Spring Awaits in Native Plant Master Offerings

Fairy slipper orchid -- Calypso bulbosa (photo: Irene Shonle)

The winter snows will soon melt and spring wildflowers will emerge, so come one, come all and view what the Native Plant Master^® Program – Metro to Mountain Group – has to offer.   We have an incredible year of plant explorations planned.  For a complete list of this year’s 25 different courses and classes, see npm.eventbrite.com.  Below is a sampling of a few of them. Register soon as offerings fill quickly.

Tree and Shrub Hike at Corwina Mountain Park – April 30.  Come join us for a guided hike through this enchanted park!  Corwina Park is one of the little-known jewels of the Denver Mountain Parks system.  To learn more, see https://treeandshrubhike2014.eventbrite.com.

Plant Families – May 6.  This class delves deeper into intricacies of Colorado plant families, including key identifying characteristics of major families, followed by a close-up opportunity to key out plants.  To learn more, see https://plantfamiliesmay62014.eventbrite.com.

Native Plant Master Course at Mt. Falcon Park – Fridays May 9, May 16 and May 23 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:10 p.m.  Take a Native Plant Master® course and discover Colorado wildflowers, trees and shrubs as you explore ponderosa pine forests, foothills meadows and other plant communities on the summit of Mt. Falcon.  To learn more, see https://npmcoursemtfalcon2014.eventbrite.com.

Native Plant Master Course at Green Mountain – Sundays May 11, June 18 and June 1 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:40 p.m.  Take a Native Plant Master® course on Green Mountain where the Great Plains meet the foothills of the Rockies.  Discover Colorado wildflowers, shrubs and some grasses as you explore trails in this natural area.   To learn more, see https://npmcoursegreenmountainmay2014.eventbrite.com.

New this year, those completing three NPM curriculum courses are awarded a Colorado Flora Certificate with no volunteer requirement.  For those interested in educating others by becoming a certified Native Plant Master volunteer, contact npmassistant@jeffco.us.

For more information, including Native Plant Master offerings in other locations in Colorado, see nativeplantmaster.org.  Also see the Colorado Plant Database at coloradoplants.jeffco.us for research-based information on more than 1,000 Colorado plants and plant lists for many of the courses.