Arizona Native Plant Society - White Mountain Chapter

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Arizona Native Plant Society - White Mountain Chapter

This FB page is for the White Mountain Chapter of the Arizona Native Plant Society. Want to stay up to date via email?

https://mailchi.mp/71d6f52b54f8/aznps-white-mountain-chapter

05/29/2026

🍃 Our Native Plant Walk is next Friday!
For those planning to attend, be sure to RSVP using the link below. We'll be able to keep you updated if any plans change. 🍂
• RSVP: https://forms.gle/iC1XEegQi7oKMRJi9

Friday, June 5th at 9:00 am, we will take a short walk at Show Low Creek Meadow trail to see what native plants we can find and identify!

We will be meeting at the big barn and begin our walk at 9:00 am. This is a beginner friendly walk but please be prepared for warmer temps. Our walk will take about an hour.

• Friday, June 5th @ 9am (Show Low Creek Meadow trail),
769 S White Mountain Rd, Show Low, AZ 85901
• Event FB Link: https://www.facebook.com/share/16ztk8yApo/
• RSVP: https://forms.gle/iC1XEegQi7oKMRJi9

This is a free event that is open to the public. Please RSVP using the link above so we can keep you updated!

05/27/2026

Our Arizona native plant of the day is an interesting one! Commonly called Horsetail or Bottlebrush, Equisetum spp. are vascular plants that reproduce by spores, not by seeds. As you might guess, they are related to ferns.

These perennial plants are sometimes called "puzzlegrass", referring to their jointed stems with a ring of tiny dark-colored leaves at each joint. Field horsetail (Equisetum arvense) produces two types of shoots: fertile tan-colored shoots in early spring, and green sterile shoots that grow whorls of branches to look like miniature pine trees. It's no wonder that one of the common names is "Pinetop"!

Field Horsetail is usually 2-24" tall, and can commonly be found in damp areas, open fields, along creeks, and in marshes.

Post credit: Karen Suedmeier
Photo credit: Dean Suedmeier

05/20/2026

Wow! 🤩
Our Arizona native plant of the day is the Scarlet Hedgehog Cactus, Echinocereus coccineus. As you might guess, this spiny specimen hangs out on dry, rocky hillsides. You might even find it clinging to the side of a cliff!

The green globes grow in clumps, and have vertical ridges lined with spines. In the early summer, bright scarlet claret-cup-shaped blooms appear. Each flower has many petals, with a bright green stigma in the center. Hedgehog cacti can grow to a height of about 8" here in the White Mountains.

Echinocereus coccineus is a vital nectar source for hummingbirds and other pollinators, and the fruits (called tunas) are eaten by a variety of animals. The plant provides shelter for lizards, rodents, and other small beings.

Post credit: Karen Suedmeier
Photo credit: Dean Suedmeier

05/14/2026

🍃 Join us next month for a native plant walk in Show Low! We will be taking a short walk over at Show Low Creek to see what native plants we can find and identify! 🍂

We will be meeting at the big barn and begin our walk at 9am, this is a beginner friendly walk but please be prepared for warmer temps. Our walk will take about an hour.

• Friday, June 5th @ 9am (Show Low Creek)
• Event FB Link: https://www.facebook.com/share/16ztk8yApo/
• RSVP: https://forms.gle/iC1XEegQi7oKMRJi9

This is a free event that is open to the public, please RSVP above at the link.

05/13/2026

Today we're marveling at these cool plants: Geum triflorum, a native perennial in the Rose family. Geum Triflorum has many common names, including "Prairie Smoke", "Three-flowered Avens", and "Old-Man's Whiskers".

As you might guess by its botanical name, this little spring bloom typically has three nodding bell-shaped flowers. The sepals are pink, red, or maroon, and hide the cream-colored petals. Leaves grow from the base of the plant, stemless, divided and almost fern-like, and covered with fine hairs.

Once pollinated, the flower slowly turns upright, opening and wafting its feathery plumes to aid with seed dispersal. This explains the common name of "Prairie Smoke"!

Geum triflorum is often found near water but also grows in open areas of upland prairies and coniferous forests, in elevations of about 6,000 - 10,000 feet. It would make a lovely addition to a rock garden.

Post and photo credit: Karen Suedmeier

05/07/2026

We have some events coming up! These are free events that are open to the community, more events are being planned and will be announced later this year.

🍃 June Native Plant Walk 🍂
Friday, June 5th @ 9am (Show Low Creek)
Event Info: https://www.facebook.com/share/16ztk8yApo/
RSVP: https://forms.gle/iC1XEegQi7oKMRJi9

✍🏻 Sketch + Photo Walk 📷
Friday, July 10th @ 9am (Woodland Lake Park)
Event Info: https://www.facebook.com/share/1HdMeN2hH7/
RSVP: https://forms.gle/zdMH7QJiNwoV9vEB7

Stay tuned for our fall walk in October, details are still being finalized and we will share more soon!

** Please RSVP for each event, this helps us reach out to you if events change.

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05/06/2026

Think I'm your typical dandelion "w**d"? Look again!

This is Agoseris glauca, also called Pale Dandelion. And unlike the common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), this perennial flower is native to our White Mountains!

One solitary yellow flower tops a leafless stalk filled with milky sap. Each bloom contains only ray flowers. And if you look closely, you can see that each ray is tipped with five lobes. The flower stalk emerges from a bunch of narrow basal leaves with pale midveins.

Pale Dandelion is of special value to native butterflies, bees, and other insects. It thrives in open areas of coniferous forests and in meadows, from 6,500 - 10,000 feet.

Post and photo credit: Karen Suedmeier

04/29/2026

Our White Mountain native plant of the day is Montane Golden-Banner (Thermopsis montana). Have you seen this stunning member of the pea family, maybe growing alongside a stream?

The yellow blooms have a pea-flower shape and grow in a long cluster (raceme). They are supported on leafy stems up to 3 feet in height. Leaves are oval, pointed on the ends, and grow in groups of 3. Once the blooms wither, velvety seed pods develop vertically from the stem.

You might even notice that Golden-Banner shares many similarities with Lupine. That's because they're both in the pea (Fabaceae) family!

Post: Karen Suedmeier
Photo credit: Dean and Karen Suedmeier

04/26/2026

Thinking about spring planting? You're right on schedule!
The Farmer's Almanac gives an average last frost date of May 10 for Show Low, AZ.

Since this is a flexible guide, not a guarantee, it's safer to plant in the last half of May. It's time to get those native seeds!

04/22/2026

Fleabane (Erigeron spp.) is our Arizona Native Plant of the Day. You might see this member of the Aster family blooming in fields, forests, and along roadsides in the White Mountains this month.

From a botanical perspective the genus Erigeron (fleabanes) can be a bit tricky if you are attempting to identify the species, but for landscaping purposes the important thing to note is that fleabanes will thrive in a wide variety of garden types and habitats throughout the state. The plants reseed readily and create a cheery blanket of blooms. Compact in size and attractive to butterflies, this is a great addition to White Mountain gardens and borders.

Plants form a multi-headed bunch with thin stalks bearing white to purple daisy flowers with yellow centers. Fleabane is of special value to many native pollinators, including bees, moths, and other insects.

Post and photo credit: Karen Suedmeier

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Snowflake, AZ

Website

https://aznps.com/white-mountain/

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