Pasqueflower or Prairie Crocus, Anemone patens L. var. multifida (Ranunculaceae). A circumboreal plant and one of the earliest bloomers, emerging soon after the snows retreat. The leaves are heavily dissected. The flower consists of 5-8 purplish to white tepals surrounding many bright yellow stamens and white pistils. The flowers close at night and on cloudy days. The entire plant is usually covered with soft plumose hairs and is often found in undisturbed, gravelly soils, from prairie to alpine regions. As the plant matures, the peduncle lengthens and the styles elongate to long silky tails, which eventually carry the many achenes away on the wind. One Native American name for A. patens is ‘Ears of the Earth’. It had a variety of medicinal usages in most tribes. However, it can be toxic to humans and livestock when ingested. KeiiyAmbier Map adapted from Ackerfield, J. Flora of Colorado , p. 706 (2015). Botanicum absurdum by Rob Pudim PHOTO CREDITS: FRONT COVER and PAGE 2: Pasqueflower, Anemone patens var. multifida. Front cover photograph from Jefferson County Open Space Lair o’ the Bear, April 24, 2014. Page 2 photograph from Jefferson County Open Space, Mount Galbraith Trail, Golden, CO on June 3, 2015. © Loraine Yeatts. All photos used with permission. © Rob Pudim 2 www.CoNPS.org Aquilegia Volume 42 No.2 Spring 2018 Aquilegia : Newsletter of the Colorado Native Plant Society Dedicated to furthering the knowledge, appreciation, and conservation of native plants and habitats of Colorado through education, stewardship, and advocacy Inside this Issue Featured Stories The High Line Canal Trail: Some History and Botanical Mystery by Christina Alba .4 In Memoriam: Emily L. Hartman .6 Ethics and Protocols of Plant Collecting by Steve Popovich.7 Columns Botany Basics by Lenore Mitchell.8 Conservation Corner by Crystal Bravo-Cogar.10 Garden Natives by Jim Borland.13 Plant Profile by Jen Toews .15 Restoration Roundup by Taryn Contento .17 Member Profile by Lenore Mitchell .29 Research and Reports Biological Soil Crusts by Charles Maurer.19 Relevant Reading .20 Marr and Steinkamp Awards.21 Book Review: Climate-Wise Landscaping, Practical Actions for a Sustainable Future by Sue Dingwell.22 Help Inventory Native Plants at Sandstone Ranch.30 News and Announcements Chapter Reports .23 Committee Reports.23 Event Calendar.24 Chapter Meetings, Workshops, Field Trips, Garden Tours Cross Pollination Events.27 Name that Plant by Lenore Mitchell.31 AQUILEGIA: Newsletter of the Colorado Native Plant Society Aquilegia Vol. 42 No. 2 Spring 2018 ISSN 2161-7317 (Online) - ISSN 2162-0865 (Print) Copyright CoNPS © 2018 Aquilegia is the newsletter of the Colorado Native Plant Society. Members receive four regular issues per year (Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter) plus a special issue for the Annual Conference held in the Fall. At times, issues may be combined. All contributions are subject to editing for brevity, grammar, and consistency, with final approval of substantive changes by the author. Articles from Aquilegia may be used by other native plant societies or non-profit groups, if fully cited to the author and attributed to Aquilegia. Managing Editor: Mary Menz, mary.t.menz@gmail.com Associate/Design Editor: Kelly Ambler, akelly4now@yahoo.com Assistant Editor: Nan Daniels; Cartoonist: Rob Pudim; Botanical names reviewer: Elizabeth Taylor; Proofreaders: Connie Clem, Katie-Leigh Corder, Sue Dingwell, Laura Sauter, Linda Smith, and Jen Toews. OPERATING COMMITTEE (Temporary): Mo Ewing bayardewing@gmail.com, David Julie bldrjardin@live.com, Jessica Smith jpsmith24@gmail.com, Denise Wilson deniseclairewilson@gmail.com, Amy Yargeramy@bigempire.com CoNPS BOARD OFFICERS: President: Vacant, Vice President: Vacant, Secretary: Denise Wilson deniseclairewilson@gmail.com, Treasurer: Mo Ewing bayardewing@gmail.com CHAPTER PRESIDENTS: Boulder: Erica Cooperboulderconps@gmail.com; Metro Denver: Lenore Mitchell zap979sar@icloud.com; Northern: Hugh Mackay hughmmackay@gmail.com; Plateau: Susan Carter susan.carter@mesacounty.us, Jim Pisarowiczjim.pisarowicz@gmail.com, David Varnerdvarner3@gmail.com; Southeast: Rich Rhoades rr52@q.com; Southwest: John Bregarjohnbregar09@gmail.com MEMBERS-AT-LARGE: Christina Alba christina.alba@botanicgardens.org; BethAnne Bane bethannebane@gmail.com; Preston Cumming wpcumming@gmail.com; Deryn Davidson ddavidson@bouldercounty.org; Ann Grantodygrant@gmail.com; Steve Olson sdolsonoslods@aol.com; Jessica Smith jpsmith24@gmail.com; Amy Yarger amy@bigempire.com; Tom Zeiner tzeiner303@gmail.com COMMITTEE CHAIRS: Conservation: Mo Ewing bayardewing@gmail.com; Education & Outreach: David Julie bldrjardin@live.com; Field Studies: Steve Olson sdolsonoslods@aol.com, Lara Duran ld.ecowise@gmail.com; Finance: Mo Ewing; Horticulture: Ann Grantodygrant@gmail.com; Media: Deryn Davidson ddavidson@bouldercounty.org, Lenore Mitchell Mitchell zap979sar@icloud.com, Steve Olson sdolsonoslods@aol.com; Research Grants: Stephen Stern stern.r.stephen@gmail.com; Restoration: Erica Cooper; Scholarships: Cecily Mui chmui@hotmail.com SOCIAL MEDIA: E-Newsletter Editor: Linda Smith conpsoffice@gmail.com; Facebook: Carol English daleanana@gmail.com and Jen Bousselotconpspromote@gmail.com; Twitter and Instagram: Jen Bousselot; Webmaster: Mo Ewing bayardewing@gmail.com CoNPS STAFF: Linda Smith, Administrative Coordinator, conpsoffice@gmail.com, 970-663-4085; Jen Bousselot, Marketing & Events Coordinator, conpspromote@gmail.com; Lauren Kurtz, Workshop Coordinator, Iauren.kurtz22@gmail.com Aquilegia Volume 42 No.2 Spring 2018 www.CoNPS.org 3 Featured Story The High Line Canal Trail: Some History and Botanical Mystery By Christina Alba Water means life everywhere on Earth. But people in semi-arid regions understand this with a clarity born of living in time-step with the rhythmic greening and re¬ greening of the landscape around them. Anyone who has experienced the sepia-toned end to a Colorado winter has marveled that any flush of life could regenerate from such a hunkered-down thirst. And while our native plants are typically drought-tolerant, the human need of food, fiber, and an inviting shade tree, is less so. Since its completion in 1883, the Canal has been a part of the fabric of the region. Its original purpose as an irrigation ditch was not fully realized for many reasons. The earthen Canal lost up to 80% of its water to seepage and evaporation, as well as to the thirsty trees and shrubs that took root along its banks. Before long a menagerie of wildlife, including beaver, prairie dogs, gophers, and crayfish, took up residence along the lush Canal, weakening its banks and requiring near-constant repair. To meet these needs, early settlers in many parts of our state tamed the waterways with canals, moving water from mountain to plain, shortening the beat of time during which crops, street trees, and lawns had to go without water. Over time, plants, animals, and people have coalesced along these canals; these ramifying arteries that literally, and in many ways spiritually, sustain life along their banks. The 130-year-old High Line Canal is one such artery, spanning 71 miles from the foothills to the plains, traveling through urban and suburban areas in Denver and the surrounding region. The Canal draws water from the South Platte River, beginning at a diversion dam in Waterton Canyon near Littleton and running northeast to Green Valley Ranch. It is named for an engineering principle that capitalizes on the land’s natural contours to efficiently move water downhill by gravity. The Canal traces the highest line of natural terrain, incorporating many twists and turns to minimize elevation drop per mile. What results is a connective corridor that wends itself through various habitat types, from rugged and wild riparian stretches in the western canyon, to areas reminiscent of native shortgrass prairie in the east. The Canal corridor also passes through many highly developed areas, providing easily accessible green space to thousands of people. The already-inefficient Canal was also subject to junior water rights, meaning that in dry years it received no water at all. Still, the Canal was reinvented many times through infrastructure improvements and an evolving group of owners and users. While falling short of its original purpose to supply water for crops and livestock throughout the region, the Canal has served residential developments, golf courses, and cemeteries, building its importance as a green corridor that connects rural, urban, and suburban neighborhoods to this day. The Canal is well-loved, as many Coloradans spent their childhood summers on its banks, nurturing great appreciation for this greener and wilder version of their backyards. For example, Jon Lehmann, now of Golden, spent summer days in the mid-80s along the Canal banks, catching crayfish by the dozens to bestow upon his neighbor, who would boil and serve the critters at his yearly party. Lehmann also remembers bat colonies in the trees that lined the Canal in the Bible Park neighborhood of Denver. The bats feasted on the cornucopia of insects that thrived along the watery corridor. Topping off his special (but not unique) connection to the Canal, Lehmann remembers journeying with a gang of friends to a quiet spot near Fairmount Cemetery, one of the Canal’s last remaining customers, to watch Halley’s Comet pass overhead. ► In 1935, a young girl sits on a bridge that crosses the High Line Canal at Big Dry Creek. © Denver Water 4 www.CoNPS.org Aquilegia Volume 42 No.2 Spring 2018 ◄ A pivotal point in the history of the Canal occurred in the 1970s, when Denver Water opened its maintenance roads, previously patrolled by early “ditch-riders,” to the public. The face of the public using the Canal for refuge and recreation transformed, expanding from kids searching out crayfish and snakes along the Canal margins to people of all ages and backgrounds walking, running, and biking their way to a peaceful stretch of time in nature. This original act of Denver Water is now entering a new era as several entities will work together to sustainably manage the High Line Canal Trail as a connective corridor sustaining plants, animals, and people in the region. From a botanical perspective, the High Line Canal presents an interesting puzzle. Human settlement along the Canal has led to conversion of the surrounding native ecosystems to other land uses. Most of the Canal’s stretch runs through what was historically flat to rolling plains underlain by sandy to silty soils. The grasslands supported native shortgrasses such as blue grama ( Bouteloua gracilis) and buffalo grass ( Buchloe dactyloides), the abundant sub-shrub fringed sage ( Artemisia frigida), and a diversity of forbs such as sand lily ( Leucocrinum montanum), gay feather (Liatris punctata), and scarlet globe mallow ( Sphaeralcea coccinea), to name a few. However, increasingly, the Canal’s greenway is surrounded by a built landscape of housing, businesses, and roads. And while there are often pockets of green space that punctuate the built landscape in the form of parks and gardens, these areas may be planted in monocultures (think Kentucky Bluegrass lawns) or contain cultivated plants that are not representative of the region. Given the Canal corridor’s storied use and the altered matrix that surrounds it, the species that occur along its stretch likely represent a blend of remnant natives, non-native “weeds” that may or may not be ecologically problematic (i.e., aggressively spreading or otherwise transformative), and escaped agricultural and horticultural plantings. The question then becomes, what exactly greens this greenway? Determining species identity is the key first step in understanding the ecological function of those species (e.g., How many nitrogen-fixing species occur on the Canal? Which tree species are deep- versus shallow- rooted? What kind of wildlife food and nesting habitat is provided by various species?). Scientists and land managers are exploring the ecological functioning of these novel species amalgams as they are increasingly swirled together by the fingerprint of urbanization. (And granted, not all users of the Canal or other green spaces need to know which particular plant species provide that universally craved green, because no matter their identity, the plants provide a place of respite and regeneration.) ► The High Line Canal Trail hugs the Canal proper along much of its length. Before Denver Water opened the Trail to the public in the 1970s , it was traversed by early “ditch riders” who maintained the Canal from the late 1800s. © John Fielder Aquilegia Volume 42 No.2 Spring 2018 www.CoNPS.org 5 ◄ Excitingly, the time is now ripe for a full botanical and ecological assessment of this well-loved greenway, as the High Line Canal Conservancy, Denver Water, and several jurisdictional partners, begin implementing a vision for its sustainable long¬ term management. Some botanical characterization has been done along parts of the corridor, for example by botanists and CoNPS members Mo Ewing, Janet Wingate, and Loraine Yeatts. Species lists generated from their work hint at the hypothesized mish-mash of plants of different origins and habitat affinities. One telling example is that of corn growing in “flood deposited sand on [a] narrow stream bank flood plain” in Arapahoe County, located just a few hundred feet from the now-busy intersection of South Chambers Road and East Alameda Parkway. Native coyote willow and cattails grew nearby this lone agricultural escapee, providing a glimpse into the complex botanical story that may unfold. To build on such intriguing botanical beginnings, Denver Botanic Gardens will undertake a strategically designed sampling effort to document plant communities along the Canal’s entire length from May-September 2018. The Gardens is working on behalf of their funding partner, the High Line Canal Conservancy, which will use data from the survey to help inform their management decisions (see the Conservancy’s website, www.highlinecanal.org, for more information on the Vision Plan for the Canal). The botanical and ecological assessment will have two components. First, representative specimens of all plants encountered within botanical transects will be collected and housed in the Kathryn Kalmbach Herbarium at the Gardens. This includes natives, wild non-natives, and cultivars alike, so that an accurate description of these complex plant assemblages can be established. The specimens and their associated data will be curated in perpetuity and will be made digitally and publicly available, representing a permanent record of the Canal’s condition at this given point in time and space. The established baseline can be revisited 10, 20 or 100 years from now. Second, ecological plots will be paired with the botanical transects. Within these plots, researchers will estimate plant species abundances and will link abundance to variation in environmental variables such as soil moisture and light availability. Taken together, the botanical and ecological data will be a first step in unlocking the botanical mystery of the Canal, and will provide a straight line of sight into its future. Literature Reconnaissance survey and prioritized survey plan: High Line Canal corridor. 2016. Written and published for the High Line Canal Conservancy. Prepared by Square Moon Consultants Inc. Principal Barbara Stocklin-Steeley. Christina (Chrissy) Alba, PhD, is a Research Associate at Denver Botanic Gardens. She fuses her background in plant ecology and botany to bring an ecological perspective to plant biodiversity surveys undertaken to grow the Gardens’ vascular plant collection. Chrissy will be leading a CoNPS field trip along the High Line in September. To learn more about research and other happenings at the Gardens, visit https://www. botanicgardens. org/york-street/blog. In Memoriam Emily L. Hartman (December 19, 1932 - April 4, 2018) was a Benedictine Oblate affiliated with the Benedictine Sisters of Chicago. Em was born in Kansas City, Missouri. She graduated from the University of Kansas earning a PhD in Botany. She also earned a Master's degree in Library Science and spent several years delivering books to residents of Appalachia in Tennessee. For 37 years she served as a professor of botany at universities in Kansas and California and completed her professional career in 1993 after 27 years of teaching at the University of Colorado Denver. Her research area was the flora of the alpine tundra of the Colorado Rockies where she was always accompanied by a furry companion, the last of which and most beloved was Annie, and often by the numerous students whose careers she nurtured. For nearly ten years, Em led Elderhostels at St. Scholastica Academy in Canon City and later taught Elderhostels at Shadowcliff in Grand Lake, Colorado. Upon retiring to Grand Junction, she served for 18 years as a volunteer at the Catholic Outreach Day Center. And the gifts she received she generously shared or gave to others. 6 www.CoNPS.org Aquilegia Volume 42 No.2 Spring 2018 Ethics and Protocols of Plant Collecting By Steve Popovich A s we enter the growing season, it is a good time to revisit ethics and procedures regarding plant collecting on public and private lands. How many plants can I collect from a population? Should I avoid collecting if the species is rare? Do I need a permit to collect if I am on public land? Can I collect on private land? These are among the typical questions pondered by those who wish to collect. That is a good thing, because these questions SHOULD be asked. The concepts of making sure one does not harm a plant population and securing permission for access to property seems straightforward, but the details can be complicated. Unfortunately, there are no clear-cut guidelines regarding the collecting of rare plants. Ethics dictate that we should not cause a plant population to lose viability or be adversely impacted by collecting specimens. The often-employed rule of thumb of harvesting one in twenty plants is, in fact, not based (as far as we know) on scientific data, and should not be blindly applied. Justification for collecting a rare plant should be based on purpose and need, and the decision should always include good judgment. If a rare plant were to be collected to document a new site, or for research resulting in increased knowledge of how to conserve that species, or because the population would be destroyed by an imminent project such as a new highway, and the plant is salvaged for transplantation or to make herbarium collections for scientific posterity, these reasons may be justified. If someone desires to add a rare plant to a personal collection or collects to seek notoriety, those reasons may be unjustified. It is helpful to ask: Is the entire plant needed? Will photos work just as well? Good photographs and detailed field notes are increasingly acceptable for recording plant discoveries, although most herbaria managers in our area still prefer physical specimens. A permit or formal authority is generally needed for collecting plants or plant parts on public lands, including lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service, National Parks and Monuments, and state or local parks and open space. Collecting threatened or endangered species, or collecting any plants within an area closed to public access or in a National Park or Monument are highly regulated. Before considering collecting of any kind, it’s essential to check with the land administrator regarding permit requirements and conditions, which may vary substantially between agencies. Collecting permit conditions for National Forests in the Rocky Mountain Region generally preclude the collecting of rare plants, as well as collecting in a Wilderness Area or within 200 feet of a roadway. Unless specific authority is given, there may be separate sets of conditions for other agencies. Also, if collecting is for commercial gain rather than for research or personal use, then a different permit is often needed. There are scenarios where a permit is not needed on public lands—these include “incidental” small collections of common (never rare) plants—such as a bag of mushrooms for family consumption, top-snatched wildflowers to place in a vase, a grade school leaf collection, or a scouting pine cone identification project. Judges like to use the phrase “ignorance is no excuse for the law.” It is a collector’s responsibility to 1) obtain and carry on one’s person the appropriate collecting permit or permission from the land administrator or owner, 2) understand all restrictions, and 3) confirm permission for property access in advance (never trespass). Collecting from or entering private property— even if entering only to cross the property to get to the other side—is illegal without permission of the land owner. If you think you may be violating any of these responsibilities, or are unsure of property boundaries, it is far better to back away than to carry on. Failure to obtain proper permits and access permissions can result in stiff penalties, including fines, criminal restrictions, reduced employment possibilities, and restrictions on entering public lands. At the very least, one’s personal reputation is tarnished. In addition to the ethics and protocols discussed above, the Colorado Native Plant Society has published guidelines on ethics of collecting, which are posted on the Society’s website. Because the permitting process can be confusing and ethical principles vary, these topics were addressed in the 2013 Rare Plant Symposium in Canon City. Please inform yourself enough to feel confident that you have done your homework before collecting, and take advantage of the resources and guidance that CoNPS offers. A version of this article appeared in the Spring 2013 (Vol. 37, No. 1) issue of Aquilegia. Like Steve said at the start of this article, spring is a good time to review the ethics of plant collecting. He revised this article for this reprinting. Steve is the former chairperson of the field studies committee. MM Ethics dictate that we should not cause aplantpopuCation to Cose viahidty or he adverseCy impacted by coCCectmg specimens. Aquilegia Volume 42 No.2 Spring 2018 www.CoNPS.org 7 Botany Basics What’s in a Name? By Lenore Mitchell CoNPS has a diverse membership — from professional botanists to hobbyists to beginning native plant lovers or gardeners. To meet the needs of members learning to identify native plants, Aquilegia will feature a regular column on basic botany. P eople have always needed to know what to call plants as well as animals and other organisms. It was a matter of survival to know which plants were poisonous, which were edible, and which were useful in other ways. In ancient Greece, a student of Aristotle named Theophrastus (317-287BC) reportedly provided the origins of botany with the first written work on plants. The very word botany is ancient Greek for pasture or grass. Later, ancient Egyptians recorded knowledge about medicinal plants on papyrus. Throughout the years, more knowledge accumulated about plants and their names. Then, in the 1700s came the famous Carl Linnaeus, a Swedish doctor. While he did not invent the binomial (two-part) naming system, he perfected and expanded it into a system we still call the Kingdom Classification, which systematically groups plants, animals, and most living organisms. Humans belong to the Animal Kingdom, and our scientific name is Homo (Genus) sapiens (species). The Kingdom Classification system was originally based more on morphology (form) and basic function. Since the late 1990s, scientists have been delving into DNA and genetics, which has resulted in increased knowledge about close relationships between species and families of plants and animals, humans included. Plant studies have centered on angiosperms (covered seed plants which have the most complex reproductive systems). The Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APG) studies covered-seed producing plants through DNA and that information combined with morphology and function provides even closer plant relationships, which is why some of the plant families have changed over time. For instance, the Scrophulariaceae (figwort family) has been separated into Plantaginaceae (plantain family), Orobanchaceae (broomrape family), and Phrymaceae (lopseed family). APG studies are still ongoing. About those tongue-twister names While there are many cute and even useful common names, there’s a reason why botanical Latin is more useful. For one thing, it’s standardized through the ICBN (International Code of Botanical Nomenclature) so a plant that grows all over the northern hemisphere (circumboreal) has the same name in United States and Canada as it does in Europe or Asia. Botanical Latin is also a neutral language, and is widely acceptable. Common names, on the other hand, often vary from one region to another. Botany is a branch of biology dealing with plant life from physiology and morphology to ecology. Taxonomy is the study of orderly classification of organisms, so the two are closely related. Keying a plant involves both disciplines. Keying a plant involves unfamiliar terminology and sometimes tongue-twister words. But don’t give up! Putting knowledge to work Kingdom classification is still in use along with DNA and genetic studies. Family, genus, and species are the most useful elements of plant identification. So, how to begin? First of all, relax and enjoy the plants. Almost every plant photo book (or the internet) has diagrams of the basic plant parts: flower structure, leaf arrangements, etc. Become familiar with this to start. Make it a habit to quickly scan any plant you see (in a garden, in a photo, out on the trail, online) and ask yourself: Is there a stamen (male reproductive part) or a pistil (female)? Are leaves opposite or alternate on the stem, and so on. These parts may or may not be easily seen, but try. ► THE PLANT KINGDOM Plantae (dates are approximate; MYA = million years ago) PHYLUM OR DIVISION CLASS Ferns/Fern allies (oldest vascular land plants); began 350 MYA; spore reproduction Gymnosperms (e.g, conifers, etc.); began 250 MYA; naked seed reproduction like cones Angiosperms (e.g., true flowers, grasses, etc.); began 150 MYA; evolved w/pollinators; covered seed reproduction SUBCLASS (monocots and dicots - now eudicots, true dicots, is more accurate) ORDER (set of related families) FAMILY (shares certain basic characteristics) GENUS (more closely related; plural: genera) SPECIES (even more similar; note: species is not capitalized) 8 www.CoNPS.org Aquilegia Volume 42 No.2 Spring 2018 ◄ Always look closely with a hand lens, take photos or make sketches, and make detailed notes. Observe more than one specimen of the same plant and flower if possible to make sure your plant is a typical one. Basic steps to plant identification Colorado has approximately 3000 species and some 155 families of native and alien plants. Sounds daunting, doesn’t it? But 75% of species belong to the biggest families, meaning that once you’re familiar with, say, a dozen common families, you’re doing well. Take on the next dozen common families, and your confidence expands. Because most families share basic characteristics, it’s fun and not all that difficult to learn about families. Along the way, your botanical vocabulary expands too. In botanical Latin, all family names end with “aceae.” Rosaceae is the rose family, Lamiaceae is the mint family, Fabaceae is the pea family, and so on. You needn’t formally key every single plant out there, unless you want to. Many plants are readily recognizable and, even better, plant families share characteristics. If you’re familiar with the Rosaceae family, which generally has 5 petals and many stamens, you may come across an unfamiliar plant with these same characteristics, so you first consider whether or not the new plant might or might not be in the rose family. Another unfamiliar plant with a square stem makes you say “ah ha!” because you know Lamiaceae (mint family) has square stems. So things start to fall in place, and, wow, you’re having fun! Do remember, though, there are often exceptions. For instance, one plant with a square stem is Scrophularia lanceolata (bunny in the grass), but it is a Scrophulariaceae (figwort family) rather than a Lamiaceae (mint). Learn these families first Following are the easier-to-learn families. Apiaceae (parsley or carrot family): Tiny 5 petal flowers in clusters; umbel shape; about 41 Colorado species; many edible; some poisonous; leaves compound/pinnate. Asteraceae (sunflower family): Comprised of many tiny florets, both rays and disks; one of the world’s largest families; nearly 400 Colorado species; not always easy to key, but easy to place in family; leaves variable. Boraginaceae (borage family): 5 petals often fused forming a tube; usually stiff hairs on alternate leaves; 40 Colorado species; Mertensia (chiming bells) are exceptions. (continued on page 18) ► Sitting down and carefully observing plant characteristics is critical to identifying a new-to-you species. An added benefit? You’re closer to the plant for sketching and photographing your find. © 2015 Mary Menz at Elk Park, Pikes Peak. Aquilegia Volume 42 No.2 Spring 2018 www.CoNPS.org 9 £