Arizona Native Plant Society - White Mountain Chapter

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

Our next event is right around the corner! Join us on Friday, July 10th for a fun sketch and photo walk!At this event we...
06/19/2026

Our next event is right around the corner! Join us on Friday, July 10th for a fun sketch and photo walk!

At this event we will mostly be stopping at points to draw so it's a mini walk. This is also a free event and very beginner friendly, all levels welcome and mistakes are always encouraged!

What to bring: For those wanting to draw, bring your sketchbook and favorite portable art medium (or even just a pen or pencil). For those interested in taking photos, bring your camera or smart phone.

This is a great way to learn about native plants and get a closer look at some of these amazing plants!

🍃 WHEN: Friday, July 10th @ 9-10am
📍 Woodland Lake Park (Lakeside, Az)

More info on this event: https://www.facebook.com/share/1HRdpi4ty4/

Meet one your sketch guides, Karen!

Karen (Ren for short) started nature journaling and painting by attending an AZNPS sketch event three years ago! Plants are our teachers, and her approach is "drawing to learn", rather than "learning to draw". A long-time teacher but now working a fun job as a barista, you can usually find her adventuring in the natural world with her hubby Dean.
.. Stay tuned for next week and meet your photographer guide, Bob Rollar!

Monument Plant is our Arizona native plant of the day: a plant that can grow almost as old as some trees!Monument Plant ...
06/17/2026

Monument Plant is our Arizona native plant of the day: a plant that can grow almost as old as some trees!

Monument Plant (Frasera speciosa, also known as Elkweed or Green Gentian) is a dramatic flower to observe. We are still learning about its life cycle, but Frasera speciosa is known as a monocarpic perennial. This means that it will grow only a large, low rosette of leaves for many years (potentially decades) before blooming once and then dying. Ages vary widely, but by the time it sends up a large flowering stalk, the plant may be 2 - 80 years old or even more! Once the seeds are produced, the plant dies. This life cycle is similar to "century plants" (agave), known by many Arizonians.

The flowering stalk of Frasera speciosa can grow 6-9 feet tall and has an average of 600 flowers. The greenish-white blooms are stunning, symmetrical, with four petals, a fringed gland, and purple spots on each petal. Monument Plant often synchronizes its blooms to coincide with other plants in the area, creating a large pollination event.

Frasera speciosa grows in moist meadows and open areas in pine and aspen forests, from about 5,000 - 10,000 feet. Have you seen them in bloom? If so, comment below!

Post credit: Karen Suedmeier
Photo credit: Dean Suedmeier and Max Licher

Can you name this native plant?Here is a hint... It blooms from spring to midsummer with flower spikes that contain very...
06/15/2026

Can you name this native plant?

Here is a hint... It blooms from spring to midsummer with flower spikes that contain very small purple to red flowers with yellow-orange anthers (pollen-bearing tips of the stamen).

Check back later today, we’ll leave the name in the comments!

Post and photo credit: Jess Rollar

Our Arizona native plant of the day: A shrub that is popular with the local wildlife! Fendler's Ceanothus (Ceanothus fen...
06/10/2026

Our Arizona native plant of the day:
A shrub that is popular with the local wildlife!

Fendler's Ceanothus (Ceanothus fendleri) is a bush in the Buckthorn family, growing up to 6 feet tall but is usually shorter. Ceanothus is often found in open areas growing among juniper and pine, from 5,000 - 10,000 feet. But watch out for the long straight thorns!

Leaves are evergreen, alternate, and oval-shaped. They are palmately 3-veined, dark green on top, lighter-colored and often covered with fine hairs underneath.

White or light green flowers grow in clusters at the branch tips. Each flower has five spoon-shaped petals. The fruit is a reddish-brown capsule with three lobes.

Fendler's Ceanothus is a vital part of our White Mountain ecosystem. Deer and elk browse the leaves year-round, while birds and small critters find shelter in the tangled branches. Native pollinators are attracted to the fragrant blooms. This is a host plant for caterpillars of the Nais metalmark, Pacuvius duskywing, and Cecrops eyed silkmoth.

Another cool feature: Ceanothus teams up with nitrogen-fixing soil microbes, naturally fertilizing the soil! It is often an ideal plant for soil restoration, as well as in rock gardens, sunny hedges, and sandbank plantings.

Post and photo credit: Karen Suedmeier

Come visit us today at the White Mountain Community Garden until 1pm today in Show Low!Bring all of your native plant qu...
06/06/2026

Come visit us today at the White Mountain Community Garden until 1pm today in Show Low!

Bring all of your native plant questions and be sure to look through our selection of books, we hope to see you there!

For those wondering what book we had with us on the native plant walk this morning, this is the one!🍃 Guide to the Plant...
06/05/2026

For those wondering what book we had with us on the native plant walk this morning, this is the one!

🍃 Guide to the Plants of the Arizona White Mountains (by George C. West) 🍃

We donated several copies to the libraries here in the area but you can find it online where more bookstores are sold!

We want to thank everyone who came out to our native plant walk this morning, it was a great crowd! Despite the dry cond...
06/05/2026

We want to thank everyone who came out to our native plant walk this morning, it was a great crowd! Despite the dry conditions we found some real hidden gems at Show Low creek!

If you’re interested in joining us again, we have a sketch/photo walk planned next month on July 10th! Stay tuned for more info this week on that event or visit our events tab above.

🍃 Our June Native Plant Walk is THIS FRIDAY! Friday, June 5th at 9:00 am, we will take a short walk at Show Low Creek Me...
06/05/2026

🍃 Our June Native Plant Walk is THIS FRIDAY!

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!

Our Arizona native plant of the day is a highly recognizable one: Prickly-Pear cactus (Opuntia spp.). While there are ...
06/03/2026

Our Arizona native plant of the day is a highly recognizable one: Prickly-Pear cactus (Opuntia spp.). While there are several species that are native to the White Mountains, all have spiny green pads, chained together along the ground. Some desert species can get quite tall, but our high-elevation prickly-pear grows mostly prostrate, up to 1 foot high. If you are roaming a field or forest clearing, be sure to pick up your feet!

In early summer, prickly-pear produces waxy yellow-to-orange blooms, with pointed petals and numerous yellow anthers. There may be a red blush at the base of the petals. Fruits (called tunas) are a dull red or purple.

Opuntia is a vital source of hydration, food, and shelter for a wide range of mammals, birds, reptiles, and insects. Blooms are a highly accessible nectar source for our local pollinators. Fruits (tunas) are important food for birds, foxes, coyotes, and others.

Post and photo credit: Karen Suedmeier

🍃 Our June Native Plant Walk is THIS FRIDAY! For those planning to attend, be sure to RSVP using the link below. We'll...
06/02/2026

🍃 Our June Native Plant Walk is THIS 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!

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Snowflake, AZ

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