Summary: This edition of Aquilegia reflects on the Colorado Native Plant Society’s twenty-fifth anniversary by celebrating a year of education, conservation, volunteer service, and organizational growth. A comprehensive “Year in Review” highlights chapter programs, field trips, restoration efforts, workshops, outreach events, and advocacy for Colorado’s native flora. The issue announces research funding opportunities through the John W. Marr and Myrna P. Steinkamp memorial funds, documents the Society’s efforts to preserve and republish H.D. Harrington’s Manual of the Plants of Colorado, and recognizes the contributions of long-time volunteers who expanded educational and book sales programs. Additional articles examine the ecological response of Gambel oak to fire, promote upcoming conferences and educational opportunities, and reinforce the Society’s mission of supporting botanical research, public engagement, and the conservation of Colorado’s native plant diversity.

Plant Species: Plant species and plant groups mentioned in this issue include sand cherry (Prunus besseyi), white evening primrose (Oenothera caespitosa), Wright’s verbena (Verbena wrightii), big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), federally endangered Osterhout milkvetch (Astragalus osterhoutii), locoweeds (Oxytropis sericea and Oxytropis lambertii), Colorado butterfly plant (Gaura neomexicana ssp. coloradensis), purple loosestrife, Aletes humilis, Aquilegia saximontana, Isoetes setacea ssp. muricata, Botrychium species, Dryopteris expansa, silver sagebrush (Artemisia cana), Erythrocoma triflora, Corallorhiza species, Goodyera oblongifolia, Penstemon utahensis, Carex species, Astragalus molybdenus, Eriogonum coloradense, Gambel oak (Quercus gambelii), serviceberry (Amelanchier utahensis), mountain mahogany (Cercocarpus montanus), antelope bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata), and sedges of the family Cyperaceae, particularly Carex.

Keywords: year in review, anniversary celebration, native plant conservation, chapter activities, volunteerism, field trips, rare plant surveys, botanical workshops, ecological restoration, research grants, outreach, education, advocacy, native gardening, weed management, post-fire ecology, plant identification, botanical publications, Harrington Project, awards and recognition, endangered species, restoration ecology, public engagement, herbarium resources, botanical research, sustainable landscaping, biodiversity conferences, field botany, plant-animal interactions, winter ecology, and native flora appreciation.

Summary: This issue of Aquilegia focuses on the growing movement to incorporate Colorado native plants into landscapes while promoting education, conservation, and public engagement. The lead article encourages gardeners to use native species to create attractive, wildlife-friendly landscapes that conserve resources and celebrate Colorado’s botanical heritage. The newsletter highlights numerous field trips, classes, and workshops covering wildflower identification, restoration ecology, pollination, medicinal plants, and alpine botany. Readers are invited to participate in volunteer opportunities involving rare plant conservation and pollinator studies, while local chapters share activities ranging from weed removal and xeriscaping workshops to surveys of endemic species. Throughout the issue, CoNPS emphasizes hands-on learning, stewardship, and the importance of connecting people with Colorado’s native flora through outreach, education, and exploration.

Plant Species: Plant species and plant groups mentioned in this issue include Colorado columbine (Aquilegia caerulea), tamarisk (Tamarix spp.), aspen (Populus spp.), willows (Salix spp.), Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense), scarlet gilia (Ipomopsis aggregata), lupine (Lupinus spp.), penstemon (Penstemon spp.), Degener beardtongue (Penstemon degeneri), Arkansas Valley evening primrose (Oenothera harringtonii), round-leaf four-o’clock (Oxybaphus rotundifolius), Leadville milkvetch (Astragalus molybdenus), alpine bladderpod (Physaria alpina), orchids, gentians, lichens, native grasses, shrubs, alpine tundra flora, medicinal and edible plants, and various wildflowers of the Four Corners region.

Keywords: native plant landscaping, landscaping with natives, xeriscaping, native gardening, field trips, wildflower identification, restoration ecology, revegetation, botanical education, outreach activities, plant conservation, pollination ecology, medicinal plants, edible plants, alpine flora, field botany, plant-animal interactions, invasive species, weed management, rare plants, endemic species, native plant propagation, chapter activities, volunteer opportunities, wildflower festivals, horticulture, ecological stewardship, native plant vendors, community engagement, and Colorado native flora.

Summary: This workshop-focused issue of Aquilegia highlights the Colorado Native Plant Society’s commitment to education, conservation, and practical engagement with native flora. The newsletter outlines an extensive series of workshops designed to improve plant identification skills, botanical knowledge, artistic observation, and understanding of specialized plant groups. Feature articles showcase the growing role of native plants in public landscapes, including the transformation of Denver Botanic Gardens into a model for drought-tolerant, regionally appropriate gardening. Additional articles emphasize the ecological and cultural value of native shrubs and trees, celebrate botanical illustration as a tool for education and conservation, and present research on insect predation affecting the rare endemic lupine Lupinus crassus. Together, these pieces encourage readers to deepen their botanical expertise while promoting stewardship of Colorado’s native plant heritage.

Plant Species: Plant species and plant groups mentioned in this issue include bindweed, Douglas-fir, spruce, cedar, Indian paintbrush (Castilleja spp.), Pedicularis, Orthocarpus, Cordylanthus, Rhinanthus, oats (Avena), native thistles (Cirsium spp.), Breea, Carduus, Onopordium, prairie coneflower, evening primrose, gayfeather, blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis), silver beardgrass, little bluestem, cottonwood (Populus spp.), ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), blanket flower (Gaillardia spp.), scarlet gilia (Ipomopsis aggregata), mountain muhly (Muhlenbergia montana), pine dropseed, lupine (Lupinus spp.), bristlecone pine (Pinus aristata), Colorado columbine (Aquilegia spp.), Whipple’s penstemon (Penstemon whippleanus), showy fleabane (Erigeron spp.), Idaho fescue (Festuca idahoensis), bluebells, pussytoes (Antennaria spp.), buffalo grass (Bouteloua dactyloides), milkweed, Ute ladies’-tresses orchid (Spiranthes diluvialis), chokecherry (Prunus virginiana), currant (Ribes spp.), sumac (Rhus spp.), willow (Salix spp.), plum (Prunus spp.), golden currant (Ribes aureum), Lupinus crassus, Oxyphalus rotundifolius, locoweeds (Oxytropis spp.), sunflowers (Helianthus spp.), phlox (Phlox spp.), Bell’s twinpod (Physaria bellii), and Physaria vitulifera.

Keywords: workshop program, plant identification, vegetative characteristics, Colorado conifers, hemiparasitic plants, Indian paintbrush, grasses, botanical art, native thistles, plant families, Denver Botanic Gardens, native landscaping, drought-tolerant gardening, xeriscaping, Western Panoramas, native shrubs, ecological restoration, botanical illustration, Marr Fund, rare plant research, insect predation, endemic species, population dynamics, pollination, conservation biology, chapter programs, phytoremediation, wetland ecology, public education, and native plant stewardship.