Castilleja : the newsletter of the Wyoming Native Plant Society

Castilleja

A Publication of the Wyoming Native Plant Society

March 2005, Volume 24, No. 1

Posted at www.uwyo.edu/wyndd/wnps/wnps_home.htnn

Honoring Wyoming’s First Botanist

Each branch of biology in Wyoming that
deals with plant life (taxonomy, ecology, range,
agriculture, horticulture); indeed, the history of
Wyoming botany, reflects contributions of
Aven Nelson. The University of Wyoming (UW)
would not be what it is today without Nelson’s
leadership. Recognizing Nelson’s legacy of
contributions to UW and the advancement of
plant sciences, the UW College of Arts & Sciences
proudly, posthumously named Aven Nelson as
UW Outstanding Former Faculty this spring.

Nelson was a pioneering botanist and
contributor to a nascent picture of the flora of
North America (Reveal and Pringle 1993). “For
nearly a third of a century. Nelson was held to be
the preeminent botanist in the Rocky Mountain
region; his frequent agricultural and horticultural
bulletins made him the patron saint of Wyoming
rural folk; he built the Rocky Mountain Flerbarium
from scratch and gave it the impetus to become
what it is today, the foremost collection of plants
between St. Louis, Austin, and the West Coast;
and he sacrificed this first love to assume the
presidency of the University of Wyoming in a
crisis,...” (Williams 1984). Fie lent equanimity to
some of the most rancorous debates in botany,
was an inspiration as teacher (Williams 2003),
and advanced economic and social development
in the state, bh

Aven Nelson was born on March 24, 1859. Wyoming
Native Plant Society is proud to feature him this month as we
consider not only Wyoming plant life, but people who are
part of the Wyoming botany community.

The UW College of Arts & Sciences awards banquet
will be May 13, 2005 @5:30 pm (Union), hosting Nelsons’
descendants and other awardees. The event is open
(botanists included). To make reservations, contact: College
of Arts & Sciences Adv. Off. (766-2755; asdean@uwyo.edu).

Aven Nelson, in Reveal & Pringle (1993).© 2005 Hunt Institute for

Botanical Documentation. All Rights Reserved.

References Qted

Reveal, J.L and J.S. Pringle. 1993. Taxonomic botany and
floristics. Chapter 7, ln\ FNA Ed. Comm., eds. Flora
of North America. Vol. 1: Introduction. Oxford Univ.
Press, New York and Oxford.

Williams, R.L 1984. Aven Nelson of Wyoming. Colorado
Assoc. University Press, Boulder, CO.

Williams, R.L 2003. A Region of Astonishing Beauty. Roberts
Rinehart Publishers, Lanham, MD.

In this issue:

Flonoring Wyoming’s First Botanist 1

Announcements 3

Ethnobotany Survey of Grand Teton NP . . 4
Soil and Vegetation Change in Sagebrush . 5

WNPS Insights from Germany 7

Blooming Bounty 8

The Life and Times of Stuart Markow 9

WNPSNews

2005 Student Scholarship Winner : The 2005 WNPS
Scholarship winner, Adam Siepielski, was named by
the Board for his PhD research (New Mexico State
University) on the geographic mosaic of co-
evolution for Clark’s nutcrackers and bird dispersed
pines in Wyoming and the greater Rocky Mountain
region ($400). Evelyn Hill (University of Wyoming)
was awarded second-place for her M.S. research on
ethnobotany of Grand Teton National Park ($200).
We are proud to support their research. The Board
had a difficult time selecting among the qualified
applications. Thanks go out to all who applied...
with special thanks to all in WNPS who keep the
scholarship fund going.

The sagebrush research by Sally Madden
and the ethnobotany research by Evelyn Hill, 2004
scholarship recipients, are reported in this issue
(see pp. 4-6). The Abronia ammophila taxonomic
research of Elizabeth Saunders, 2004 scholarship
recipient, will be featured in the May issue.

New Members : Hease welcome the following new
members to WNPS: Tyler Abbott (Cheyenne),
Casper College Library (Casper), Tim and Ann
Henson (Longmont, CO), Laramie Community
College Library (Cheyenne), Rick Larimore
(Champaign, IL), Wanda Manley (Burns), David
Medhaug (Glenwood, CO), John Taggart Hickley
Library of Northwest College (Powell).

Wyoming Native Plant Society

P.O. Box 2500, Laramie, WY 82073

By-Laws Report : Response of almost 70 WNPS
members during the ballot period qualifies as a
groundswell by any state standard; but it does not
represent at least 50% of the membership. So the
proposed By-Laws amendments to create a life
membership category and other measures will be
reprinted in the next issue for article -by-article
votes at the annual meeting this summer.

2005 WNPS Annual Meeting : Watch for the annual
meeting / fieldtrip announcement in the May issue.

Message from the President

Each of us has answers to the questions why we
are interested in Wyoming plants and some part of the
“plant picture.” This newsletter issue focuses on people
and perspectives rather than plant topics. It has been an
issue that defies conformity or constraints.

Here is the take-home message: Your interests
and perspectives are the rationale behind Wyoming
Native Plant Society. The inspiration for this newsletter
originates with you. The majority of members are in
once-a-year mail contact, and that is wonderful in its
own right.

...I had originally hoped to serve up a helping of
inspiring president’s prose. Now, I would be satisfied if I
could just hold up a mirror in which everyone saw
themselves. Bonnie Heidel

CELEBRATING WILDFLOWERS at the Buffalo Bill
Historical Center/ Draper Museum of Natural
History in Cody, WY will be held in July this year -
watch for more information in the May newsletter.

WNPS Board - 2005

President: Bonnie Heidel 742-9523

Vice President: Laura Hudson 745-8236

Sec. -Treasurer: Ann Boelter 745-5487

Board Members: Mike Evans 326-8217

Katherine Zacharkevics 605-722-4024

THANK YOU to all 2004 Board members!

Treasurer’s Report : Balance as of 4 February 2005:
General Fund $877.86; Student Scholarship Fund:
$0.00; Total Funds: $877.86.

(Thanks to all who renewed!! Memberships are now due at the
start of the calendar year rather than the middle of summer.
This meant a “short” membership year in 2003. We are now
recording renewal dates and trying to make it as easy as
possible to stay current. Check the mailing label on this issue
for the year that your renewal was last paid.)

Newsletter Editor: Bonnie Heidel (Laramie;
email: bheidel(g)uwyo.edu)

Teton Chapter: PC Box 82, Wilson, WY 83014 (Joan
Lucas, Treasurer)

Bighorn Native Plant Society: PC Box 21, Big Horn, WY
82833 (Jean Daly, Treasurer)

Head Webmaster-Tessa Dutcher (tessad(g)uwyo.edu).

Contributors to this issue: Walter Fertig (WF), Bonnie
Heidel (BH), Evelyn Hill (EH), Sally Madden (SM) and
Thea Unzner (TU).

Next Wyoming Plant Conference : Moved to Spring 2006
Next newsletter deadline : April 18, 2005

While this issue falls short as a memorial marking botanical
greatness, the newsletter will continue in its dedication to
these and other people ...as well as plants.

2

Announcing: The Second Annual Conference
of Northwest Herbaria

The University of Idaho Stillinger Herbarium
cordially invites botanists of the West to come this
spring for the second annual Conference of Northwest
Herbaria! The Conference of Northwest Herbaria will be
held in Moscow, Idaho, June 3-5, 2005. The program is
posted at httD://www.sci. uidaho.edu/biosci / herbarium
/conference/ index.htm I

The Conference of Northwest Herbaria will
address issues facing herbaria and conservation centers
today. Primarily, the conference offers an opportunity to

increase the communication between these institutions
on issues ranging from current taxonomic treatments to
computerization of collections. In addition, the
conference provides workshops led by recognized
experts, designed to enhance the skill levels of field
botanists. Lastly, this year the conference will provide an
opportunity for botanists throughout the Northwest to
experience first-hand the fascinating coastal disjunct
ecosystems of North Idaho. Last year's first-ever
Conference of Northwest Herbaria was truly a great
success. This year is aiso the year that the University of
idaho wiii 'hand off the baton', so that other institutions
have the opportunity to host this event in coming years.

Now available:

Genetically Appropriate Choices for
Plant Materials to Maintain
Biological Diversity

by Dr. Deborah Rogers and
Dr. Arlee Montalvo

(Editor’s Note: The foiiowing is from a Forest Service
announcement of Andrew Kratz, Regionai Botanist.)

A guide was recently released by the U.S. Forest
Service - Rocky Mountain Region to help land managers
make genetically appropriate choices for native plant
materials in revegetation projects. This substantive
guidebook synthesizes genetic principles and provides
examples of genetic issues relevant in the selection of
native plant materials for use in wildlands. It focuses to
some degree on fire and timber harvest as large scale
disturbances in the Rocky Mountain Region which are
frequently seeded to prevent erosion, but the document
has a wealth of information that is widely applicable to
many different types of revegetation projects here and
elsewhere. The document is intended as a tool, and to
foster a dialog between land managers and geneticists.

It is available for public download as a PDF file
at just over 3 MB in size, posted at:
http:// www.fs.fed.us/r2/Dublications/botanv/Dlantaeneti

cs.pdf . The Guide was developed under a Joint Venture
Agreement between the USDA Forest Service and the
Regents of the University of California. UC will also be
posting the file on an publicly accessible web site
shortly. See the Preface for a brief overview before
diving into Chapter 1 to help understand how best to
use the document.

Citation :

Rogers, D.L and A.M. Montalvo. 2004. Genetically
appropriate choices for plant materials to maintain
biological diversity. University of California. Report to the
USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region,

Lakewood, CO.

Crash Course in Plant Conservation

According to the lUCN Red List of Threatened
Plants, over 33,000 of the world’s plant species are
considered at risk of extinction. As their responsibility to
contribute to plant conservation efforts increases in both
urgency and scope, many botanic gardens, government
agencies, NGO’s, universities, and other organizations
involved in plant conservation are in search of ways to
develop and improve their skills in implementing
effective plant conservation programs.

In response to this need, the U.S. Botanic Garden
and Denver Botanic Gardens have undertaken a
congressionally-supported collaboration to develop a
training program in plant conservation methods and
program development. There are two, one-week courses
that can be taken separately or together on:

? in-situ conservation techniques used by plant
researchers and land managers, including the
conceptual and applied principles of threatened
plant population management, monitoring, and
restoration, held June 7-11, 2005 in Denver.

? Ex-s/fiv conservation methods used in botanical
gardens and other institutions, including seed
banking and the applications of horticulture,
held June 13-17, 2005 in Denver.

Applications are due by 1 April, 2005. For
application forms and cost, see:

www.usba.aov/education/Certificate Plant Conservation. cfm .

...Did you know?

The Rocky Mountain Region of the U.S. Forest Service
is a 22-million acre area that spans five states, and
employs seven full-time botanists; one botanist per 1.5
million acres.*

* From: Forest Magazine 7(2): 17 of Spring 2005. (A botanists’
responsibilities may include plant conservation, weeds, restoration.)

3

An Ethnobotanical Survey of Grand Teton National Park

Bv Evelyn Hill

The Greek word ethos meaning people, was
used to form the word ethnobotany by John
Harshberger “a prolific floristic and taxonomic
botanist” in 1895 (Schultes 1995), thus describing
the relationship between people and plants. My
study is in three parts, first was the indentification
of around 300 species used for ethnobotanical
purposes. During the summer of 2004 I began the
second phase of locating ethnobotanical plants
within the protected boundaries of Grand Teton
National Park (GTNP) and the Rockefeller Jr.
Memorial Parkway. The harvesting of seed
specimens in the fall of 2005 will meet the third
and final goal of collecting macrofloral material for
charring to replicate plant material in hearths, for
archaeological analytical comparison. These three
phases will help create a basis for future
archaeological, botanical and cultural investigations
into the ethnobotany of the greater Grand Teton
National Park biogeographical area.

Information on prehistoric, multi-tribal plant
remains for 300 species was compiled from
archeological site reports. These investigations
dated 1976 through 1993, contain 16 sites in Grand
Teton National Park from the Project Rles of the
Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO),
Laramie, Wyoming and the Midwest Archaeological
Center (MW AC), National Park Service, Lincoln,
Nebraska. Many of these archeological sites are
clustered around the old shore line of Jackson
Lake, as well as scattered throughout GTNP. These
reports yield information on botanical and pollen
species, charcoal and hearth analyses, and flotation
work if it was performed.

These 300 species were used by Shoshoni,
Blackfoot, Crow, Lite, Arapahoe, Gosiute and
Western Plains and Rocky Mountain Tribes for the
basic needs of food, medicine, utilitarian and
ceremonial purposes from this greater ecosystem.
This collection represents the first of its kind in the
Grand Teton National Park (GTNP) or Yellowstone
National Park (YNP) botanical and cultural
anthropology disciplines. It ties together the
prehistory of land, plants and people. Jacqueline
St. Clair, Cultural Resource Office (GTNP) has
indated these specimens will be included in displays
to park visitors as an interpretive aid for the
public’s education. Having these housed

together as a separate collection in the three
different herbaria offers further study to individuals
pursuing anthropology, archeology, botany and
other disciplines. An ethnobotanical specimen may
also have a second label or sheet of information
containing emic categories, possibly having native
terms for specific plants, native uses, perceptions
and classifications, the environmental conditions of
where it is located and bibliographic references for
each particular plant.

Collecting a specific set of plants entails
knowing their needs of season, weather and
habitat for the stages of flowering and seed
maturation. By staggering collecting times into two
week intervals, I was able to coincide collecting
with plant growth habits. For the 42 days spent in
the field the results include 39 families and 70
species to date and their identifications are
tentative, not yet verified (Table 2). Some of the
plants I have searched for and not yet found may
never be found, due to extirpation, transport into
the study area, or historically incorrect
identification. Plants could very possibly have been
carried into the area by tribe visitation from long
distances or traded for and, roasted and eaten,
leaving only a few charred seeds behind as the
evidence found in archaeological records.

Klara Varga, GTNP Botanist, and her staff,
assisted me in locating several hard to find plant
stands they have recorded in their data base. The
entire GTNP has not been systematically collected
and they are very interested in what I have and
what I will find. Their data base is roughly 75
separate collections so far, and does not canvas
the entire Park.

The original inspiration for this project began
in the spring of 2004 when I was asked to help
with the “Ethnohistory Project of Shoshone National
Forest, through the UW Anthropology Dept. This
coming summer, 2005, I will be locating more
species on my list, working on the first set of
ethnobotanical herbarium specimens and labels for
three institutions, and sharing the wonder and joy
of knowledge these plants have held for so long.

(Evelyn Hill is a 2004 recipient of the Wyoming Native
Plant Society Scholarship, completing her masters thesis
in Botany at the University of Wyoming.)

4

Changes in Soil and Vegetation Following
Long-term Grazing Removal in Wyoming
Sagebrush Steppe

By S. Madden, LC. Munn,

A.L Hild, P.D. Stahl and E.G. Pendall

Sagebrush exclosure study site, by S. Madden

Sagebrush grasslands are extensive in
Wyoming, serve important watershed and wildlife
habitat functions, and provide grazhg opportunities
for domestic livestock. As part of a cooperative
research effort between the University of Wyoming
and the Bureau of Land Management, more than
100 exclosures in such areas were established in
the state starting in the 1950s. Many of these
exclosures are intact today and are a valuable
resource for investigating the effects of long-term
grazing removal on these rangeland systems.

As part of on-going research on Wyoming’s
rangelands, we selected ten exclosures for study in
sagebrush-grassland vegetation communities in
Fremont, Washakie and Natrona counties to
evaluate the effects of long-term removal of
grazing by domestic livestock. We took
measurements of soil physical and vegetation
properties inside and outside each exclosure,
systematically sampling microsites; under shrub,
under grass and within bare interspaces. In semi-
arid systems it has been suggested that ‘resource
islands’ may exist under grasses and shrubs
whereby increased nutrients are found in
association with plant cover. We were interested
to see whether soil physical properties were

affected by the presence of shrubs and grasses and
long-term grazing removal.

The exclosures studied were established
approximately 40 years ago. Following this long-
term removal of grazing, we did measure some
differences in soil and plant characteristics. We
determined that soil surface roughness
had increased inside the exclosures (see
Figure 1). Soil surface roughness, or
microtopography, is important for
reducing rates of run-off and erosion
following rainfall and snowmelt and for
curbing wind erosion. Roughness also
contributes to the presence of ‘safe sites’
for germination and establishment of
plants by increasing moisture retention,
humidity and shading.

We also found increased canopy
cover of shrubs following domestic
livestock removal, but no difference in
the total density of shrubs. This
suggests that the shrubs inside
exclosures have developed larger
crowns, possibly in the absence of
browsing by native ungulates. Although
exclosure fences were constructed to
exclude cattle and sheep only, we felt that native
ungulates may have also been deterred from
entering exclosures.

Soil-water infiltration rates under bare
interspaces differed from infiltration under grasses
or shrubs. Inside the exclosures the infiltration was
slower within interspaces but equally fast
infiltration was found under grasses and shrubs.
Outside the exclosures, infiltration was highest
under shrubs but was not different under grasses
and interspaces. Overall, infiltration rates were
higher inside the exclosures under grass than they
were outside exclosures.

Soil compaction (determined by bulk density
measurements) was comparable inside and outside
the exclosures, but soil compaction was greater
within bare interspaces. There was more bare
ground outside the exclosures than inside them. In
combination, the higher cover of bare ground,
higher interspace bulk density, and slower
infiltration may mean that the overall infiltration
and ability of the soils to hold onto water are lower
outside exclosures. These differences may be
important on a watershed scale particularly on
sloping landscapes where intense thunderstorms
may produce more runoff from grazed allotments.

5

We concluded that long-term grazing Continued research in a variety of

removal has effects on soil physical properties topographic settings will hetD develop a better

which can improve hydrologic processes even understanding of how long-term grazing removal

though these differences may not be apparent in would affect hydrologic processes at a landscape

the vegetation. Understanding these effects should scale,

allow better long-term management of Wyoming

rangelands. In the absence of exotic annual weeds (Sally Madden is a 2004 recipient of the Wyoming

such as cheatgrass, more direct management such Native Plant Society Scholarship, completing her masters

as prescribed fire may be a usefui tool to reduce *he Department of Renewable Resources at the

shrub dominance on a rangeland site following University of Wyoming,)

long-term grazing removal.

Far-Flung Native Plant Society Members

Everyone interested in Wyoming native plants and vegetation is welcomed as a member of Wyoming Native Plant
Society (WNPS). What does this mean for folks outside of state boundaries? The article by Thea Unzner (next page)
prompted a profile of widely-distributed WNPS members.

The rationale varies -- WNPS members from afar may affirm their present pursuits and stake in Wyoming. They
may belong after previously living in Wyoming or pursuing past botany work, studies and adventures in the state.
Membership may provide regional perspectives in nearby areas of mountains and plains. People may join to get the news,
information, camaraderie, or spurts of humor. Finally, WNPS membership may be a simple token of interest and care.

For any and all reasons - THANK YOU.

Wyoming Native Plant Society exists to promote an appreciation of Wyoming plants and spectrum of plant-
pursuits (taxonomy, ecology, range and forestry sciences, gardening, mycology, paleoecology,...) to name a few. The
following map of far-flung Native Plant Society members is derived from current membership records, bh
Reminder: Articles from all members are welcome!

Rangewide Distribution of Wyoming Native Plant Society Members

...includes Germany and Russia!

6

Why is a German Woman I nterested in Wiidfiowers of Wyoming?

By Thea Unzner

(Several years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, an outpost of
the Wyoming flora sprung up near East Berlin at the home of
Thea Unzner and family, long-distance member of Wyoming
Native Plant Society. Her original gardening interests took her
on a path of many discoveries, including discovery of relatives
she has in Wyoming, and the shared and unique genera of
plants on two continents.)

When I first came to Wyoming in 1999 for a
visit to my relatives in Jeffrey City, I found quite a
different landscape there compared to the one I
am used to living in. I was overwhelmed by the
boundless, wide open space, the vast plains and
the infinite sky high above all. Where I live in East
Germany, in an area with sandy soil, there are
forests everywhere and the sun rises behind the
trees and disappears in the evening behind the
treetops.

When you come as a foreigner to Wyoming,
you see again and again the gray sagebrush
steppe, interrupted by rocks and ranges of hills. It
is hard to believe what a richness of wiidfiowers is
growing between the shrubby sagebrush.

As a member of the American Pen stem on
Society, I looked first for Penstemons around the
ranch of my cousin. I did not have to go too far, as
the rocks in front of the house were all blue with
Pensternon wrens! And when I walked farther, I
found species of Erigeron, small Allium, Antennaria,
Phlox, Eriogonum, Astragalus, Oxytropis, Heuchera,
Cryptantha .... so many well-known plants and
some exciting unknown plants!

I took lots of photos every year when I
visited my relatives in Jeffrey City, Lander and
Riverton. Time and again I discovered more plants,
particularly in the Green Mountains. I was quite
fascinated by the flora. There were slopes in the
Green Mountains full of yellow Balsamhoriza,
roadside mats of violet Astragalus, and pasture
carpets of white Phlox and yellow Haplopappus.

One year I was so glad when I saw the wonderful
pink flowers of Pensternon eriantherus for the first
time, and in another year, hundreds of Lewisia
rediviva that had opened their pink starflowers.

In wintertime I looked at all my new
American plant books, translated the descriptions,
compared my photos with the pictures in the
books, and bit by bit I found out the right names of
most of the plants I saw in Wyoming.

Fuzzytongue pensternon {Pensternon eriantherus)

Illustration from: Britton, N.L, and A. Brown. 1913. Illustrated
flora of the northern states and Canada Courtesy of Kentucky
Native Plant Society. Scanned by Omnitek Inc. Usage
Guidelines

...But not all - I am not sure about all of the species
of Cryptantha, Astragalus, Oxytropis, Phlox,

Physaria and Erigeron.

A friend from Saratoga once sent me the
newsletter of the Wyoming Native Plant Society. I
joined and I am glad to learn more about
Wyoming's flora now.

My relatives are the descendents of my
father's brother, who emigrated from Berlin to
Wyoming in the 19th century. He followed the call
of his uncle August Lanken, who was one of the
first settlers in Wyoming and had a cabin just on
the foot of the hill which has now the name after
him: Lankin Dome. I found something about him
and my uncle Emil Jamerman in the Archives of
Wyoming in Cheyenne.

This year in June, I'll travel again to
Wyoming, shall look again for flowers, and am
hopeful to find new ones.

7

A Blooming Bounty

A botanical bounty of illustrations by Karl Urban is posted on the internet as part of the National
“Celebrating Wildf lowers” initiative ( http://www.nps.aov/plants/color/northwest/24.htm ). Urban was an
esteemed Oregon botanist, educator and artist. The illustrations include many plants that reach the mountains
and plains of Wyoming. You might consider them if you are looking for ways that students can explore plant
life of Wyoming, indoors and outdoors, by books and through their own creativity (see also “plant ID” at the
WNPS homepage for Wyoming flora references, http://www.uwyo.edu/wyndd/wnps/wnps_home.htm).

Note: Both native plants AND noxious weeds are featured among illustrations!

Twinflower {Linnaea borealis)

Dalmatian toadflax {Linaria dalmatica) - noxious weed!

The Life and Times of Stuart Markow

By Walter Fertig

It was with surprise and sadness that I learned
of the passing of my long-time friend, classmate,
co-author, occasional employee, and colleague,
Stuart Markow on Thanksgiving weekend 2004.
Summarizing the enormous and positive impact
Stuart had on the lives of so many people in the
botanical community of Wyoming and the west is
difficult. Stuart was many things - an excellent
teacher and expert botanist for sure, but also a
kind-hearted soul and about the funniest guy I’ve
ever known.

I first crossed paths with Stuart in September
1990, where we were beginning our graduate
careers in botany at the University of Wyoming
under the tutelage of Ron Hartman. We both had
similar research projects - mine a floristic inventory
of the western Wind River Range, and Stuart’s a
comparable study of the flora of Targhee National
Forest along the Wyoming/Idaho state line west of
Jackson.

We shared an office on the third floor of the
Aven Nelson building with Tim Evans, another
Masters student working on the taxonomy of
Oonopsis. Tim and I weren’t quite sure what to
make of Stuart at first - he was very earnest and
seemed to prefer keeping to himself. In time
Stuart opened up and we realized just what a quick
wit he had. Pretty soon we advanced to practical
jokes, usually with Stuart and me victimizing Tim,
or Tim and me getting Stuart. These were all
harmless pranks, like filling Stuart’s desk full of
Styrofoam packing foam, or completely intermixing
the contents of different cans of gourmet coffee
that another officemate proudly maintained, or
various tomfoolery in the Rocky Mountain
Herbarium that was blamed on Bill Smith’s lab for
years (I believe the statute of limitations on pranks
is 10 years, so I can confess to this now).

Eventually Stuart pulled what I still consider the
most diabolical and cunning practical joke of all
time (at my expense, of course) - the infamous
“Little Caesar’s Rzza Prank”. Space and
embarrassment preclude me from recounting this
more fully - needless to say it forced my retirement
from practical joking for good. I knew when I was
licked.

We spent a lot of late nights in the herbarium
working on our plant collections, talking shop,
recounting Monty python movies, solving the
mysteries of the cosmos. At least once a week we

would order a pizza from PizzaTime, the local
discount pizzeria (which sadly closed not long after
Stuart and I graduated, apparently due to a large
drop in business). Stuart was the only person I’ve
ever known who ordered pizza without tomato
sauce. Otherwise he seemed to subsist on non-fat
Wheatables crackers, textured vegetable protein
patties reheated in a microwave, and diet Mountain
Dew. He always drank that vile brew in a paper
cup because he said he didn’t like the taste of the
can. I never could convince him that the soda had
been immersed in the can since leaving the bottling
plant.

Stuart’s prowess as a teacher was apparent
from the outset. The time he spent preparing for
his lab courses was legendary. Early on (before he
had thousands of plant specimens of his own to
identify), Stuart would regularly attend 3-4
different lecture sessions of General Biology to
make sure he knew everything his students were
learning. He easily spent 24 hours a week
preparing for his 2 hour lab. Our first semester he
used to drill Tim and I with lab-related questions
any time we set foot into our office. After
stammering out some unprepared response to a
query about mitosis (I was just going in to get a
pencil from my desk after all) Stuart would inform
me that I missed some trivial point, at which time I
would tell him he was ready for that week’s lab.
Stuart always had a steady string of students
hanging around during office hours for his patented
one-on-one tutoring. Those lucky students were
certainly learning more from him than they were
from their uninspiring professors. For his efforts
Stuart won several teaching awards, including the
prestigious Ellbogen award - a prize that came with
a substantial cash remuneration.

Stuart’s favorite subject
to teach was botany -
specifically how to identify
plant species in the lab and
the field. He had an amazing
memory for the most
insignificant details and a
gentle, easy-going teaching
manner infused with good
humor. Soon he was
providing plant i.d. services
for any number of students
from other disciplines - ecology, wildlife biology,
and range science - who really needed his help and
were always grateful in kind.

Courtesy of Lynn Moore

In 1992 as I was finalizing my thesis I got a job
as the state botanist for The Nature Conservancy’s
natural heritage program (Wyoming Natural
Diversity Database). One of the projects that I
inherited was supervising Stuart’s research grant
for his master’s project in Targhee National Forest.
This could have been awkward, but Stuart handled
it quite well. I helped him complete the required
report for the Forest Service and this led to many
more collaborations over the ensuing decade.

Stuart and I co-wrote a half dozen technical
reports, one of which was published as a book by
the Forest Service in 2001 (“Guide to the willows of
Shoshone National Forest”). In our professional
relationship he was always a valued advisor,
sounding board, and critic - one of the people I
really relied on for my work.

Stuart graduated with his Masters in 1993. I
still remember the final seminar he gave to the
Botany Department summarizing his research. He
spent weeks practicing and had it down cold -
forward and backward. As luck would have it, the
bulb in the slide projector burned out halfway
through his talk - in fact, as Stuart was in mid-
sentence telling a joke. It took about 5 minutes to
get a replacement projector set up and order
restored, but to everyone’s amazement Stuart
picked up in mid sentence and completed his funny
story, as though nothing had happened! It was
one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen and
has become a legend in the annals of University of
Wyoming botany.

After graduation Stuart took a number of
seasonal jobs for the Forest Service and National
Park Service in Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, and
Utah. Unfortunately, he never did land the
permanent botanist job he really wanted and
deserved. This was one of the few times I ever
saw Stuart get discouraged. Stuart tried his hand
at teaching (general biology at Western Wyoming
College and summer courses in botany at Teton
Science School) and consulting with better results.
Fortunately Stuart’s wide network of friends helped
steer enough projects his way to keep him
employed and in Wheatable snacks.

In hindsight, I think the seasonal life may have
been ideal for Stuart. It gave him the opportunity
to do what he truly loved every summer -
perambulating about the woods hunting for rare
and curious plants, training colleagues in the
intricacies of willow and sedge taxonomy, and
teaching classes for the science school or the
native plant society. He earned enough money in

Stuart MarkOW, photo by Jean Wood

summer to persist through the winter in Laramie,
hang out at the Rocky Mountain Herbarium, write
articles for Castilleja, and give comfort and aid to
the latest crop of fresh-faced floristic graduate
students in need of help. Ron Hartman and I, and
later Bonnie Heidel, always had some projects for
him to do too.

In many ways Stuart had the trappings of a
mystic. He lived a very ascetic life style -
eschewing most material things. In later years
when Stuart was doing summer work out of state
he would ask me to periodically check in on his tiny
Laramie apartment. I was always amazed at the
few possessions he accumulated. Whenever he
called to see how things were going I would tell
him that his apartment had been broken into and
all that was left was his cardboard box coffee table,
bike, vacuum cleaner, and a bare light bulb. He
would always respond, no - nothing was missing!

His frugality was the stuff of myth, too -
perhaps a byproduct of his Yankee upbringing.
Stuart was always mending a pair of worn-out
canvas sneakers or trying to get another season
out of a pair of dilapidated hiking boots. When one
thread-bare shirt got too worn he would just start
to double them up (or even wear triple layers in
winter). Yet Stuart was an amazingly giving person
- always there to offer assistance when needed,
always giving of his time and energy.

There were many other contradictions. Few
knew that Stuart was a champion athlete in high
school and a master at table tennis. For someone
who claimed to never watch television, Stuart had
an amazing comprehension of 1960s TV sitcom
trivia. When not reciting botanical minutiae, Stuart
could just as easily recount every bit of dialogue
from Monty python or any Calvin and Hobbes or
Far Sde cartoon ever printed.

10

Stuart liked to be in control of his own destiny.

I think this is why he seemed to be forever holding
out for his dream job - one I think really didn’t
exist. After I left Wyoming to become a federal
botanist in Utah I tried to tell Stuart that working
for the government full time actually involved much
more paperwork, bureaucracy, and pointless
meetings than just looking for rare plants everyday.
Deep down, I think Stuart knew this, and realized
how fortunate he was working seasonally and
doing just those things he wanted to do. His desire
for control extended to his friendships - making it
somewhat difficult for those who liked him. It was
nearly impossible to get Stuart out in public -
certainly never to a restaurant or rarely to a party.
Stuart often kept people at an arms length, which
frustrated many, especially any number of smitten
women. I don’t think he ever did this out of spite
or meanness, he just was very private and perhaps
afraid of opening up too much, or of relinquishing
self-control.

Stuart liked to cultivate an image of
mysteriousness about his personal life and past.

For years I tried (unsuccessfully) to find out when
his birthday was and this became one of many
running gags in our life. One of the few
things he ever did volunteer about his life before
botany was that he had once worked in a pizza
parlor. I immediately generated a rumor that he
had worked in a mafia pizza shop, had seen too
much, and had been shipped to Wyoming as part
of the federal witness relocation program. Stuart
would never confirm nor deny this.

I feel like I knew Stuart pretty well, which
makes his suicide difficult to understand. I don’t
believe for a moment that he took his life out of
malice to another, and I think he would be startled
and mortified to know the anguish he has brought
to so many friends. My suspicion is that he was in
failing health - something confirmed by his forest
service colleagues in Oregon. Stuart loved life and
loved what he did - teaching and hiking, finding
new botanical discoveries, but most of all being
outdoors and independent. I think the idea that he
might become physically incapable of doing this, or
of becoming a burden to others, was too much for
him to contemplate and he acted appropriately, at
least as he saw it. I’m sad that he made that
choice by himself, though I know his stubbornness
well enough that he wouldn’t have been dissuaded.

I take an odd comfort in thinking that Stuart chose
to end his life on his terms, rather than those of his

body or someone else. This is the way he wanted
it.

These past few months I’ve been filled with
happy memories of my days and adventures with
Stuart. I’m so glad I had the time I did with him,
though sad there won’t be any new memories.
Stuart left an enormous legacy - in the field of
botany and the hearts of many, many friends. May
we all be so fortunate.

Stuart Markow: Some Highlights of a Career in
Wyoming Botany

1991- 93: Conducted a major floristic inventory of the
vascular flora of Targhee National Forest in NW
Wyoming and E Idaho (13,741 specimens of 1006 taxa)
as part of his Master’s Thesis in Botany from the
University of Wyoming

1992: Received Ellbogen Award as outstanding
graduate teaching assistant at the University of
Wyoming

1992: Discovered first occurrence of Lithospermum
arvense in WY

1992- 2004: Unofficial “botanist in residence” at the
Rocky Mountain Herbarium, assisting graduate students
with plant identification questions and tips on keying
Poaceae

1993: Completed report on the rare vascular plants of
Targhee National Forest, documenting new locations for
18 species of special concern

1995- 2000: Reviewed and corrected identifications of
the entire herbarium of Grand Teton National Park and
the park collections at Montana State University and the
University of Wyoming

1996: Conducted surveys of sensitive plant species and
the general flora of the Rendezvous Mountain area in
the Teton Range for Bridger-Teton NF

1996- 2003: Taught summer wildflower identification
classes for Teton Science School

1995-2003: Frequent contributor to Castilleja, including
features on WYs carnivorous plants, Thomas Nuttall,
biological soil crusts, sedges, tall forb communities, fall
wildflowers of the Tetons, and the flora of Teton and
Darby canyons

1998-2004: Conducted rare plant surveys and assisted
with preparation of technical reports on Artemisia
biennis var. diffusa, Cymopterus evertii, Stephanomeria
fluminea, willows, and rare plants of SW Wyoming for
the Wyoming Natural Diversity Database

11

Yellowstone I nstitute Courses

Plant- related courses offered by the Institute for 2005
are listed below, with dates and instructors. For further
information, contact:

Yellowstone Association Institute
P.O. Box 117

Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190
www.YellowstoneAssociation.ora
307 344-2294

Spring Wildflowers: June 7-8, Jennifer Whipple

Wildf lowers for Beginners: June 19, William Edwards

Art of Wildflower Identification: July 7-9, Meredith
Campbell

Lichen and Mosses in Yellowstone National Park: July 9,
Sharon Eversman

Alpine Wildflowers: July 9-11, John S. Campbell

Plants of the Lewis & Clark Expedition: July 18-19,
Wayne Phillips

Wildflowers and Wildfire: July 20-21, Wayne Phillips

Wild Edible Plants and Medicinal Herbs: August 20-22,
Robyn Klein

The Wyoming Native Plant Society, established
in 1981, is a non-profit organization dedicated to
encouraging the appreciation and conservation of
the native flora and plant communities of
Wyoming. The Society promotes education and
research on native plants of the state through its
newsletter, field trips, and annual student
scholarship award. Membership is open to
individuals, families, or organizations with an
interest in Wyoming’s flora. Members receive
Castilleja, the Society’s quarterly newsletter, and
may take part in all of the Society’s programs and
projects, including the annual meeting/field trip
held each summer. Dues are $7.50 annually. To
join or renew, return this form to:

Wyoming Native Piant Society
P.O. Box 2500
Laramie, WY 82073

Name: _
Address:

$7.50 Regular Membership

$15.00 Scholarship Supporting Member

($7.50 goes to the annual scholarship fund)

Wyoming Native Plant Society
P.O. Box 2500
Laramie, WY 82073

12