The Washington Native Plant Society (WNPS) is excited to kick off Native Plant Appreciation Month 2024 with a spotlight on three of the grants awarded last year, and a look ahead to the 15 grants we're giving out across the state in 2024 to further the appreciation and conservation of Washington's native plants and their habitats through research, restoration, and education.   The grants, given annually, are fundamental to the mission of WNPS. They provide small but significant seed money f ..read more

The theme for Washington State's Native Plant Appreciation Month activities in 2024 is Prairie Preservation. But what is a prairie, and where are they in our state?   The French came up with the name La Prairie to describe open landscapes dominated by grasses. Ecologists recognize prairies based on a combination of traits: flat to gently undulating terrain at lower elevations with often rich soils, subject to droughty conditions in summer or periodic disturbances (like fire) that prevent tr ..read more

Traditionally, the privilege of naming a species new to science lies with the person who discovered it. Auctioning the rights to name newly discovered species is a relatively new phenomenon, but it is increasingly attractive to scientists who might desire funds to support publication charges or to conduct research, monitoring, or conservation of those species. The aim could also be to "drum up excitement" for the work of discovering new species.   Others disagree. Auctioning naming rights t ..read more

Evergreen huckleberry (Vaccinium ovatum) is one of my favorite shrubs, and it grows well in my Seattle garden. A) it's evergreen, so it wards off mid-winter bleakness. B) it reliably produces enough tasty berries so that I usually get a couple of handfuls before the birds eat the rest. C) it can have a pleasing gawkiness that reminds me of my nephews when they were teenagers. However, sometimes it can have a problem.   Julie O'Donald wrote me recently, noting that "with the popularity of ev ..read more

Here we are in 2024. Happy New Year! I hope that everyone had a peaceful and relaxing holiday season. This year starts with many interesting items to note. I have some wonderful news. Denise Mahnke has been promoted with a new title, from Business Manager to Executive Director, as of January 1, 2024. If you know what Denise does, you know this is well deserved. As we enter a new year, some things of interest to note: the WNPS membership is at an all-time high, the Native Plant Stewardship progra ..read more

A decades-old debate pits native species against non-native species, especially within the context of invasion biology. Which is better for the environment? There's never been more interest, opinion, and research stoking the native-plants-in-the-garden debate. Rhetoric blazes when invasive species management destroys attractive plants supporting pollinators (such as purple loosestrife [Lythrum salicaria]) or kills charismatic animals (such as mountain goats, [Oreamnos americanus]). The debate ev ..read more

The Washington Native Plant Society offers two weekend-long events this year: the 43rd Study Weekend and the 28th Botany Washington. While there are differences between the two, they both offer stellar opportunities to get outside, to learn, enjoy, practice skills, and generally hang out with other plant lovers in some of the most beautiful parts of the region. Are you new to all this? Don't be afraid! Plant lovers are a friendly bunch, and the 2023 Study Weekend hosted nearly 50 first time atte ..read more

I recently completed my master's thesis, titled "An Anthropocene Island Flora: The fate of native and alien plants in the San Juan Island archipelago" at The Evergreen State College. Funding from the Washington Native Plant Society Research and Plant Inventory Program facilitated my research in two ways.   First, it funded boat time to re-inventory the small meadow-dominated islands off the southern shores of Lopez Island in the San Juan archipelago that were first botanized in the early 20 ..read more

Molly Hashimoto is well known for her unique artwork depicting nature, plants and animals of western landscapes. Trees of the West, An Artist's Guide features some of the artist's best water colors and block prints. An introduction to the bioregions where western trees are found doubles as the Table of Contents. Hashimoto blends art and science throughout the pages. Quotes and poems by various authors offer moments of reflection, accompanied by artistic scenery that takes readers to the beauty o ..read more

In the Washington Native Plant Society Facebook Group, I've noticed some participants asking for advice on pretty large plots of land—less gardening and more habitat restoration.This is great! There's a lot of folks participating in the FB group who are super knowledgeable and have good info to share. And many times, the advice given is to contact the local conservation district or CD.   Conservation districts got started during the Dust Bowl crisis of the 1930s, when conserving the nation ..read more