Midseason Wildflowers Now Appearing

Words Fail. Perhaps a look at this site. Professionals gathered this information.

 

Member Meeting. You may have noticed that the June meeting and workshop for RMSBA was cancelled. Hope to see you in September. Check this space for any announcements.

Art Supply. In support of all our efforts, we do need supplies and materials. Dick Blick and Utrecht are still shipping, as is Jerry’s Art-a-rama, if your Editor’s email inbox is an accurate indicator. Check the Guiry’s in your area for hours and access; most stores are open now but some have restrictions. Meiningers in Denver and Colorado Springs open Monday-Saturday 10am-5pm. If shopping in person in any store, expect limited numbers of customers and wear your mask.

Now’s the Time. The Long Expedition entered what would become Colorado on June 26, 1820, and departed to now-New Mexico on July 28, 1820. Now is the Field Season of the James Plant Collection, so if you want to follow along, start on US-6 just north of now-Julesburg last Friday and follow the South Platte upstream; by tonight you should be camping on the right bank [east side] of the South Platte just below the mouth of Bijou Creek. On July 2, cut overland from now-Kuner to now-Evans, and then spend the night of Independence Day just south of now-Brighton! All these sites are in Lowland Riparian and Plains Grassland ecosystems -- next up, Foothills Shrublands.

Northern Colorado Counties

“From Platte to Peak”. Illustrate type plant specimens collected by Dr. Edwin James during the first actual scientific expedition to the western High Plains, led by Major Stephen H. Long, during the summer of 1820. Many plants are familiar and widely dispersed, and you may already have some finished pieces that fit the size limits. The Call for Entry is at Online Juried Shows, open now and closing August 15, 2020. Martha Narey is the contact for the James Plant List and supporting materials. We expect the exhibit to hang on September 2 in Colorado Springs at the Garden of the Gods Visitor Center.

Herbarium Access seems to be severely limited everywhere for personal visits, so we recommend that you find out ahead which herbarium sheets you might want to examine and try to set up an appointment with that particular collection. Start at the Consortium of Southern Rocky Mountain Herbaria website and select the indicated collections.

Enter the location info and the scientific name of a plant and display the list. Much information is offered by clicking on that name within the list: many photos and the botanical descriptions. Clicking on the Large Image offers a closeup view of the herbarium sheet and great structural detail.

A Loss Indeed. On March 10, 2020, Jack L Carter, Botanist and Professor Emeritus of The Colorado College and for whom the Herbarium at CC is named, walked on at age 91. His work and publications are familiar to most botanical artists in RMSBA, and he will be particularly missed by Marj Leggitt and Susan Rubin, to whom he was mentor and teacher.