May-June 2009 Sego Lily Newsletter, Utah Native Plant Society

8/9/2019 May-June 2009 Sego Lily Newsletter, Utah Native Plant Society

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Sego Lily May 2009 32 (3)

May 2009

Vol. 32, No. 3

In this issue:

Disturbance and the Establish-

ment of Yellow Star-thistle . . . . 1Chapter News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

New Chapter MapBulletin Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Purge your SpurgeUNPS Tee-shirts Available

UNPS mailbag: The Perils ofPaulownia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Highlights of the 5th SouthwestRare Plant Conference . . . . . . . 6

USFWS cites Elaine York as aRecovery Champion . . . . . . . . . . 6

High Mountain Work on theColorado Plateau . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Copyright 2009 Utah Native Plant Society. All Rights Reserved.

Disturbance and the Establishment of Yellow Star-thistleBy Dr. Julie Rieder, Colorado State University

Cover: Yellow starthistle (Centaureasolstitialis) blossoms with a crab spidereating a bee. Photo by J.P. Rieder.

more, context can greatly alter therole of disturbance in the plant inva-

sion (i.e., disturbance size, timingand year to year variation, commu-nity composition and diversity, andnative vs. non-native ranges).

In the present study, I examinedthe response of Yellow starthistle todifferent levels of soil disturbance.Specifically, I was interested in

whether larger-scale soil distur-bances, as might be caused by hu-mans (e.g., plowing), enhance theinitial stage [continued on page 8]

In 2002, the Utah Native Plant Societyawarded a research grant to JulieRieder for her doctoral studies on Yel-low starthistle at Utah State University.We are pleased to present a condensedversion of her report, prepared spe-cially for UNPS. The full report, with

complete methods, results, figures, andfull citations, can be accessed on theUNPS website.

Plants that are called idealweeds are generally annuals orshort-lived perennials that possess aparticular set of characteristics thatallow rapid response to resourcesmade newly available by distur-

bance. Yellow starthistle (Centaur-ea solstitialis) is one such plant that

we would expect to respond positiv-

ely to disturbance. A native of theMediterranean, Yellow starthistlehas many characteristics that allowrapid response to disturbance, in-cluding a rapid growth rate, a highreproductive output (29,000

seeds/m2), a persistent seed bankand a lack of true dormancy, andthe potential to disperse long dis-tances.

Although invasion by Yellowstarthistle is of great environ-mental and economic concern andthis species has spread over largeareas of the western United States,surprisingly few experiments haveinvestigated disturbance as a fa-cilitator to its invasion. Further-


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5487. A second list for late bloom-ing stock will also be available atthe next meeting. Plan to pick up

your orders at 8 AM. Other plantswill be available for sale to thepublic from 9 AM to 12 PM.

Kudos to Dr. Ron Martin for hisfine picture presentation on wild-flowers of Southern Utah at our

last meeting. Dr. Martin will offertwo courses at SUU this springand summer that include fieldtrips to see native plants in ourareas. - Winnie Washburn

Escalante: On Tuesday, 12 May,at 7 PM in the Interagency CenterBill Gray will give a program on"The amazing plants of SW Aus-tralia. Bill spent last September

viewing and photographing thetruly wonderful spring wildflowers

of SW Australia, a region with asimilar climate to that of southernCalifornia, and home to manyplants found nowhere else.

On May 23rd the chapter willparticipate in the Escalante Heri-tage Festival. Janett Warner of

Wildland Nursery will be on handfor a native plant sale at the highschool. You can request specificplants from Janett (www.wildlandnursery.com) if you contacther by early May. We would liketo have a native plant walking tour

of Escalante as part of the festival.Please let us know if you have anative plant garden you would liketo share. Part of the Walking tour

will be identifying deciduous treesthat thrive in Escalante with CindyCalbaum, Forester with Dixie Na-tional Forest.

Tuesday, 9 June, at 7PM, Inter-agency Center: "Basic Weed Iden-tification and Control for the Esca-lante area" by Kevin Heaton, Gar-field County Extension. Kevin will

be discussing the three classes ofNoxious weeds in the area that thestate requires land ownersto control.

Saturday, 27 June Field Trip:Wildflower Seed Collecting andpropagating with Maria Ulloa,BLM botanist from Richfield.Look for more information closerto the date. -Harriet Priska

valley. This is an excellent opportu-nity to view many of our wetlandplants and do a bit of bird watchingif you are of a mind.

June 2 (Tues). Richard J. ShawMemorial Wildflower Walk. Time:6:30 pm. Place: Green Canyon park-ing lot. Cost: Free. Join MichaelPiep and other local botanists on a

wildflower walk for the whole fam-ily. We will wander through grassymeadows, juniper stands, and Big-tooth maple groves. This walk is co-sponsored by the IntermountainHerbarium and has been named inhonor of the Late Dr. Shaw who was

well versed in the lore of our localplants, and dearly missed. Barring adown-pour at the time of start orseveral inches of snow this event willnot be rescheduled.

June 6 (Sat) Bear River Celebra-

tion. Time: 10-2 pm. Place: Willow-Park. Cost: Free. Visit our booth atthis popular local celebration. We

will have information and an activityabout our local plants.

June 8-12 (Mon-Fri). Introduc-tion to Plant Identification. Time:10-12 pm. Place: Geology 301, USUCampus. Cost: $90 ($20 due at reg-istration and is non-refundable).Registration begins May 15. Join theIntermountain Herbarium staff for 5mornings of plant fun. We will coverhow to recognize 15-20 of Northern

Utahs most common plant familiesas well as some of the terminologyand the flower/plant parts needed toidentify our local plants. Space isextremely limited so register early!

June 30 (Tues) Potluck in Prov.Time: 7 pm. Place: Providence Can-

yon look for our signs. Cost: Free.Join us as we have a (late) SummerSolstice potluck. We will providehomemade root beer and rolls.Bring your favorite picnic side dishor dessert to share. You are on your

own for your main dish and utensils.- Michael Piep

Cedar City: The chapter plans aNative Plant Sale, Saturday morn-ing, May 16th at the Southern UtahUniversity Parking Lot across fromthe Centrum. CCNP Chapter mem-

bers are invited to order their plantsfrom Janett Warner at the WildlandNursery. Order forms are availablefrom Marguerite Smith @435-867-

Fremont (Richfield Area): Pe-ter Lassig, retired Master Gardenerat Temple Square in Salt Lake City,is our featured speaker in May. Hispresentation is entitled "The Joy ofDesign with Native Systems" and

will be given on May 11 in the SevierCounty Administration Building

Auditorium in Richfield at 7

PM. Mr. Lassig's largest xeric plant-ing is the 4 acres of native prairieatop the LDS Church ConferenceCenter in Salt Lake City. All UNPSmembers and the public are invitedto attend.

Also on May 11, Wildland Nurs-ery is having its Native Plant Dayfrom 9 AM to 6 PM at the nursery inJoseph. The event will include na-tive plants sales with 10% off forUNPS members. Light refresh-ments will be served as visitors tour

the demonstration gardens. PeterLassig will be available to answerquestions and give suggestions.

Several of our members took anearly spring camping trip to CedarPocket on the Virgin River south ofSt. George. The group enjoyed hik-ing and a bit of swimming. Many ofthe native plants were almost

blooming, but theSalvia dorriwerein full bloom as were the Mojave

Aster. C.R. Wood delighted old andyoung alike with his cowboy poetry.

At the Natural Resources Fair/

Home & Garden Show in Richfieldat the Sevier Valley Center, mem-

bers distributed small pots of blueflax to interested attendees. Thelabel on the pots advertised xericplants and the Fremont Chapter,encouraging area residents to joinour group.

Great Basin Natives is hostingPenstemon Days on June 5-6 inHolden. For more information, goto www.greatbasinnatives.com orcall Merrill Johnson at 435-795-

2303.Please join us for "Celebrate theWild" at Sam Stowe Canyon in Fre-mont Indian State Park on Saturday,June 13 from noon to 5 PM. RonParsons, Chairperson for the event,indicates there will be tours of ournative plant garden, refreshments,activities for children, tips for land-scaping and design, a hike and doorprizes. -Janet Nielson


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Utah Native Plant Society

and they were recently planted byBarbara, Margaret, and the rest ofthe VIPers surrounding the Red-

bud which we had planted in the"place of honor" out in front (andis presently blooming beautifully!)

With Zion's 100th anniversarybeing celebrated this year, havingthe Springdale Town Hall also

looking nifty is much appreciatedas well as appropriate.

Spring has arrived in Zion Na-tional Parkto get on the emaillist for what is in bloom, contactme at [email protected]. -

Margaret Malm

Utah Valley: We have startedPlants and Preschoolers hikesevery Thursday at 10 AM. Every-one is welcome. The hikes areshort distances and everyone is

welcome to explore as we go. Wewill be starting with Rock Canyonin Provo on April 30th, 2009. Thissummer we are likely to return toCascade Springs, the Grotto inPayson Canyon, and the falls inPleasant Grove, CUWCD garden,several sections of the Bonnevilleand Shoreline trails, and we alsohope to visit Ann Kelsey at theNatural History Museum in SaltLake. We love to try new places sogive us a call and show us yourfavorite spot. If you are interested

in joining us call Celeste Kennardat 801 377-5918 or [email protected]

We are very happy to announcea new landscaping book: Land-scaping on the New Frontier, Wa-terwise Design for the Intermoun-tain Westby Susan E. Meyer,Roger K. Kjelgren, Darrel G. Mor-rison, and William A. Varga, illus-trations by Bettina Schultz. Please

visit the USU press website http://www.usu.edu/usupress/ to look

for this title.Join us as we team up with the

folks at CUWCD Central Utah Wa-ter Conservancy District 355 W.University Parkway Orem, Utah84058 on Thursday, July 2 @ 6:30PM for Utah Native Plants(Principle 3) with Kent Miller ofPerennial Favorites. Register forthe class at www.central utahgar-dens.org or call 801-226-7100. Celeste Kennard

Salt Lake: Monday, May 18, 7-9PM:Malcolm McGregor, saxifrageexpert from Scotland, will make astop on his national book tour inSalt Lake City. He will give a pres-entation on Saxifrages in theOrangerie at Red Butte Garden,300 Wakara Way, SLC. Come meethim and enjoy light refreshments

at 7 PM, lecture starts at 8 PM.This event is co-sponsored by the

Wasatch Rock Garden Society andRed Butte Garden. There is a$4charge for WRGS and UNPS mem-

bers, $6 for non-members.May 29-31, San Rafael Swell:

We will camp at the Wedge Over-look beginning Friday evening andspend Saturday and Sunday ex-ploring the local flora and beautyof the Swell. We will have a pot-luck dinner Saturday evening so

bring a dish to share. We will tryto coordinate carpooling for thoseinterested.

This is my last month as Presi-dent of the Salt Lake Chapter. Ithas been a very successful 3 yearsand I wish to thank everyone whohelped and participated in ourchapter events. If you are inter-ested in becoming the next chapterpresident, please contact me orsomeone on the State BOD formore information.Kipp Lee

Southwestern (WashingtonCo.): The Southwestern (Bear-claw Poppy) Chapter's unofficialdemonstration garden at theSpringdale Town Hall (and ourofficial meeting place) is doing andlooking great! This garden wasplanned and spearheaded by ourProgram Chair Barbara Farns-

worth several years ago, and wasmostly planted and has beenmostly tended by the VIPers, a

Volunteer revegetation crew from

Zion NP. This crew includes Bar-bara Farnsworth and MargaretMalm from the SW chapter andJan Gisler and several other mem-

bers of the Kanab Chapter; as wellas a number of other eager local(and Kanab) VIPers. Barbara usedour Chapter money to purchase 5Oenothera caespitosa plants toreplace some that fell victim to aproblem with the watering system,

Manzanita (Kane Co.): Our firstspring outing took place on April 18as a small band of Kanabites trav-eled to Snow Canyon and BeaverDam Wash. Despite the cool spring,a number of wildflowers and flower-ing shrubs were in peak bloom atSnow Canyon, including bird-cageevening primrose, lupine, Dorrs

sage, Eatons penstemon, and Fre-monts pepperweed. The greatest

variety was found in the states low-est spot, the bottom of Beaver Dam

Wash, where we found Beavertailcactus and Silver cholla in flower, as

well as creosote bush, white andwoolly bursage, Desert chicory, Paletackstem, Gravel-ghost and manyother Mojave species.

On Saturday, May 2, the groupwill travel to Toroweap on the NorthRim of the Grand Canyon. Charlie

Neumann of Willow Canyon Out-door Store in Kanab has reservedtwo sites at the Tuweep campgroundfor Saturday night, so people are

welcome to stay for the weekend, orreturn back to Kanab Saturday after-noon. Please contact Charlie at [email protected] if you plan to campout as space is limited and be sure to

bring camping gear and food toshare for a potluck cookout. Daytrippers should bring adequate wa-ter, food, and appropriate sun pro-tection. We will carpool and caravan

from the Grand Staircase-EscalanteNM visitor center parking lot at 8

AM on May 2 for the 75 mile excur-sion to Toroweap. The road toToroweap is dirt and gravel most ofthe way and slow going (it takesabout 2 hours) and is best for highclearance vehicles with good tires.

Merrill Johnson of Great BasinNatives will give a special Fridaynight presentation on "Replacingtraditional landscapes with natives"for our May 8 meeting, at 7 PM in

the Grand Staircase-Escalante Visi-tor Center. On Saturday, May 9, 9-11 AM, we will hold our annualspring plant sale on the grounds ofthe Kane County tourism office indowntown Kanab. Merrill will be onhand with a variety of native trees,shrubs, grasses, and wildflowers - allsuited for our local climate - for sale.Walter Fertig


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Saturday, May 9, 10AM-3PM:Salt Lake Conservation DistrictPurge Your Spurge and NativePlant Sale: Myrtle or Donkey-tailspurge (Euphorbia myrsinites) is anaggressive exotic perennial that has

been widely planted as an ornamen-tal in northern Utah, but which isbecoming a problem by invadingfoothill and canyon habitats anddisplacing native species (the plants

white sap can also cause severe skinirritation in susceptible people). Tohelp reduce the Myrtle spurge popu-lation in the Salt Lake area, the SaltLake County Weed Program, SaltLake Conservation District, REI,BLM, Bonneville Cooperative WeedManagement Area and the Utah Na-tive Plant Society are sponsoring a

spurge exchange. Dig up and bag allof your Myrtle spurge (being sure toremove at least 4 inches of the root-ing clump) and trade these in forone of 2 plant mixes containingUtah native plants specially selectedto grow in the local area. The spurgeswap will take place at REI at 3285East 3300 South in Salt Lake City.For more information contact the

UNPS Tee Shirts availablethrough Cache Chapter: SteveRipple of the Cache Chapter has de-

veloped a new UNPS tee shirt fea-turing the lovely Utah endemic,Maguires primrose (Primulamaguirei), known only from thesteep limestone cliffs of Logan Can-

yon (see image above). The shirtscome in several sizes (regular 2X,3X, children's) and are either choco-late, black, or dusky blue (so that theimage shows through, thus nogreens or reds). The shirts run be-tween 15-20$ depending on the size.To reduce shipping costs, the CacheChapter is asking for individualchapters to place group orders. If

you are interested in helping UNPSand looking sporty while you are atit, contact your local chapter repre-sentative to place an order.

Salt Lake Weed Control Program at801-468-2861 or visit their websiteat www.weeds.slco.org.

At the same time and place, theSalt Lake Conservation District willhold its first annual Native Plant

Sale. The sale will feature over 60species of native trees, shrubs,grasses and perennials. Plants arenative to Utah, grown locally, andnot taken from the wild. Each nativeis sold as a tubeling; trees andshrubs are 10 cubic inches and per-ennials are 7 cubic inches. Some ofthe native perennials include Paleevening-primrose, Sundancer daisy,Butterflyweed, Scarlet globemallow,Princes plume and a wide variety ofpenstemons. Those who like to shopearly may pre-order. For a list of

plants and prices, visit the website, www.saltlakeconservation.org. Adownloadable order form is avail-able to prepay and reserve plantstoday! The Native Plant Sale is apart of the Salt Lake ConservationDistricts mission and providesfunds to support local conservationefforts. For more info call Heatherat 542.8208.Therese Meyer

Bulletin Board

UNPS Mailbag: The Perils ofPaulownia

Dear UNPS : I have noted onthe web an extremely fast growingtree named Royal Empress orPaul-ownia, originally imported from

Asia and reported to be invasive (atleast in the East and South) in theUS. Several arborists have recom-mended it because of its 12 foot per

year growing ability. While inter-ested, I am not eager to create aproblem for my neighbors or com-munity. What might be the experi-ence of the Utah Native Plant Soci-ety with this import and does theSociety have any recommendations?-Scratching my head in Salt LakeCity.

Dear Head-scratcher: Ques-tions about the Royal Paulowniacome up every year; they are oftenadvertised in newspaper inserts. I'mnot aware of any specimens living inthe Salt Lake area and they areprobably only marginally hardyhere. The claims that they are super

Above: Paulownia tomentosa. Photoby W.D. Brush, National AgriculturalLibrary, USDA Forest Service, 1952.

fast growing are overstated; onlyin very favorable soil types andclimates do they grow so fast. Italso appears to prefer a more acidsoil than Utah has to offer. I doubt

it will be invasive in the Intermoun-tain West. For more information,consult the USDA PLANTS database(http://plants. usda.gov).

These trees should be consideredtemporary at best; a few in a newlandscape might be acceptable, butonly a few, because they are typicallyshort-lived and prone to breakinglimbs and may be hazardous. Cer-tainly, much better choices are avail-able and should be used in mostlandscape situations. The USU Ex-tension's publication on "Selectingand Planting Landscape Trees" is anexcellent resource for anyone shop-ping for trees and is available in

booklet form at USU Extension of-fices in every UT county. It is alsoavailable online (Google USU ex-tension selecting landscape trees).

Note that this tree is in the Scro-phulariaceae family - a cousin topenstemons! -Maggie Wolf


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In late 2007 botanists in thesouthwestern United States begandiscussions about holding a region-

wide rare plant conference modeledafter the 4th Southwestern RarePlant Conference, held in New Mex-ico in March 2004. It was widely

acknowledged through the botanicalgrapevine that it ought to be Utahsturn to host the event. Mindy

Wheeler, who was chair of the UtahNative Plant Society at the time,proposed that UNPS take the lead inorganizing the event, slated forspring of 2009. UNPS already hadexperience with co-hosting the an-nual state rare plant meeting (inconjunction with Red Butte Gar-den), so how hard could a regionalconference be?

Without going into gory detail,the months of developing an agenda,finding a venue, creating a website,signing up sponsors, sending outinvitations to speakers and atten-dees, organizing field trips, hiringcaterers, and completing hundredsof other tasks all just seemed to

whisk by. On the evening of March16, 2009, UNPS was proud to hostthe first event of the 5th Southwest-ern Rare Plant Conference, an infor-mal mixer held at historic FortDouglas on the campus of the Uni-

versity of Utah. Fortified by goodfood, fine spirits, and excellent com-pany of old and new acquaintances,the organizers and participants ofthe conference were off to a goodstart.

The conference officially beganthe following morning. Noel Holm-gren, curator emeritus of the New

York Botanical Garden, gave thekeynote address, in which he brieflyoutlined the history of the Gardens

Intermountain Flora project and

described patterns of species rich-ness and endemism in the GreatBasin, Colorado Plateau and the restof the Southwest.

In all, there were 37 presenta-tions given over the next three daysand an additional 20 posters on the

Wednesday night poster session andreception. Presentations covered a

variety of topics, ranging from seed-ling ecology and rare plant biologyto distributional modeling, impacts

of climate change, plant biogeogra-phy, and fire ecology. There weretoo many presentations to summa-rize them all, but a few of the high-lights included:

* Bob Sivinski of the New MexicoDivision of Forestry described

challenges in conserving remnantcienaga wetland communities inthe southwest from the onslaughtof civilization

* Duane Atwood of BrighamYoung University discussed sixnew endemic vascular plants hehas discovered while inventoryingthe Arizona Strip over the past 3decades

* John Spence of Glen CanyonNational Recreation Area talkedabout the high number of globally

imperiled (G1 and G2) plant spe-cies in the southwest and the needfor adopting a regional rankingand prioritization system to focuslimited conservation resources onthe species in most critical need ofhelp

*Susan Meyer of the USFS ShrubLab described the utility (and diffi-culties) of employing seed bankstudies in elucidating the life histo-ries and management needs of raredesert plant species

* Loreen Allphin of BYU dis-cussed on-going biosystematic

work teasing out cryptic speciationand hybridization in the mustardgeneraBoechera (akaArabis) and

Draba* Crystal Krause of Northern Ari-

zona University and Amy Croft ofUtah State University describedtheir graduate studies on predic-tive modeling of rare plants of theColorado Plateau and Mojave De-sert

* Bruce Barnes of Flora ID

Northwest gave an interactivedemonstration of his computerizedplant identification software

* Rob Gillies, Utah state clima-tologist, described how climatemodels are predicting long-termincreases in drought in the south-

west and decreases in snowpackand spring runoff

* Mitch Power of the Utah Mu-seum of Natural History, discussedthe role of paleoecological studies

Highlights of the 5th Southwestern Rare Plant Conference

USFWS Cites Elaine York as aRecovery Champion

Elaine York, West Desert Re-gional Director for The Nature Con-servancy, was presented with the

US Fish and Wildlife Services na-tional Recovery Champion Awardat the SW Rare Plant Conference onMarch 19th. The award was givenin recognition of Elaines efforts tocreate the 800 acre White DomeNature Preserve at the south end ofSt. George. The White Dome areaprovides important habitat for thefederally endangered Dwarf bear-claw poppy (Arctomecon humilis)and threatened Silers pincushioncactus (Pediocactus sileri), as wellnumerous uncommon Mojave De-sert plant and animal species. SteveGuertin, Director of the ServicesMountain-Prairie Region offeredthis praise: Elaine has shown tre-mendous perseverance in her goalof ensuring long-term protection ofsouthern Utahs threatened andendangered species. She is a highlyeffective facilitator and has broughttogether a diverse group of partners

who are making the White DomeNature Preserve a success. We areindebted to Elaine for her vision

and enthusiasm.This spring The Utah Nature

Conservancy received a grant of$910,500 to purchase the finalacres needed to complete the WhiteDome preserve.

in explaining vegetation patterns ofthe past and how these studiesmight help predict future changes inplant communities in response toclimate change

* Steve Caicco of the Nevada office

of the US Fish and Wildlife Servicetalked about the threat of climatechange to edaphic endemics of theGreat Basin, which may be unable toadapt to major environmentalchanges predicted for the future

* Brian Kurzel of the ColoradoNatural Areas Program describedefforts in Colorado to develop a Con-servation Action Plan to prioritizespecies and geographic areas of thestate in most need of protection


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Above: Conference Keynote speakerandIntermountain Flora co-authorNoel Holmgren proves that a grownman can still be excited about findingthe first buttercup of spring, at least ifthat buttercup is Violet buttercup(Ranunculus andersonii var. ander-sonii), as seen on the field trip to Stans-bury Island on 20 March, 2009. Photoby Desiree Beaudry.

* Joan DeGiorgio of The NatureConservancy talked about collabora-tive efforts in the Uinta Basin toidentify species at risk from ongoingoil and gas development

* Mark Miller of the USGS inKanab, UT and Jesse Breinholt ofUtah Valley University gave updateson their respective research on thefederally endangered Shivwits milk-

vetch in Washington County, Utah* Steven Harrison of BYU dis-

cussed genetic studies being under-taken on two populations of the en-dangered Clay phacelia and relatedspecies in northern Utah

* Jason Alexander of Utah Valley

University described new geneticresearch that is shedding light onthe complex taxonomy ofAstraga-lus lentiginosus and its many varie-ties

* Barbara Ertter of the Universityof California discussed the taxon-omy ofPotentilla and the need toresurrectDrymocallis as a separategenus.

In addition to talks and posters,UNPS sponsored a break-out ses-

andersoniivar. andersonii).All told, over 150 botanists and

their spouses or groupees attendedthe week-long conference. UNPSfinished in the black and profits will

be used for the societys scholarshipfund or for another worthy project.

Attendees were treated to manystimulating talks, but perhaps more

importantly had a chance to visitwith old friends and make new ones.

Much of the success of the confer-ence can be attributed to the hard

work of the planning and programcommittees, both chaired by Mindy

Wheeler, with the able assistance ofBill Gray, Ann Kelsey, Bill King,Therese and Larry Meyer, Robertand Susan Fitts, Loreen Allphin,Rita Dodge, and Leila Shultz. Anumber of volunteers from UNPSand Red Butte Garden helped with

registration, food, and behind thescenes work, including Elise Erler,Tony Frates, Celeste Kennard, KippLee, Bill Nelsen, Kody Wallace, SueBudden, Pamela and Robert Hilbert,

Allene Keller, Jena Lewinsohn,Marilyn Mead, and Bev Sudbury.

Artist Lara Call Gastinger provided abeautiful painting of Dwarf bearclawpoppy for the conference programand souvenir mug (to see samples ofher work, go to www.laracallgastinger.com). The following cor-porate and institutional sponsors

assisted financially or by othermeans: The Nature Conservancy ofUtah, The US Forest Service RockyMountain Research Station, Univer-sity of Utah Department of Biology,the Flora of North America project,Providia, Utah Natural History Mu-seum, Utah Botanical Center, RedButte Garden and Arboretum, thestate of Utah Department of NaturalResources, and Bio-West, Inc.

As a final memento of the confer-ence, Susan Meyer has volunteered

to edit a proceedings volume withfull papers from the speakers andposter presenters. This book will beproduced in pdf format and madeavailable for download to the publicon the internet. Funding is comingthrough the US Forest Service andthe Shrub Lab. If all things gosmoothly, the proceedings should beavailable by the end of the year. -Walter Fertig

sion on the last full day of the con-ference to discuss development ofa revised rare plant species list forUtah. Over 30 people attended thesession to learn of the rating sys-tem being proposed by UNPS rareplant committee (consisting ofDuane Atwood, Ben Franklin,Robert Fitts, Rita Dodge, and my-self). This system ranks the con-servation priority of species using7 criteria: overall global range(with special emphasis on Utahscontribution to that range), num-

ber of populations, number of in-dividual plants, habitat specificity,intrinsic rarity (such as life history

bottlenecks or loss of pollinators),threats, and population trend. Thedraft list of extremely high andhigh priority species were re-

viewed and changes made to therankings based on input fromknowledgeable participants in theaudience. The final list is currently

being revised and will be availablelater this summer.

The conference concluded onFriday with a field trip to Stans-bury Island along the south side ofthe Great Salt Lake. Despite theunusually warm temperatures ofmid-March (the weather gods orclimate change cooperated withthe conference and gave us 70 de-gree temperatures), relatively fewplants were flowering, though tripattendees were treated to a displayof Violet buttercup (Ranunculus


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Disturbance and the Establishment of Yellow Starthistle[continued from page 1] of invasion

while smaller-scale soil distur-bances, as might be caused by morenatural processes (e.g., animal bur-rowing, soil cracking from shrink-swell clays), facilitate the continuedspread of this species after initial

invasion. I also examined the inter-action between elevated nitrogenlevels and disturbance on star-thistle invasion and reproductiveoutput. Elevated soil nutrients oftenaccompany soil disturbance andmay have a synergistic interactionon the success of invasion by non-native species.

I conducted two separate experi-ments in two distinct settings: 1)larger-scale soil disturbances (2 m2)subject to experimental seed addi-

tion at a site with low Yellowstarthistle seed rain, minimal seedbank, and no neighboring starthistlepatches; and 2) smaller-scale soildisturbances (0.05 m2) without ex-perimental seeding, but at a site

with relatively high Yellow starthis-tle seed rain, an established seed

bank, and potential influence fromneighboring starthistle patches.

I expected Yellow starthistle tohave an especially positive responseto larger-scale soil disturbancescompared to smaller-scale distur-

bances, with that response enhancedby the addition of nitrogen. I antici-pated that larger-scale disturbances

would serve as the initial point ofentry for the invasion of this species,

while smaller-scale disturbanceswould act as secondary points ofentry facilitating the spread of Yel-low starthistle from initial sites ofinvasion.

MethodsThe study area was located on the

grounds of the Lindquist MemorialGardens of the Wasatch in SouthOgden, Utah. Beyond the groundsactively being used by the gardenare abandoned pastures dominated

by the exotic perennial forage grassBromus inermis and a hillslopedominated by native perennial forbs(Balsamorhiza sagitatta, Hedysa-rum boreale, and Wyethia amplexi-caulis). My work was conducted

both within a pasture not yet in-vaded by Yellow starthistle (Exper-

iment 1 in Site I) and an immedi-ately adjacent, invaded pastureand hillslope (Experiment 2 in SiteII). These two sites were separated

by approximately 50 m.In the uninvaded pasture I

identified a 20 x 30 m area to es-

tablish 1 x 2 m plots at 20 ran-domly-selected locations in May2002. A complete factorial designanalyzed the effect of two ran-domly assigned treatments: 1) soildisturbance (disturbed vs. undis-turbed); and 2) nitrogen addition(nitrogen vs. water only). I dis-turbed plots by clipping vegetationat the soil surface, removing theclipped vegetation, and rototillingthe soil to a depth of 15 cm. Thenitrogen treatment added approxi-

mately 40 g of N to each plot.Each treatment combination wasreplicated 5 times at the level of

whole plots. Within each plot,seeded and unseeded sub-plots (50x 50 cm) were created and sur-rounded by a 25 cm buffer zone.Seeded portions were planted with100 seeds per sub-plot. Unseededsub-plots were used to estimatethe establishment of Yellowstarthistle from the existing seed

bank or ambient seed rain. Ap-proximately every two weeks afterseeding, the number and develop-mental stage of starthistle plants(seedling, rosette, bolting, or flow-ering) were recorded for each sub-plot. All flowers produced werecounted and subsequently re-moved from the plot to preventcolonization from unwanted seedrain in subsequent years. In thefall, a second germination eventoccurred, and the number of es-tablished seedlings on each sub-plot was recorded.

In Site II, I created relativelysmall soil disturbances approxi-mately every 2.5 m along ran-domly placed transects. Plots werecreated during the mid-summer of2000 to allow the accumulation ofnew seeds on freshly exposed soilduring peak seed production, and

were observed for two consecutiveyears (2001-02). I used a paired-plot design (disturbed and undis-turbed) with circular, paired plots

(25 cm in diameter or 0.05 m2)separated by 25 cm. Plots were dis-turbed in similar fashion to those inExperiment 1, except I used a smallhand pick-axe to disturb soil ratherthan a rototiller. On each plot Imonitored colonization (# of spring

and fall establishing seedlings) andreproductive output (# of starthistleplants).

DiscussionThe response of Yellow starthistle

to disturbance is very different inthe two settings investigated here.Larger-scale disturbed plots in thesetting of Site I had a significant,positive influence on spring estab-lishment, survival to flowering, andfall establishment of starthistle com-

pared to undisturbed plots. Thisresult is similar to the response ofYellow starthistle to 1 m2 plots in thestudy by Hierro et al. (2006). Incontrast, no difference was observedin any measure of Yellow starthistleperformance (spring establishment,survival to flowering, flower headproduction, fall establishment) be-tween the smaller-scale disturbedand undisturbed plots in Site II.

My two experiments differ in sev-eral features that may have impacton the response of Yellow starthistleto disturbance: 1) disturbance size;2) matrix community composition;3) presence of starthistle in above-ground vegetation; and 4) availabil-ity of starthistle seeds. First, andmost obviously, plot size differed

between these two experiments by afactor of 40 (0.05 m2 to 2 m2). Dis-turbance plot size has been invest-gated as an important factor influ-encing colonization by plants andthe invasion of non-native species.My results suggest that disturbance

size was also important here, withmuch larger disturbances (2 m2)more beneficial to starthistle estab-lishment and reproductive outputthan smaller disturbances (0.05 m2).

Second, in addition to distur-bance size, the vegetation commu-nity that served as the matrix forexperimental plots differed betweenthe two experiments (Bromus iner-mis dominated Site I vs.B. inermisand native forb-dominated hillslopein Site II), and may impact the re-


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sponse of Yellow starthistle to dis-turbance size. Given the consistentlack of difference in starthistle per-formance between disturbed andundisturbed plots in the smaller-scale experiment when analyzingplots in two drastically differentplant communities, I would suggestthe different results in Experiments

1 and 2 are likely due to differencesin the matrix plant community inSites I and II.

Third, another potentially influ-ential factor related to communitycomposition that differs betweenthese two studies is the presence of

Yellow starthistle, with patches ab-sent in Site I, but common in Site II.In a separate study (Rieder 2005), Ifound that seedlings survive better

when near another starthistle orwhen surrounded by a high cover of

Yellow starthistle, which may reflectthat conspecific facilitation is atwork in these populations as mayoccur for other species ofCentau-rea. Thus, in the absence of facilita-tive effects from Yellow starthistleneighbors, disturbance may morestrongly influence the performanceof this species, as suggested by re-sults from the larger-scale distur-

bance.Finally, the two experiments dif-

fered in seeding methodology. Thelarger-scale plots were experimen-

tally seeded, because the seed bankand yearly seed rain were expectedto be low in Site I, while the smaller-scale plots relied on the existingseed bank and seed rain in Site II.Because the seed bank and seed rain

were not quantified in Site II, I sus-pected propagule limitation mightinfluence the results from thesmaller-scale plots. While experi-mental seeding of larger-scale plotsgenerated 16 seedlings/m2, existingambient seeds on smaller-scale plots

generated 49 seedlings/m2

in 2001and 83 seedlings/m2 in 2002, sug-gesting adequate propagule pressurein Site II compared to the experi-mentally-imposed propagule pres-sure in Site I.

I caution that the effect of nitro-gen in Experiment 1 may not be rep-resentative of the response of Yellowstarthistle to nitrogen. The additionof nitrogen was expected to have apositive, if not synergistic, effect

with disturbance, but appeared to

have no effect. By mid-summer,perennial vegetation on undis-turbed plots receiving nitrogen

was noticeably darker green incolor than vegetation on undis-turbed plots receiving only water,indicating successful application ofnitrogen at least to deep-rooted,

well-established plants. Quicklydrying soils following experimen-tal seed addition, however, mayhave reduced the availability ofnitrogen to establishing Yellowstar-thistle seedlings, thereby ef-fectively removing the impact ofnitrogen from the experiment.

SummaryGiven the ruderal traits of Yel-

low starthistle and evidence fromprevious work (Gelbard and Harri-son 2005, Hierro et al. 2006), Iexpected that disturbance, even ifsmall (0.05 m2), would strongly

stimulate the establishment andreproductive output of starthistle.This was not the case. Only thelarger-scale disturbance plots posi-tively influenced starthistle per-formance. These two experimentsdiffer strongly in their settings:smaller vs. larger disturbance,grass-dominated vs. forb-dominated plant communities,starthistle neighbors present vs. noneighbors, and naturally available

seeds vs. experimental addition ofseeds. Given my results, it isunlikely that the differences in thematrix vegetation community orseed availability explain the differ-ence in the response of Yellowstarthistle to these two experiments.I suggest that disturbance size andthe presence of starthistle neighborsmay be important factors that inter-act to influence the response of thisspecies to disturbance.

This work suggests that the roleof disturbance varies given thephase of invasion. Taken together,my results suggest that larger-scaledisturbance encourages initial inva-sion of Yellow starthistle, and onceinvasion occurs, smaller-scale dis-turbances are not essential for con-tinued invasion.

ReferencesGelbard, J.L. and S. Harrison. 2005.

Invasibility of roadless grasslands: anexperimental study of yellow starthistle.Ecological Applications 15:1570-1580.

Hierro, J.L., D. Villarreal, O. Eren,J.M. Graham, and R.M. Callaway. 2006.Disturbance facilitates invasion: theeffects are stronger abroad than athome. American Naturalist168:144-156.

Rieder, J.P. 2005. Yellow starthistlein Utah: an investigation ofCentaureasolstitialis invasion patterns, processes,and population dynamics. Ph.D. disser-tation, Utah State University, Logan,UT.

Left: Aaron Rieder col-lecting data at theOgden, UT study site.Grayish plants in fore-ground are Yellowstarthistle skeletons.

Photo by J.P. Rieder.


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High Mountain Work on the Colorado PlateauPotential Impacts of Recreation on Rare Plants and Alpine Vegetation of the La Sals

By Barb Smith,Manti-La Sal National Forest, Moab

District Wildlife Biologist

In the desert country characteris-

tic of the Colorado Plateau, the bestplace to work on hot summer dayshas to be the La Sal Mountains(although a raft on the ColoradoRiver is also very nice.). The high-est peaks in southeast Utah are alsoa popular place to recreate, and that

was the impetus for a baseline studyto monitor the impacts of recreationto alpine communities that we con-ducted last summer in the La SalMountains. With a grant from Can-

yonlands Natural History Associa-tion (CNHA), researchers from thelocal Moab district of the Manti-LaSal National Forest and the RockyMountain Research Station in Flag-staff AZ set up a study to answer thequestion: Is recreational use of thealpine portions of the La Sal Moun-tains impacting soil and vegetationresources?

The La Sal Mountains are a spe-cial part of the Colorado Plateau,supporting one of the few true al-pine communities in the region.These values were formally recog-

nized when the high summits andridges of Mt. Mellenthin, Mt Peale(the highest peak at 12,721 feet inelevation) and Mt Tukuhnikivatz

were designated as a USDA ForestService Research Natural Area(RNA) in 1988. The main objectiveof an RNA is to preserve pristinerepresentative habitat types. RNAsare part of a national network ofareas set aside for research, educa-tion and maintenance of biologicaldiversity. Forest Service manage-ment of RNAs emphasizes protec-tion against serious environmentaldisruptions so that the areas canserve as a baseline for measuringlong-term ecological changes.

The Mt. Peale RNA was estab-lished specifically to protect ecosys-tem structure and function in repre-sentative alpine and subalpine habi-tats. The area represents alpineherb communities, glacial features,and high mountain landforms.

While there are 318 RNAs in the

Intermountain, Rocky Mountain,and Great Plains regions of theForest Service, there are only fourin Baileys Northern CanyonlandsEcological Section*. Outside of theUinta Mountains, there is limitedrepresentation of alpine communi-ties in Utah.

In the Mt Peale RNA Establish-ment Record recreation was notidentified as a specific threat toRNA values and ecosystem proc-esses. Nonetheless, there was anobjective to establish monitoringplots to assess the impacts of rec-reation use in the alpine environ-ment. In recent years there has

been increased demand for recrea-tion special use permits in Moaband La Sal area, including greaterinterest in peak climbing. To fulfillits management obligations for theRNA, the Forest Service wanted to

identify current conditions in theMt Peale area. Trailing, tramplingand other human impacts to alpinesoils and vegetation have been welldocumented in the scientific liter-

* Bailey ecoregions are geographic regionsdefined by similarities in vegetation, cli-mate, soils, species composition, and otherecological factors. Robert Bailey developeda classification of 47 ecoregions coveringthe United States for the Forest Service inthe 1980s.

Above: La Sal daisy, Erigeron mancus,is a rayless member of the sunflowerfamily endemic to the La Sals of SEUtah. Photo by Barb Smith.

ature, along with the long recoverytimes required in these harsh envi-ronments. Increasing recreationaluse and other factors such asdrought and climate change have

the potential to adversely impact thevegetation and soil condition of thealpine habitat.

The La Sal Mountains support aunique alpine vegetation community

which contains several endemicplant species. One Forest ServiceSensitive plant species, the La Saldaisy (Erigeron mancus), is foundnowhere else in the world. Thereare also at least 10 other plant spe-cies known only from the La Sals inthe state of Utah. These includePo-

distera eastwoodiae, Oreoxis[Cymopterus] bakeri,Besseyaalpina,Saxifraga bronchialis andCarex perglobosa. Many of thesespecies have a NatureServe staterank of imperiled or critically imper-iled. The high talus slopes of the LaSals also support another uniquealpine obligate, the La Sal subspe-cies of the American pika(Onchotona princeps lasalensis).


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Of the 2380 acres in the Mt. PealeRNA, alpine vegetation covers ap-proximately 360 acres. Five broadlydefined types of habitat have beenidentified in the RNA, three in thealpine zone and two in the forested,subalpine zone (100 acres). As partof our project, these were systemati-cally sampled, focusing on vegeta-

tion and soil conditions. Most of thealpine vegetation is made up of well-developed alpine turf and alpine turf-rock community types. The major-ity of the area is dominated by talusand barren rock (2020 acres).

Noteworthy FindingsWe found that the majority of the

plots sampled were in a pristinecondition. The impacts noted werelargely related to movement or dis-placement of rocks on steep talus

slopes. There were a few areas withuser-created trails. However, wedidnt get to all the areas we wantedto sample on the middle group ofpeaks, so we hope to get back upthere this summer (when it is reallyhot in the Moab valley) and estab-lish more transects around Mt Peale.

In addition, the field work re-vealed a relatively continuous seriesofE. mancus patches along the westridge up to Mt. Laurel, from the ta-lus field at 11,400 ft. to 11,900 ft justabove treeline, as well as along the

Middle Group crestline at 12,000 ft.Other than the formal description ofthe species and its geographicalrange, little is known about thepopulation biology of this species.

We observed that La Sal daisy canbe abundant within its microhabitatniche on dry, windy ridgelines butless abundant to absent on nearbymore mesic midslopes.

Our research crew also collectednumerous plant specimens, includ-ing some new species for the area.

Rock columbine,Aquilegia scopulo-rum, is a new record for the La Sals.Patterson sagewort,Artemisia pat-tersonii, is a new record for Utah.These were identified and curated atthe Rocky Mountain Herbarium inLaramie, Wyoming.

Future WorkIn addition to the recreation

study, the researchers were lookingat plants of the alpine community tocompare to others areas where they

have established alpine studies,including on the San FranciscoPeaks in Arizona and the RockyMountains in Colorado. When thecrew saw our interesting endemicLa Sal daisy, Dr James Fowler ofthe Research Station became ex-cited about the opportunity to doan elevational density gradient

study as a way to monitor climatechange impacts to alpine plants.

With another Discovery Grantfrom CNHA, the research crew will

be coming back to do more workon the La Sals this summer.

The work in 2009 will measurechanges in density of La Sal daisyalong an elevational transect on aridge in the middle group. Bymeasuring patch width along thiselevational transect we can calcu-late patch size and (using our den-

sity measurements) we can thenestimate population size for this

ulation may be at risk with futurewarming climate.

The second exploratory surveyinvolves the snow glade at treelineon the north base of Mt. Mellenthin.Climate models predict that meanannual temperature will increaseand that precipitation patterns willchange in future decades. Either of

these can affect the amount of snow-fall and the longevity of snow cover.Snow glades are defined by late ly-ing snow (until mid-summer) whichrestricts conifer establishment. Un-der a reduced snowfall scenario thisgraminoid-dominated habitat may

be converted to spruce-fir forestover time. We propose to inventorythe vascular plant species present

within the snow glade and surveypossible future transect locations todetect vegetation shifts due to

changes in snowmelt timing.The Rocky Mountain ResearchStation is developing a network ofalpine RNAs in the west to look atthe effects of global climate changeon ecotonal communities of vascularplants at tree limit elevations andabove. Shifts in tree demographyand changes in herbaceous plantcommunity composition will beearly indicators of a warming cli-mate scenario. Jim Fowler,Ecologist with the Rocky MountainResearch Station in Flagstaff, is the

Principle Investigator. Co-PIs areBarb Smith, Wildlife Biologist withthe Manti-LaSal National Forest,and Bill Block, Program Manager forthe Wildlife and Terrestrial Ecosys-tems Program.

With numerous peaks over12,500 feet in elevation, the La SalMountains not only provide a stun-ning visual contrast to the can-

yonlands of the Colorado Plateau,but also support one of the few truealpine communities in the region.

There is growing concern about thepotential effects of global climatechange on these isolated alpine eco-systems. The La Sal Mountains sup-port many endemic plant species ina Research Natural Area with amanagement emphasis on researchand protection of pristine conditionsand biological diversity. It is a greatplace to work!

Rock columbine,Aquilegiascopulorum, is a new recordfor the La Sals. Pattersonsagewort,Artemisia patter-sonii, is a new record forUtah. These were identifiedand curated at the RockyMountain Herbarium inLaramie, Wyoming.

area. We will also record all vascu-lar plant species within each sam-pling frame along the transect,

both to delineate species closelyassociated withE. mancus and todescribe how plant species compo-sition changes from treeline tocrestline. This data set will thenform a basis for detection of cli-mate change effects with futureresampling at 5-10 year intervals.

We also propose to conduct twosmall exploratory studies relatingto future climate change. First, asurvey to detect the Black rosyfinch (Leucosticte atrata) alongthe same elevational transect fromtreeline to the Middle Group crest-line. The black rosy finch is re-stricted to the alpine habitats inthe summer. The LaSals are at thesouthern end of black rosy finchsummer range and thus this pop-


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