Alberta Native Plant Council

Plant Study Groups

 

ANPC webinars are back!

ANPC webinars are back! Back to basics that is, with a short series of monthly lunchtime webinars focusing on botany basics. We’ll cover topics like useful native plant resources, the benefits of Latin names, plant species identification, inspiring research and more! Join ANPC for the fourth webinar in the Back to Botany Basics series on April 11, 2023 at 12 PM MST! Forbs are one of the most diverse groups of flowering plants and as such their classification can be challenging! In this webinar, Steven Tannas will discuss key features you need to know to successfully classify forbs as well as approaches to identification and keying. You can register here:

 

 

ANPC has also returned to in-person study group meetings. Please see below for more details on groups meeting in Edmonton, Peace River, Calgary and Fort McMurray.

Central Alberta Plant Study Group (Edmonton)
The sixth ANPC Central Alberta Plant Study Group session has been postponed and now will  take place on Wednesday, April 5, 2023 starting at 6:30 PM MST and will be hosted by Lysandra Pyle, the Vascular Plant Lead Scientist with the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute.
Lysandra’s topic will be “Taxonomy and ecology of invasive grasses in Alberta“: Presentation and discussion will focus on common and uncommon invasive grasses in Alberta’s grasslands, foothills, and the montane regions. We will discuss the taxonomy of complex groups of grasses like Bromeae, Poeae, and Triticeae. Awareness and identification skills will be provided for noxious and prohibited noxious species present or soon to be in Alberta!
The lecture component (starts at 6:30 PM) will be in the 5th floor classroom (B-521), followed by the specimen-review in the 6th floor vascular plants herbarium (B-613). Please confirm and RSVP your attendance (CentralPSG@anpc.ab.ca) . Based on limited capacity for the herbarium portion, I will respond to your RSVP to let you know if are confirmed for both components, or just the lecture component in B-521. If a friend or colleague of yours is interested in attending, please share this email with them and have them email separately to RSVP. Thank you.

Details:
This is an in-person event held at the University of Alberta (Edmonton).
Location: 5th and 6th floors, Biological Sciences Building (east end), U of A, Botany Wing, Saskatchewan Drive, University of Alberta, Edmonton, 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM MST
Lecture Component 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM Room B-521, Lab, Biological Sciences Building (east end)
Specimen Review Component 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM Room B-613, Vascular Plant Herbarium, Biological Sciences Building (east end)
Parking/Transit: Meter parking along Saskatchewan Drive, parking lots on campus and in area, LRT/Bus station on campus

 

Peace River Plant Study Group – is back!
Our first meeting back will be April 6^th, 2023. Regularly scheduled meetings will continue year round, with indoor meetings during the winter months, and outdoor plant walks in the summer months.
Location:  NAIT Centre for Boreal Research, 8102 – 99 Avenue, Peace River, AB (beside Northern Lakes College). Parking is free in front of the building.
Date: The first Thursday of the month – starting on April 6, 2023
Time: 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Cost: free
Bring: Notebook, favourite reference book if you have one (not required) plus your inner plant plant nerd. Your own snacks or beverage if desired.
Drop-ins are welcome!
Facilitator: Melanie Bird – Please contact Melanie (mbird@nait.ca) to attend or for more information.
Download an information poster here.

 

Calgary Plant Study Group – is back!

Welcome back to the Calgary Plant Study Group meetings!
We are excited to renew our connections with fellow native plant enthusiasts by offering some informative presentations, plant study opportunities, and open discussions on a range of topics regarding native plants and ecosystems.

Date: Saturday, April 29^th, 2023
Time: 1:00 pm-3:00 pm, with doors open at 12:30pm
Location: U of C Herbarium Rm 13  Biological Sciences Building, 507 Campus Drive NW Calgary
Parking:  Map to Herbarium
C-Train: Disembark at the University C-Train station. The Biological Sciences Building (BI) is a short walk westward across Campus Drive.

Presentations:
Investigating the Relationship Between Native/Non-native Plants and Pollinators in Calgary. Presented by Justine Doll, Biological Sciences Graduate Student University of Calgary
Genetics Behind Invasiveness, Rarity, and Extinction Risk in the Canadian Flora. Presented by Cristopher Albor, Biological Sciences Graduate Student University of Calgary

RSVP: Seating is limited. Please let us know if you plan to attend: Calgarypsg@anpc.ab.ca.
If for any reason you feel ill on the day of the meeting, please stay home.

Special Notes and Directions:
– The Biological Sciences Building is currently locked on weekends. Please enter by the lower level door on the south side of the building (see attached map) where an ANPC member will be waiting to let you in (or call the number posted on the door).
– Proceed straight through the entrance towards the central elevator bank. The Herbarium is in the right-hand corner at the end of the hall in Room 13. This entry is wheelchair accessible.
– Refreshments will be provided at half-time, but please note that food/drinks are not allowed in the Herbarium at any time.
– Due to construction, washrooms and water fountains are unavailable in the Biological Sciences Building. Those facilities are available in the adjacent Social Sciences Building a short walk further west.

We look forward to your participation!
ANPC volunteer Plant Study Co-facilitators can be contacted at: Calgarypsg@anpc.ab.ca.

 

NEW!! Fort McMurray Native Plant Study Group

 

Location: First Floor, Syncrude Programming Room WBRL
Date and Time: November 22, 2022 6:00pm-8:00pm
Powerpoint Meet and Greet: The Wild Edible Fruits and Berries of Northern Alberta by Marsha Haywood.

The webinar of this presentation is available on our “Members” page (you must be an ANPC member to access this page).

 

 

 

Northern Plant and Ecology Study Group (NPESG)

The NPESG Northern Plant & Ecology Study Group, is part of the ANPC Northern Outreach. These ANPC sponsored plant walks, are general level outdoor hikes, designed for interested individuals, families or groups of people, wanting to learn more about our native plants and their connecting ecology.
Since 2013, several outdoor NPESG native plant walks have been held yearly in different road-accessible regions of northern Alberta.

To find out more information about NPESG and these plant walks, please email Marsha Hayward (Northern Director) at wildloonart@mcsnet.ca.