CPC Awarded Three Year $491,630 2018 National Leadership Grant!
The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) awarded the Center for Plant Conservation (CPC) a 2018 National Leadership Grant for $491,630. This three-year grant will to support creating a real-time learning platform , where plant conservation experts can share best practices with practitioners via direct responses, pre-recorded multi-media content, and the updated guidelines, Center for Plant Conservation Best [...]
August Employment and Events
Field Botany Technician (invasive plants) at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic GardenIn collaboration with the Angeles National Forest, you’ll work in a team to assist the field crew lead and director of conservation programs with invasive plant management in the Angeles National Forest. Duties include hand removal of invasive plant species, herbicide application, rugged backcountry hiking, and some [...]
Wandering Washington with Rare Care Volunteers
University of Washington Botanic Gardens Based on contributions from Stacy Kinsell Photos from: Stacy Kinsell, Wendy Gibble, Beverly Linde, and Catherine Hovanic This July, the Tiffany Springs Campground in the Okanogan National Forest was briefly invaded by volunteer botanists. The 18 volunteers were gathered for the annual Monitoring Weekend event held by the University of Washington Botanic Gardens’ Rare [...]
25 Years of Survey and Discovery
While conducting surveys in Massachusettes in July, PCV Doug McGrady came across population of chaff-seed (Schwalbea americana) - a federally endangered species that hadn't been seen in the state since 1965. Photo credit: Doug McGrady. New England Wild Flower Society Contributed by: Laney Widener Photos by: Laney Widener, Doug McGrady, Susan Elliott, Warren King, Kate [...]
The Hunt is On: Searching for Rare Plants in the Golden State
California Native Plant Society Based on contributions from: Amy Patten, CNPS Rare Plant Treasure Hunt coordinator Photos by: Natalie McNear Amy Patten, the California Native Plant Society’s new Rare Plant Treasure Hunt (RPTH) coordinator didn’t venture far to lead her first hunt – Mount Hermon in the Santa Cruz Sandhills is just behind her home. But the spaces [...]
Virgin Islands National Park Endemic Plant Gets Urgent Habitat Management Assistance
St. George Village Botanical Garden, Contributions and photos from Gary Ray, Ph.D. Virgin Islands National Park (VINP) covers nearly 60% of the island of St. John and offers miles of trail for hikers. Yet it wasn’t enough for somebody on the island. In 2001, a clandestine trail clearer cut a four-foot wide path through the remote White Cliff [...]
July Employment and Events
Employment Field Botany Technician (invasive plants) at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden In collaboration with the Angeles National Forest, you’ll work in a team to assist the field crew lead and director of conservation programs with invasive plant management in the Angeles National Forest. Duties include hand removal of invasive plant species, herbicide application, rugged backcountry hiking, and some [...]
Seed Collection in a Land of Extremes | Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden
Contributions and photos from Cheryl Birker, Naomi Fraga, and Duncan Bell Cheryl Birker examines the lowest point in the U.S. from atop Telescope Peak in the Panamint Range. People thought Cheryl Birker must be crazy when she told them she was going to be doing a 14-mile hike in Death Valley National Park to monitor [...]
Beyond the Islet – Integrated Conservation in Hawaii | National Tropical Botanic Garden
Contributions from Kenneth R. Wood, Michael DeMotta, and Seana Walsh, and photos from Kenneth R. Wood On a small rocky island, or more accurately, an islet, jutting up off the shore of Moloka’I, eight dwarf Naupaka (Scaevola coriacea) plants cluster together at the very top. It is the second largest population of this endangered species. Lower down on [...]
Prairie Facts
PHOTO: Meads milkweed In North America, you can find tallgrass prairie, mixed-grass prairie, or shortgrass prairie. Tallgrass: Its main feature is tall grasses, such as indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans), big bluestem (Andropogon gerardi), little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum). Mixed-grass: A transition area between tallgrass prairies and shortgrass prairies. Shortgrass: The two most dominant grasses are blue [...]
What May be Limiting Reproduction and Viability of Mead’s Milkweed?
Missouri Botanical Garden Provided by Christy Edwards and Matthew Albrecht Missouri Botanical Garden is conducting a research project with the Center for Plant Conservation (CPC) on the species Mead’s milkweed (Asclepias meadii). This species is endemic to tallgrass prairies and listed as federally threatened on the Endangered Species Act. It is a long-lived perennial plant that [...]
Central Grassland Research
Lauritzen Botanic Gardens (Provided by Jim Locklear) Lauritzen Gardens has focused on the Central Grassland of North America and has been engaged in prairie work on several fronts. Three current projects are: Endemic Plants of the Central Grassland of North America, Sandsage Prairie Initiative, and Blowout Penstemon Seed Banking Project. Endemic Plants [...]
Prairie Plant Species Research
University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum (MLA) (Provided by David Remucal) The University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum safeguards nine species in the CPC National Collection. Three of these species, Cypripedium candidum, Platanthera praeclara, and Besseya bullii, are prairie species. The University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum has had great success growing the [...]
Experimental Prairie
The Morton Arboretum (Provided by Cathy Bechtoldt and Andrew Hipp) Ecological restoration is a critical component of conservation. Unfortunately, restored sites often fall short of common restoration goals such as maintenance of biodiversity over time, increased ecosystem function, and resistance to invasion by exotic weeds. The goal of this project is to test whether considering [...]
June Announcements, Employment and Events
Announcements Dr. Peter Raven awarded the National Geographic Hubbard Medal. Each year, National Geographic awards the Hubbard Medal to recognize “lifetime achievement in research, discovery, and exploration.” This year, the Hubbard Medal was awarded to Dr. Peter H. Raven for his work as a botanist and for his work as a conservation advocate. Learn more. [...]
What’s New for North America’s Rarest Conifer
Atlanta Botanical Garden “What’s new for Torreya taxifolia, North America’s rarest conifer?” Emily Coffey, PhD, Ron Determann, Rebecca Byrd, and Carrie Radcliffe One of the rarest conifers in the world is the Florida Torreya (Torreya taxifolia). It is endemic to northwest Florida and extreme southwest Georgia. A catastrophic decline in this species occurred in the [...]
A Weed or Not a Weed, That is The Question
Test your skills: determine which plants are considered weeds or invasives and which are rare plants. (The answers are at the end of the newsletter.) Answers to plant quiz above: 1. Houston Camphor daisy (Rare), 2. Ox-Eye Daisy with monarch butterfly (Weed), 3. Two-Spike Crabgrass (Rare), 4. Veldt Grass (Weed), 5. Golden Indian [...]
To Be, or Not to Be, a Weed
This month we are looking at plants that are endangered but could be mistaken for “weeds.” Both appearance and/or behavior can account for misconceptions and perceptions. What happens when there are plants that display weed-like characteristics, yet aren’t weeds? What happens when those plants are also endangered? How do we address the perception of “weed” to obtain and [...]