Wyoming Native Plant Society

05/12/2026

Greetings Society Members,
We are pleased to share the May issue of Castilleja for your reading enjoyment. It can be accessed online here: https://www.wynps.org/newsletter/

This issue features several wonderful submissions, including a front-page article on Green River greenthread, a very rare Wyoming endemic that we will visit during the annual meeting, as well an article on new alpine discoveries in the Bighorn Mountains, just to name a couple.

Don’t forget that the new WYNPS online calendar https://www.wynps.org/calendar/ is now available, bringing together chapter and community events in one convenient location. Also, there is also still time to register at https://www.wynps.org/annual-meeting-wildflower-weekend/ for the WYNPS Annual Meeting and Wildflower Weekend in Flaming Gorge and we hope to see many of you there!

Botanically yours,

Annual Meeting and Wildflower Weekend 2026 Annual Meeting and Wildflower Weekend Flaming Gorge May 29-31 2026 Annual Meeting Alert! The 2026 Wyoming Native Plant Society Annual Meeting and Wildflower Weekend will be in and near the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area, May 29-31 (Friday-Sunday). A...

04/28/2026

Wyoming Native Plant Society Announces Winners of Poster Contest Celebrating Wyoming Native Plant Month

Laramie, WY - April 23, 2026 - The Wyoming Native Plant Society is excited to announce the winners of their 3rd annual poster contest celebrating Wyoming Native Plant Month. The contest, open to all Wyoming 6th-8th graders, invited students to create a poster around the theme: "Native Plants Benefit People", highlighting the many essential roles that plants play in human lives. To view the winning posters, please visit the Wyoming Native Plant Society website at http://www.wynps.org/events/.

After reviewing many beautiful and creative submissions from students across the state, these three winners have been selected:

- Isadora Clark (8th grade) from Pinedale Middle School, and her teacher, Kandase Youtz
- Naomi Vreeman (7th grade) from Casper Christian School, and her teacher, Jody Scott
- Laney Hugo (6th grade) from Stocktrail Elementary, and her teacher, Amanda Bailey

Each winning student, along with their respective teacher, will receive $250 and the winning posters will be displayed across Wyoming public libraries from June through November.

Honorable Mentions were also awarded to four other students, reflecting the high level of creativity and engagement in this year’s contest. These students, who will receive certificates, are:

-Tylie Maughan (7th grade) from Hanna Elementary School and her teacher, Kaitlyn Larson
-Kenzie Blair (8th grade) from Greybull Middle School, and her teacher, Michelle Stebner
-Indiana Moon (8th grade) from Douglas Middle School, and her teacher Emily Jensen, and
-Chloe Shadden (8th grade) from Douglas Middle School, and her teacher Emily Jensen

The Wyoming Native Plant Society thanks all participants for contributing their talent to highlight the importance of native plants to ecosystems and people.

03/05/2026

The March issue of Castilleja is now posted on the website (https://www.wynps.org/newsletter/). This issue contains information about the 2026 annual meeting/wildflower weekend, May 29-31 at Flaming Gorge. In addition, you will find the Conservation Corner, the ethnobotany of edible valerian, an article about chokecherries by Castilleja’s new editor, Sienna Wessel, and more. We hope you enjoy it.

If you have not renewed your WyNPS membership for 2026, please do so now. You may use the mail-in form on the back page of the newsletter or renew online at https://www.wynps.org/join-us/. Your membership and support is important!

Hope to see you all at Flaming Gorge!

Get more website visits

12/06/2025

The December issue of Castilleja is now posted on the WYNPS website (www.wynps.org). Of course it has a number of excellent articles (whitebark pine, WY seed strategy, nettle ethnobotany, and more); it also includes the scholarship application announcement, and the ballot and membership renewal form. (Dues are due in January.) This issue also includes an announcement of the 2026 WYNPS annual meeting and wildflower weekend—May 29-31—at Flaming Gorge! Mark your calendars and enjoy this issue!
http://www.wynps.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Dec2025_Castilleja_plus_insert.pdf

10/18/2025

The October issue of Castilleja is now posted at http://www.wynps.org/newsletter/. In this issue you will be able to read about new vegetation maps for the state, the 2025 Hartman Award recipient, ethnobotanical properties of chokecherries, and more. We hope you enjoy it.

06/03/2025

06/02/2025

05/29/2025

There are a number of Bumble Bee Atlas events scheduled around the state

05/04/2025

The May issue of Castilleja is now posted on our website http://www.wynps.org/newsletter/ This issue contains great articles, as always, plus information and registration forms for the annual meeting in Fort Laramie—coming up at the end of this month!

Enjoy the issue, and send in your registration soon. The deadline to order Saturday evening dinner is May 19.

04/07/2025

April is ! 🌱🌷 Let's recognize the importance of native plants and the role they play in supporting healthy ecosystems and human well-being. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3FKdeyr