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2012 APS Annual Meeting - June 22-24, 2012 in Laramie, Wyoming
Penstemon saxosorum
There are three field trips offered this year as well as an optional field trip to a Penstemon haydenii site on the Monday after the end of the annual meeting
Dodge Mountain - This trip will take us north of Laramie on Hwy 30, to just beyond the village of Rock River. Turning right onto Fetterman Rd, we’ll head past Wheatland Reservoir #3 to Dodge Mountain, which is not a mountain, but a hill on the western flank of the Laramie Range, home to Sphaeromeria simplex and many other cushion plants like Eriogonum acaule. Sphaeromeria simplex, aka Laramie false sagebrush, is a SE Wyoming endemic restricted to limestone. Penstemons at this site include P. eriantherus and P. radicosus. Beyond Dodge Mtn., the bedrock changes to granite, and supports a very different flora, including P. virens. We’ll pass Wheatland Reservoir #2, and take a different route back to Hwy 30. There is a possibility that we’ll be able to stop by an active dinosaur quarry on our way out.
Laramie Range - For this excursion, we’ll head into the hills east of Laramie to visit Vedauwoo, an impressive exposure of 1.4 billion year old granite, and points beyond. Our stop at Vedauwoo will include a hike at Turtle Rock, through aspens and past beaver dams, to examine the vegetation, which includes Penstemon procerus, P. strictus and P. virens. We hope to also see P. eriantherus var. cleburnei. Away from the water, the vegetation is predominantly sagebrush and grass, and the display of Indian paintbrush can be pretty amazing up there. For those who’d rather stay near their vehicles, there’s plenty of access to woods, shrublands, and rocks. Backroads south will lead us past P. rydbergii to Hwy 287, where we’ll turn towards Colorado and the summit of Pumpkin Vine Pass, to look for P. glaber var. alpinus. Turn around, and we’ll head north again to Stevenson Rd, and turn off to visit the ranch of Dan Tinker and Gail Stakes. Here we can stretch our legs plenty, find P. secundiflorus, P. eriantherus var. eriantherus, more P. strictus and P. virens, and pet goats and horses if we’re so inclined. If we’re fortunate, we’ll see P. angustifolius var. caudatus, which typically blooms in May and early June, and/or P. larcifolius var. exilifolius, which usually blooms in July.
Snowy Range and Saratoga - The Snowy Range is a must-see destination when in the Laramie area. A paved road crosses the range, reaching an elevation of about 10,800 ft. The highest peak, Medicine Bow Peak, is a hair over 12,000 ft.
Our route will take us from Laramie on Hwy 130 to Centennial (population 100). We’ll make a few stops just above Centennial to see P. secundiflorus, P. strictus, P. radicosus and a beautiful roadcut display of P. virens. Penstemon whippleanus is common in the Snowies, but we’ll only see it if there’s a low-elevation plant in bloom. Libby Flats overlook at the top of the highway will give us an opportunity to view several more mountain ranges in the distance, and alpine forget-me-nots at our feet. Expect lots of snow and cool breezes up there! Cruising down the west side of the Snowies, we may even see P. palmeri (not a native!) on our way to Saratoga. Though we won’t stop at Saratoga, you may want to come back and sample the hot springs later. Instead, lands formally owned by the Nature Conservancy but now owned by the author of "The Shipping News" and "Bad Dirt" have graciously been made accessible to us for viewing of P. gibbensii. Known best from south central Wyoming and Moffat County, Colorado, this population is not only farther east than other known populations of the species, it is the only one to bloom in June. Plus, the plants are on ridges above the North Platte River, and the view is panoramic. From there, we go north to pick up I-80, and speed back to Laramie.
Monday optional trip to Ferris Dunes - The Wyoming Native Plant Society is sponsoring a Monday field trip to the Ferris Dunes, to view Penstemon haydenii, blowout penstemon, Wyoming’s only federally listed Endangered plant species. The discovery of P. haydenii in Wyoming in 1996 may actually represent its re-discovery in the footsteps of F.V. Hayden over a century earlier. We will travel west from Laramie to Sinclair, then north, past Kortes Dam on the North Platte River, to the segment of river affectionately known to anglers as Miracle Mile. From there we head west, with special permission to cross private property on two-track roads, towards the eastern edge of the Ferris Mountains and the open sand dunes that constitute blowout penstemon habitat. Because of the need to limit the number of vehicles, we will leave low-clearance cars at Sinclair and Miracle Mile.
This is a long trip, but worth your time, for the large-flowered and aromatic penstemon, the unusual dune vegetation, and the grand landscape of mountains and sand. From Laramie to Sinclair is 94 miles, all interstate highway. The distance from Sinclair to the Ferris Dunes is shorter (50-60 miles), but will take nearly two hours. Once there, you will be within a short walk of the nearest plants, or you can really stretch your legs to visit plants on steep slopes habitat.
To prepare for the meeting, the following books are suggested and/or recommended;
Rising From the Plains by John McPhee. A fictional piece with great descriptions of the geology of Wyoming.
Mountains and Plains; The Ecology of Wyoming Landscapes by Dennis H. Knight. A guide that explains how whole ecosystems work.
Vascular Plants of Wyoming 3rd Ed. by Robert Dorn (2001). THE go to guide to plants in Wyoming.
Wildflowers of Wyoming by Diantha and Jack States (Mar 2004). A picture filled tome. Quite pricey, but used volumes are available and reasonably priced on Amazon. Click here to go to the Amazon page.
Flora of North America by the Flora of North America Editorial Committee
For a much less formal treatment, try any of the Joe Pickett novels by C.J. Box.
Several great online resources include;
Wyoming Natural Diversity Database (our “Heritage Program”: http://www.uwyo.edu/WYNDD/index.html)
Rocky Mountain Herbarium (http://www.rmh.uwyo.edu/index.php). A great tool for finding species within a self created polygonal area.
Click here to see some images of Penstemons from the Laramie area, courtesy of Dorothy Tuthill
Click here to see Penstemons and other flora from the region (courtesy Mike Kintgen).
There are two registration levels this year, differentiated by whether or not one is attending the Saturday dinner. The banquet choices will be either roast chicken or grilled salmon. Registration is restricted to members of the American Penstemon Society and/or the Wyoming Native Plant Society. We accept checks or Money Orders (no cash please). Checks and Money Orders are to be made out to ‘American Penstemon Society’. Click HERE to download the printable registration form.
. Complete the second page of the document and mail it with your payment.Those wishing to pay by credit card or PayPal may do so using the 'ONLINE PAYMENTS' form below. Registration will end EITHER May 31st OR when we reach our maximum number of attendees, whichever comes first.
| ONLINE PAYMENTS HERE |
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2011 Annual Meeting, Medford, OR. - Article and photos by Ginny Maffitt.
2010 Annual Meeting, Chihuahua, Mexico - Photos. Article by Gerald Klingaman.
2008 Annual Meeting, Ely, Nevada - Article by Ginny Maffitt (link to photos in the report).
Photos courtesy of Ginny Maffitt.
Photos by 6 contributors (consolidated by Bill Gray)
