Future field trips will be announced here and on our events page. Stay tuned!

Some of the participants

Andrew Tree led our first field trip of the year to see some of the Chihuahuan desert spring wildflowers that have popped out at lower elevations.

Sphaeralcea sp.

Participants gathered at the Visitor’s Center to carpool and drive to Virden in Hidalgo County. Observers were able to get up close and personal with more than fifty-two species of wildflowers. The afternoon clouds only added to the beauty of the high desert landscape.

Malacothrix coulteri

Click here to view the revised plant list

This field trip is for those new to the Gila area, new to native plants, or just wanting to brush up on their tree and shrub identification. You need not have participated in our first trees and shrubs field trip last month. The group will travel to Ira Canyon near the Bird Area on past Bill Evans Lake. This is a little farther afield than usual. We’ll try to carpool, as you feel comfortable.
Vehicles should be medium to high clearance, as the monsoon rains have left a bit of a mess in a couple of areas, but not too bad, if we’re careful.
Participants will learn some botany basics, understand how plants are named, and learn how to use a botanical key to identify some local native trees and shrubs. The butterflies can be pretty good in this area, so bring binoculars, if interested. We’ll have some guides for identifying them. We’ll be walking up a sandy, rocky arroyo, so a hiking stick is recommended.

Western Tiger Swallowtail on Red Columbine

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. Join us on this exploration of Signal Peak, from the bottom wet meadow to the coniferous forest at the top. Along the way, we will experience these pollinators and native plants in an attempt to better understand this fragile ecosystem. Participants will also learn strategies to help bring this diversity to their own yards and landscaped spaces. Participants will need to register and pay for this field trip at https://www.gilariverfestival.org/.  GNPS is a major sponsor of the Gila River Festival.

Acer grandidentatum detail

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.

Monarda

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 our Silva Creek Botanical Garden 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.

 Because the tour can accommodate only 10 people at once, Naava has offered to give it twice, once on Saturday, May 28, and again on Sunday, May 29. We are asking anyone interested to sign up in advance via gilanative@gmail.com. The tours will be from 9 to 11 am.

 A hat and water are recommended. Bring your hand lens, if you have one. The walking is easy. Participants will be expected to sign a waiver before the field trip.

Pitchfork Ranch

A.T. and Lucinda Cole have invited us to come botanize at Pitchfork Ranch on Saturday, April 30^th. Over the years the Coles have worked hard at restoration of the land, and it is fascinating to see what they have achieved.

(https://www.pitchforkranchnm.com/).

Located down in the grasslands near Soldier’s Farewell peak, Pitchfork Ranch has a different flora than we find around Silver. Among other things, it hosts a rare plant, Euphorbia rayturneri, found only in three places in New Mexico. In addition to our hosts, we will have the expertise of Russ Kleinman and possibly Bill Norris and Jim McGrath, too.

Euphorbia rayturneri

The trip down takes an hour and might not be easy for all vehicles, so we’ll meet 8 am at the parking lot next to the Fine Arts Center Theatre at 8 am to carpool and caravan.

Uropappus lindleyi

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 on Saturday, April 16th from 9-11 am. As the name implies, the trail leads to a rare wetland. This will be a new part of the park to explore. The cienega is about a mile down the trail. Ed Leuck and Bill Norris will be our leaders. Meet at 9 am at the Cienega Trailhead (the first parking lot you come to after entering City of Rocks State Park).

Dr. Edwin Leuck, now resident in Silver City, is emeritus Professor of Biology at Centenary College of Louisiana.  His interest in cacti is of long standing: his doctoral dissertation dealt with the systematics of the small-flowered hedgehog cacti in the genus Echinocereus. He continues to look for cacti in New Mexico, especially in the Bootheel and southern Gila regions, and is currently involved in a long-term study of a Peniocereus greggii population near Rodeo, New Mexico.

William (“Bill”) Norris, Professor of Biology at Western New Mexico University, will lead us in an exploration of the botany of this fascinating Chihuahuan Desert landscape.

Pancake prickly pear and Ocotillo

Bill will point out the major vegetation types found in City of Rocks State Park, including important grass species, and will describe the floristic study of the park he is conducting with the help of Tim Geddes. We’ll also learn something about the history of the Park and its recent additions. The field trip will include a visit to the botanical garden, rich in cacti, yucca and agaves, and there will be an option to walk the two-mile Cienega Trail at the conclusion of the field trip.

Arizona bluecurls (Trichostema arizonica)

With luck we might see this lovely little plant, Arizona Bluecurls (Trichostema arizonicum):

Members of the Friends of City of Rocks, a group of dedicated volunteers, are cordially invited to join us. Meet at 9:00 am at City of Rocks State Park (east on Hwy 180 and left on route 61) in the parking lot by the Cienega Trail (on the left shortly after entering the Park).

Russ Kleinman led us on a field trip in the Pinos Altos Range along hwy 15. There were so many of us (pent-up demand?) that we had to quickly rethink our auto-stops. 

Basket flower

At the Ben Lilly parking area we explored the immediately surrounding area, with special attention to the grasses, with help from Don. As we went north from there on 15, some of us were able to spot the large stand of Rothrock’s Basketflower (Plectocephalus rothrockii) past Cherry Creek Campground. We then moved to the roadside meadow at the Signal Peak turnoff, where we found an abundance of late summer wildflowers (see the partial plant list above).

Phemeranthus parviflorus

At the close of the field trip, a few of us stopped at a small rocky meadow, featuring plants that are often overlooked and stepped on, such as Phemeranthus parviflorus (New Mexico Fameflower) (right), Tagetes micrantha (Licorice Marigold), mosses, lichens and ferns.