Volunteer Opportunities

Peebles Navajo Cactus (Pediocactus peeblesianus subsp. peeblesianus) plot monitoring
Tentative Date: Saturday, April 25, and again in the beginning of May The Museum of Northern Arizona is looking for volunteers to help monitor three Peebles Navajo cactus plots. Contact Kirstin at flagstaffAZNPS@gmail.com if you are interested in joining.

Lake View Trail at Double Springs

Tentative Date: Saturday, May 9
This is an easy 2.5 mile hike near Mormon Lake. We’ll be looking for early spring bloomers like dwarf monkey fiddle (Hesperochiron pumilis), western springbeauty (Claytonia lanceolata), short-sepal bitterroot (Lewisia brachycalyx), slender woodland star (Lithophragma tenellum), and Macdougal’s bluebells (Mertensia macdougalii).
Contact Kirstin at flagstaffAZNPS@gmail.com if you are interested in joining.
Photos: Hesperochiron pumilis and Mertensia macdougalii courtesy of Max Licher. Other photos by Kirstin Phillips

Invasive Plant Pulls
Please save these dates for Invasive Plant Pulls in Flagstaff. Watch for more details or contact
PlantRestorationProject@gmail.com
Saturday, April 18, 8:00 – 10:00 AM, in collaboration with the City’s Earth Day events
Saturday, May 2, 9:00 AM – noon
Saturday, May 30, 9:00 AM – noon

The chapter is currently on winter break

Posted on Nov 23, 2025

The chapter is currently on winter break, and talks will resume in March 2026.
For details about upcoming meetings, please see our email distribution list
(naris123@cs.com), Facebook page, or AZNPS.com.

The following presentations were recorded in 2025 and can be viewed the Flagstaff Chapter’s Facebook
page or at The Arizona Native Plant Society website.
Tea Time with Native Plants: Ashley Doyle
Nursery Restoration Efforts of Bebb’s Willow (Salix bebbiana): Adair Patterson
Propagating Native Plants: Amelia Blake
Analysis of Potential Hazards to the Future Conservation of the Endemic Alpine species San
Francisco Peaks Ragwort (Packera franciscana): Catherine Young