Kelseya uniflora, the mascot plant of the Montana Native Plant Society, is named for its discoverer, Francis Kelsey, namesake of the Kelsey Chapter. (Peter Lesica photo)
The Kelsey Chapter serves native plant enthusiasts in the greater Helena area.
Bob Person, can help with contacts and organization. Members who want to organize a program or activity may contact Bob as well.
Interested in Native Plant Landscaping in our area? Click here
Programs and Activities Upcoming: NOTE: PROGRAM CANCELLATION IS LIKELY. WATCH HERE FOR LATE CANCELLATIONS OR CONTACT THE EVENT ORGANIZER DIRECTLY
May 16, 2020. Mosses of Mt. Helena. Join Botanists Justina Dumont and Andrea Pipp on a hike to explore the mosses of Mount Helena (Helena’s city park). We’ll focus on how to to recognize them by genus, though a few species will pop up. As we hike and hunt for mosses we’ll discuss and observe their ecology, structure, and life cycles. Let’s hope for a little rain the night before so we can find them hydrated and looking their leafiest-best! Bring that hand-lens or magnifying glass so you can see some of their morphological intricacies.
When: Saturday May 16, 2020, 9:00 to noon (or beyond depending interests and weather)
Where: Meet at the main Mt. Helena trailhead/parking lot
What to bring: Hand-lens, your favorite moss book if you have one, sturdy hiking shoes, and appropriate clothing for the weather. A light rain won’t scare us off, but a heavy rain makes it hard to see them up-close with your hand-lens. Bring water and a lunch.
Questions? Call Andrea (406-439-0284) or Justina (315-380-4196).
Celebrate Wildflowers third week in May. Every year, the Helena/Lewis and Clark National Forest, Montana Discovery Foundation, Prickly Pear Land Trust, and the Kelsey Chapter of the Montana Native Plant Society host a series of events to celebrate these messengers of spring.
- Celebrate Wildflowers in the field on Mount Helena Week of May 17, 2020 (mostly cancelled – see details below):
- As the main focus, Celebrating Wildflowers hikes on Mt. Helena with 4th grade classes.These hikes are typically conducted the third week of May each year and volunteers are always needed to help out. While students have been able to participate in an art contest through their schools, the Mount Helena hikes are cancelled for 2020;
- A hike leader training session is held each year. This tuneup is designed for hike leaders but is open to the all MNPS members and the public. Cancelled for 2020.
- On the Thursday of Wildflower week the Prickly Pear Land Trust in cooperation with the Kelsey Chapter and the Montana Discovery Foundation hosts a wildflower hike for the general public on the same route as that used for the 4th graders – contact Bob Person, (kelseychaptermnps@gmail.com) for questions. Cancelled for 2020
- All field events begin and end at the main Mount Helena trailhead. Flags will be out and information posted at the trailhead kiosk. Enjoy the spring flowers while practicing your social distancing.
- As the main focus, Celebrating Wildflowers hikes on Mt. Helena with 4th grade classes.These hikes are typically conducted the third week of May each year and volunteers are always needed to help out. While students have been able to participate in an art contest through their schools, the Mount Helena hikes are cancelled for 2020;
Saturday, May 30th 2020, 9:00am to 4:00pm Keeping a Botanical Sketchbook – Beginning Online May 16. In keeping with the current guidelines on social gatherings and how uncertain the next few months will be, the workshop for Keeping a Botanical Sketchbook with Jane Fournier has been cancelled for this year. However, this is a great time to be out of doors (at a safe distance) and enjoying our native plants. For those of you who are still interested in sketching the season’s interesting finds, Jane will be making a series of Facebook posts about some of the techniques and ideas that would have been covered in the workshop. Starting on about May 16th, you will be able to find the posts on the Facebook page titled Jane Fournier Botanical Art. Keeping a sketchbook will give you an extra reason to get out into some of our wild lands, forests, and parks, or even your back yard and create some memorable sketches.
___________________________________
Reports on Recent Activities:
Kelseya uniflora Field Trip – Trout Creek Canyon Trip Report For several years, we had hoped to conduct a field trip to see the Kelseya uniflora in full bloom, but the uncertainty of spring weather has foiled our attempts. Last year, we succeeded. Six Kelsey Chapter members journeyed out to see the spring bloom in as mild spring snowstorm. Our species list, according to the Lesica rule (only blooming plants counted) was 1, Kelseya uniflora.
These three pictures show the plants in bud or just beginning to bloom on April 6, 2017.
Here are pictures from our trip on April 9, 2017:
Here students study alpine bladderpod growing along a trail on Mount Helena
Chapter Projects
The Flora of Mount Helena
The Flora of Mount Helena permanent specimen collection is housed in the Montana section at the Lewis and Clark Library in Helena. The collection is arranged alphabetically by scientific name. Nomenclature follows Dorn 1984. An index is provided that allows cross-referencing by common name and common family name. Click here for a pdf file of the species list.
The Flora of Mount Helena collection is a joint project of the Kelsey Chapter of the Montana Native Plant Society and the Lewis and Clark Library. The Kelsey Chapter formally donated the specimen collection to the Lewis and Clark Library in 1999.
For more information about the collection or to make suggestions, contact the Montana Native Plant Society, Kelsey Chapter atkelseychaptermnps@gmail.com
