WELCOME TO OKLAHOMA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY

The purpose of the Oklahoma Native Plant Society is to encourage the study, protection,
propagation, appreciation and use of Oklahoma's native plants

PAST EVENTS

2009 Wildflower Workshop

Boise City Garden Club was the host for this year's Wildflower Wokrshop at the Museum there. An excellent site, plenty to investigate when breaks allowed. Laurie Effinger not only told about her favorite wildflowers for landscaping, but representing ODOT presented the Bess Snodgrass Award to our own Lynn Michael. The Saturday bus tour was hot and much of the area was dry from the lack of rain. The area around Autograph Rocks was an exception and the array and number of wildflowers was spendid.
The long drive out there was offset by some spectacular flora displays since those areas had received more of the recent rains. Many areas were covered with gaillardias giving another perspective to the name of Indian blanket flowers.

Lynn Michael accepting the Bess Snodgrass Award

 

2009 Indoor Outing
 
"Birds, Butterflies, Bees, Blankets, and Beautiful Oklahoma" was the theme of the 2009 ONPS Indoor Outing held in Tulsa on Saturday, February 7, at the Tulsa Garden Center. Over 100 participants shared a variety of interesting presentations, displays, and visits with fellow members from across the state. The morning sessions were preceded by a snack breakfast in which donuts and pastries were donated by Tulsa Quik Trip. Early comers were greeted by not only tasty goodies in the lobby of the Garden Center auditorium but by a variety of vendor goods supplied by Kirk and Loretta Bowers of Clear Creek Farm and Gardens, Marilyn Stewart of Wild Things Nursery, a table of ONPS merchandise being offered by Susan Chambers. Tina Julich providing her own handmade jewelry as well a Color Oklahoma merchandise, handmade items by Gina Levesque of Across Generations in Wagoner, and a table of information about the Oklahoma Centennial Botanical Garden chaired by Pearl Garrison.
The annual Silent Auction was also available for early arrivals, with more interesting items offered for bid as more and more participants made their way past the registration tables ably staffed by Mary Korthase, Ethel Mae Brown, and Cyndy Harnett.
 
                                                Part of the brain trust at work
At 9:00 a.m. the first presentation of the day was introduced by ONPS State President Lynn Michael. Dan Reinking, senior staff biologist for the Sutton Avian Research Center in Bartlesville, presented a most informative program on "Bald Eagle Restoration and Other Sutton Avian Research Center Projects." Dan's powerpoint visuals highlighted not only the historically important work which Sutton has done in bringing bald eagle populations in the U. S. back from the brink of extinction, but also spoke on work the center continues to do with declining songbird and prairie chicken populations.
The second morning speaker was Jim Thayer who spoke on "Gardening for Butterflies". Jim's presentation dealt with the importance of host plants, nectar producing plants, and proper gardening practices for the attracting of butterflies. Jim also gave us a brief lesson on identification of the five major classifications of butterflies which make Oklahoma their home.
Our final presenter of the morning was Mike Klemme, official photographer for the 2007 Oklahoma Centennial Celebratiion. Mike shared many of his marvelous photographs via powerpoint, with his running commentary on what was being seen adding to the enjoyment of the crowd. Following the powerpoint and a short video which featured Mike's photos set to the music of Vince Gill's "Oklahoma Rising", the photographers in the audience had the opportunity to ask many questions regarding techniques useful in modern photography. Mike's coffee table book, "Celebrating Oklahoma". was available for sale for those interested in having a personal copy of the beautiful art comprised by Mike's photography.
Box lunches catered by Camille's Sidewalk Cafe in Cherry Street provided the noon meal, with additional time for wandering around the environs of the Garden Center on a splendidly spring-like day for February, or for continuing shopping the vendor tables in the auditorium.
At 1:00 in the afternoon, the meeting was called back into session. First presenter was Dr. Kay Backues, head veterinarian at the Tulsa Zoo and Living Museum, who spoke on her hobby, "Bees and Bee-Keeping". Dr. Backues demonstrated use of the specialized paraphernalia utilized by bee-keepers as they practice their art. She even donned the coveralls in which she dresses while working with her hives. Dr. Backues had samples of sweet honey for our sampling after her lecture.
The regular afternoon sessions ended with Linda Harkey presenting a powerpoint and visual program on Navajo blanket designs. Ms. Harkey, who is a docent at Gilcrease Museum, had samples of the beautiful Navajo workmanship and told of the history of the development of the weavings of the Navajo tribespeople to demonstrate her topic, "Germantown Weavings" Bright, Tight, Light."
Following the final formal presentation of the day, some in attendance toured various venues within walking distance of the Garden Center, including the Linneaus Teaching Garden, the Tulsa Rose Garden, the Tulsa Arboretum, and Woodward Park. Others stayed in the auditorium to watch a demonstration of native fabric dying presented by Gina Levesque. The eventful day ended with announcement of the various high bids on the items offered in the Silent Auction. We learned that the Auction garnered around $300.00 for the ONPS treasury, a most satisfying ending to a very successful Indoor Outing.
 
In Memory
ONPS has lost two members of note recently. Jim Norman for many years led many field trips, especially the orchid trips in southeast Oklahoma, until his health was a problem. Lou Duke was an active member of the Central Chapter and an inveterate proponent of native plants. We miss them both dearly.
Plant Inventories
ONPS has a new project which is to inventory state parks so that the naturalists will know what plants are in their respective parks. This has expanded to include a color pamphlet of conspicuous native wildflowers of the parks. Gloria Caddell has provided the inventory for Alabaster Caverns State Park and a spring and summer photo pamphlet. Actually, the state prints these pamphlets from the photos and descriptions that Gloria gave to them. The NE Chapter, under Sue Amstutz's guidance has done the same for Tenkiller State Park. Only a single season pamphlet is available for that park. ONPS will continue this service to other state parks in the future. In addition to these inventories of state parks, ONPS is inventories other areas as well.

The Oklahoma Native Plant Society has begun a survey of wildflowers , grasses and other plants at the Oklahoma Centennial Botanical Garden, which is being developed seven miles northwest of downtown Tulsa. The Botanical Garden site is 240 acres in southeastern Osage County just seven miles northwest of downtown Tulsa. Sixty of the acres will be developed into gardens and buildings and the remaining 180 acres of forest and prairie will remain a conservation and research area.

Although turnout September 13 was lower than expected because of a rain forecast, Dale and Sue Amstutz, Lynn Michael, Mary Korthase and guest Richard Johnson were excited about their discoveries. They identified 62 wildflowers, grasses, and trees during the expedition to the Oklahoma Centennial Botanical Garden site near Tulsa in September. Additional surveys will be conducted next year. With information from ONPS, the Garden will create a brochure about the main native plants on the site. A complete list will be on the Garden website, www.ocbg.org.
 
 
 

The Central Chapter of ONPS has signed on to help the development of Lake Stanley Draper back to its natural state. How did ONPS become involved? Last fall Oklahoma City Councilman Pete White contacted Marilyn Stewart, acting Chair of our Central Chapter, about the city’s plans for the development of Lake Stanley Draper. A long-time resident of SE OKC, he was concerned about the environmental decline of the lake area and wanted to improve the lake and its resources, and to improve the image of the far southeastern corner of the city where it is located. Along with the Oklahoma City Parks Department and the Water Resources Board, he had initiated a plan to develop the lake and surrounding area in a way that the residents could take pride and use the resources in an environmentally sound way. He found that the residents shared his concern and wanted, more than anything else, to develop and maintain the lake in as close to its natural state as possible. As it turns out, that type of development is as good for a water resource as it is for the environment, and for us. A win-win-win situation! After learning that the Parks Department needed ONPS to help with identifying plants Marilyn contacted several of us to meet at Draper with Councilman White and Parks Department officials.

After 3 field trips, volunteers have identified, with Dr. Bruce Smith making most of the final decisions on species, over 200 species, including both native and nonnative. At each monthly field trip to the lake this summer, the Central Chapter is planning to have special workshops designed to help volunteers identify common species; collect voucher specimens for those they don’t know for later identification; and prepare data and plants for preservation and inclusion in herbaria. Botanists from the Oklahoma Biological Survey will identify specimens we collect and make additional voucher collections based on our lists, as well as advise us in our methods and techniques at the workshops. If you would like to volunteer to help in the Draper Nature Area Inventory contact me and we’ll make sure you know when and where our next        New Gateway on Douglas below Interstate 240         inventory will be scheduled. Dr. Sheila A. Strawn, DNA Project                                                                                                      Leader (405)733-0864/sastrawn@hotmail.com.

2008 Wildflower Workshop and Annual Meeting
This year the Wildflower Workshop, was held in Idabel, McCurtain County for the first time this year, and in the fall for the first time, too. There were not so many attending as in the past, and the wildflowers were not so plentiful as they had been just a week before, but the Idabel and Broken Bow folks did a great job of planning, with speakers all day Friday and an outing by way of a huge Broken Bow school bus on Saturday. We got to see lots of swamp sunflowers. Those are unusual in any other part of Oklahoma, and in the TIAK forest we saw sweet everlasting and Hercules’ Club trees. The black gums were beginning to turn their beautiful deep red.

We were happy to see Joanne Orr, still with us after her retirement, who presented the Sara Snodgrass award to her former right-hand-lady, Laurie Effinger.

The Annual Meeting was added to the workshop but the combination appears to be too busy. For 2009, ONPS will return to a spring Wildflower Workshop and an autumn Annual Meeting.

 
 
 
2008 Indoor Outing
February 9th the Indoor Outing was held at the O.U. Botany Building. Kim Shannon spoke on methods of plant dispersal and how plants use the elements and other living things, including us, to disperse their seeds. Fred Schneider spoke on Oklahoma Native American Ethnobotany. He gave us insight into how native peoples used local plants and how their culture gives them their own unique attitudes towards plants. Mary Gard, graduate student at OSU, spoke to us about her research concerning the toxicity of Tephrosia virginiana in Oklahoma populations. She tied in with Fred Schneider’s presentation by giving an example of how the Creek Indians used this plant to aid in the catching of fish. Mark Bays gave his stirring account of his involvement with the Survivor tree and the tremendous effort that has been made to save the tree and protect it during and after construction of the Memorial. Marilyn Stewart gave us an update on the progress of House Bill 2990 that was filed by Representative Jeannie McDaniel of Tulsa with the help of Representative Ryan Kiesel of Seminole to help protect wildflowers plantings and reduce mowing along our highways. Ron Tyrl supplied tree rings for us to count. A prize was given to Will Lowry of Stillwater for the correct answer. About a dozen microscopes were set up for attendees to view during the breaks. Our thanks to Pat Folley and Wayne Elisens who put so much effort into this fine exhibit. Tina Julich manned the Color Oklahoma table and the Bebb Herbarium was also available for tours during this time. Wayne and Susan Chambers did another fine job of "vending" ONPS materials. Lunch was provided on site and Sheila Strawn gave us an overview of the Lake Stanley Draper project. A number of attendees took the opportunity to tour the Sam Noble Natural History Museum. We’d like to extend a special thanks to Wayne Elisens for arranging for the facility and his help in making this outing possible.
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