UPCOMING EVENTS

EVENING PROGRAMS

For further details click here: Programs page.

Monthly evening programs will resume in October on the third Friday of the month at 7 p.m. Some programs will be hybrid and some via Zoom only see below. In person meetings will be held at Harlan Hall, room 111. Gila Native Plant Society members will receive a Zoom link by email; any others interested may request a link from gilanative@gmail.com. All are welcome. Tune in soon to see our scheduled programs for the fall.

 

FIELD TRIPS

Field trips will be organized as opportunities arise. Check our field trips page here: http://www.gilanps.org/events/field-trips.

OTHER EVENTS

August 12th: Our big event of the summer will be the Native Plant Sale in the parking lot across from Gough Park. We plan to have five local native plant growers lined up to sell their plants to the public. Visit our Native Plant Sale page for more!

 

 Past Events

Click the headline on 2023 programs to watch a replay on YouTube.

August 5th, 8:30 to 11:30 am: Tour of the Silva Creek Botanical Garden – Master Plan Explained

July 29th – 30th: Booth and activities for children at the Hummingbird Festival at the Mimbres Cultural Heritage Site

June 16th: “Wetland Jewels of the Gila”, presented by Steven Fry, Amigos Bravos Policy and Project Specialist: https://youtu.be/I3irnzrlidM

May 19th: “Updates on the floristic diversity of alpine ecosystems in the southern Rocky Mountains” presented by Hannah Marx, Assistant Professor and Herbarium Curator, University of New Mexico: https://youtu.be/7IZT07RYKlE

May 6th at Main Street Plaza: booth for the Give Grandly fundraiser – www.givegrandly.org

April 22nd: Booth and activities for kids at the Gila Earth Day Celebration, Gough Park

April 21st: “Tales of Three Rivers,” presented by Mary Harner, University of Nebraska, Kearney – online only

Fri, Mar 17, 7:00 p.m. – Meeting: “Boston Hill Wildflowers 2022: The Overlooked, the Unexpected, and the Seldom Seen” with Andrew Tree, Environmental Photographer

Fri, Feb 17, 7:00 p.m. – Meeting: “Native Trees for Silver City: Ten Best Practices for Using Native Trees in Urban Environments to Improve Climate Change Resilience” with Ann Audrey, environmental consultant

Fri, Jan 20, 7:00 p.m. – Meeting: “Knowing the Sunflower Family in New Mexico” with Richard Spellenberg

2022

Holiday Gathering at the Commons
Sunday, December 11, 12pm – 3pm
The Commons: 501 E 13th St, Silver City, NM 88061, USA (map)

GNPS members and friends will celebrate the holidays together with a pot luck at The Commons at 501 East 13th Street. We look forward to seeing you there!

 

Fri, November 18, 7:00pm – 8:30pm Zoom Presentation: “Cirsium grahamii: A Rare Purple Jewel in the Gila Wilderness” by John Gorey
In 2021, John was doing invasive plant surveys in the Gila Wilderness when he came across an unusual purple thistle. After keying it out as Cirsium grahamii, he found out it had not been collected in nearly 20 years. Thanks for joining us in November to see his findings.

Fri, October 28, 7:00pm – 8:30pm Zoom Presentation: “Wildflowers of CO” with Mary O. and Jeff Parker

The San Juan Mountains of Colorado near Silverton and Ouray host thousands of wildflowers each July. Jeff and Mary O. Parker shared images and talked about why the flowers grow so prolifically in those mountain basins and high meadows.

Sat, October 15, 9am – 11am Field Trip: City of Rocks State Park
The Friends of the City of Rocks and the Gila Chapter co-sponsored a botany hike to the Cienega Trail at City of Rocks State Park to see what the monsoon season brought out. Trip leaders: Russ Kleinman, Ed Leuck, and Don Graves

Sat, October 8, 8am – 12pm Field Trip: Learn your Trees II with Don Graves
Don Graves led the second edition of his popular “Learn Your Trees” field trip for those new to the area or those who just wanted to brush up on their Gila trees and shrubs. Location: 
Silva Creek Botanical Gardens, N Virginia St, Silver City, NM 88061, USA (map)

Saturday, September 24, 2022, 8am-12pm- Field Trip: Pollinators and Larval Host Plants of Signal Peak. Leader: GNPS President Don Graves, as part of the 18th Annual Gila River Festival.  There is an evolutionary bond between native plants and the pollinators that ensure not only their survival, but the survival of a whole host of ecosystem components. Thanks for joining us on this exploration of Signal Peak, from the bottom wet meadow to the coniferous forest at the top. Along the way, we experienced these pollinators and native plants in an attempt to better understand this fragile ecosystem.

Saturday, September 10th, 2022, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. – Annual Native Plant Sale
We enjoyed another wonderful Annual Native Plant Sale at the parking lot on the corner of Pope and 12th Streets, across from Gough Park in Silver City. GNPS lined up six southwestern native plant vendors to sell their plants directly to the public.

Sun, August 21, 2022, 8am – 10am: Garden Work Party

Sat, July 30, 2022, 8am – 3pm: Booth at Mimbres Hummingbird Festival

The Gila Native Plant Society had a booth at the Mimbres Hummingbird Festival on July 30th and 31st. We sold books, answered questions, and promoted membership. In addition, we presented our Native Pollinators/Host Plant program on both days of the festival.


Saturday, July 16th, 8 am to noon, Field Trip: Learn Your Trees

Leader: Don Graves, GNPS President
This field trip is for those new to the Gila area, new to native plants or just wanting to brush up on their tree identification.  The group will travel to Cherry Creek Campground, McMillan Campground and Signal Peak Meadow. Participants will learn some botany basics, understand how plants are named and learn how to use a botanical key to identify local trees.

Saturday, May 28 and Sunday, May 29, 2022, 9:00 am to 11:00 am — Medicinal Plants of the Silva Creek Botanical Garden (SCBG).
The Gila Forest and our nearby desert regions contain many plants that have historically been used for healing.  Local herbalist Naava Koenigsberg will lead a guided tour of SCBG and will talk about some of the many medicinal plants that can be found there.  We will discuss traditional and contemporary uses, as well as how to incorporate these plants into a home garden or landscape.  Each walk is limited to 10 people, so pre-register by emailing gilanative@gmail.com with your name and your preferred day.

Friday, May 20, 2022, 7:00 pm via Zoom – “Penstemons – Some of the Most Beautiful Flowers in the World” – presentation by Russ Kleinman
Penstemons are beautiful members of the native flora of New Mexico. Along with showcasing the variety of colors and shapes, we will discuss their adaptations to pollinators, recent changes in their classification, and a new Penstemon species that has appeared in our area. Join us as we examine this most beautiful group of native plants!

Sunday, May 15, 2022, noon, Joint GNPS/Audubon Picnic at the Gomez Peak Picnic Pavilion – The Gila Native Plant Society and the Southwestern New Mexico Audubon Society held a joint picnic for their members.

Saturday, May 7, 2022, 9:00 am to 2:00 pm – GNPS participated again in Give Grandly 2022, the big annual fundraiser for local nonprofits sponsored by the Grant County Community Foundation.

Saturday, April 30, 2022, 8:00 am to noon — Field Trip to Pitchfork Ranch – A.T. and Lucinda Cole have invited us to come botanize at Pitchfork Ranch.

Saturday, April 23, 2022, 10:00 am to 2:00 pm – Table at Gila Earth Day – The Gila Chapter had a table at the Gila Earth Day celebration in Gough Park, Silver City.

Saturday, April 16, 2022, 9:00 to 11:00 am — Field Trip to the Cienega Trail – GNPS has joined with the Friends of the City of Rocks to organize a spring wildflower hike at the Cienega Trail at City of Rocks State Park.

Friday, April 15, 2022, 7:00 pm via Zoom – “The Ecology of Herbal Medicine ”  – presentation by Dara Saville, founder of Albuquerque Herbalism, a long-standing bioregional herbal studies program

Join this discussion on some of our region’s most famous medicinal plants. We’ll explore iconic local landscapes, key medicinal plants from those places, and species responses to environmental change. We will also look at what we can learn about medicinal uses of these plants as they play healing and balancing roles in their ecosystems and in our bodies.

Friday, March 18, 2022, 7:00 pm via Zoom – “Moths of the Gila National Forest – Update” – presentation by Ronald Parry

The Lepidoptera is an order of insects that includes both butterflies and moths. Many people are familiar with butterflies because of their beauty and their presence during daylight hours. In comparison, moths are little appreciated since they are largely nocturnal. Yet many moths are beautiful, and they play an important role in all terrestrial ecosystems. Many moth species are now endangered by climate change, habitat destruction, and the overuse of pesticides. Greater public awareness of the importance and beauty of these insects is needed if we expect to save them. Most of the larger moths found within the Gila region fall into one of eleven moth families. Ron will give us an update on his talk three years ago, including a description of the microlepidoptera superfamily Zygaenoidea and a discussion of the functional roles played by the scales found on moths and butterflies.

Friday, February 18, 2022, 7:00 pm via Zoom – “Spring Blooms in the Southwest: Not Just Creosote Bush” – presentation by Donna Stevens

One of the best things about early spring is the anticipation of wildflowers in bloom. This presentation features some of the lovely wildflowers of spring in the Gila region, a few early-flowering trees and shrubs, and an invitation to get outside to renew your spirit with beauty.

Friday, January 21, 2022, 7:00 pm via Zoom – “The Fabulous Flora of City of Rocks State Park”  – presentation by William (Bill) Norris, Professor of Biology at Western New Mexico University

Bill will provide a summary of the diverse plant life (> 300 species) of City of Rocks State Park, which he has studied with several collaborators (especially Timothy H. Geddes) since the early 2000’s. In addition to presenting a brief history of the park, he will discuss the goals, methodology and significance of basic plant inventory work.

As a follow-up to the presentation, the very next day (Saturday, January 22) there will be another field trip to City of Rocks, emphasizing cacti and succulents this time. Participants should meet at the Park Visitor Center at 10:00 am. For further details, click here: https://gilanps.org/events/field-trips/

Thursday, January 13, 2022, 5:15 pm via  Zoom — A Joint Birds and Brews: Local Pollinators and Native Plant Hosts

Using the beautiful photography of Elroy Limmer, this joint SWNM Audubon/Gila Native Plant Society program will explore the lives of local pollinators from native bees to long-nosed bats.  Presenters Elroy Limmer and Don Graves of the Gila Chapter will discuss the variety of native plants necessary to attract pollinators and that act as host plants for the caterpillars that provide the majority of nutrition for our spring/summer fledgling birds.  You will come away with a whole new perspective on the world of life in your own back yard and learn how you can help promote the diversity of pollinators, native plants and birds right here at home.

To view the recorded presentation (not yet) click here.

To view the list of web resources from the presentation, click here.

To view the printed references for this presentation, click here.

Friday, November 19, 2021, 7:00 pm via Zoom – Post-fire Status of Allium gooddingii in New Mexico

Daniela Roth, New Mexico State Botanist, will discuss the status of Allium goddingii in New Mexico following the five large fires that have occurred in the Gila and Lincoln National Forests since 2006.

Friday, October 15, 2021, 6:00 pm via Zoom – Agave Restoration Projects for Bat Conservation

Join Bat Conservation International’s Dan Taylor for a program describing restoration efforts of Agave palmeri and Agave parryi in southwestern New Mexico to support nectivorous bat populations. This subject will attract flora and fauna lovers alike and therefore will be a joint program of the Gila Native Plant Society and the Southwestern New Mexico Audubon Society.

Saturday, October 16, 2021, 9:00 am – Field Trip to City of Rocks State Park – Led by William Norris

William (“Bill”) Norris, Professor of Biology at Western New Mexico University, led us in an exploration of the botany of this fascinating Chihuahuan Desert landscape. For more details, click here for the Field Trips page.

Saturday, September 18, 2021, 10 am to 2 pm — Native Plant Sale!

On September 18th we held our hugely successful native plant sale. 

With over 150 customers and five vendors, our monsoon sale was a resounding success and reminded us that fall is a great time to plant.

The vendors left with empty trucks and our customers left with full trunks. Vendors have expressed interest in doing it again in 2022.

 

 

 

Saturday, September 11, 2021 – Field trip led by Russ Kleinman.

Russ Kleinman led us on a field trip in the Pinos Altos Range along hwy 15. We met at the Ben Lilly parking area, which is 3.5 miles from the Y where highway 15 and the road to Historic Pinos Altos part company, and spent about an hour covering plants that were very close by. After that, we made our way along highway 15 to the parking lot below Signal Peak, where we examined more plants near the parking area.  The plant list for these areas is in the field trip checklist part of our website.

Saturday, July 31, 2021 – We gathered to remember the life of Richard Felger

Last October, you will all remember, we lost a dear friend, a great botanist and an invaluable member of the Gila Native Plant Society. At that time the pandemic kept us from getting together to acknowledge how much he meant to us.

But this summer things were better, and we we held an outdoor catered picnic on July 31, 2021, to celebrate Richard’s life and amazing accomplishments.  GNPS members and Richard’s family, friends, colleagues and fans  came from Silver, from Tucson, and far beyond to share memories

 

 

 

 

 

Give Grandly! 2021 beats its own record

Despite the pandemic, the Give Grandly! Give Local! 2021 annual fundraiser beat its own record with the highest level of donations yet — $264,685 received in all for the 59 participating nonprofits!

And thanks to our generous supporters, the Gila Native Plant Society raised $3,160, more than in any other year we’ve taken part in Give Grandly!

To listen to the interview with GNPS president Don Graves, click here.

 

 

 

 

The Gila NPS participated in the 2020 Gila Earth Day event.  Click on the image to view the Gila NPS video contributed for the event:

The Native Plant Society of New Mexico 2018 Annual Conference was hosted by the Gila chapter.  Click *here* to view pictures and presentations from the event, including Jack Carter’s banquet speech.

 

Pollinator Mural

Next time you’re downtown, take a look at the wonderful Pollinator Mural on the corner of Texas and Broadway. GNPS participated with the Southwestern New Mexico Audubon Society, the Grant County Beekeepers and the Grant County Archaeological Society on a mural celebrating pollinators and native plants and addressing the issue of climate change. Aldo Leopold High School students produced the mural under the direction of art instructor Allison Phillips.