Daniel Winkler to speak February 13th on saguaro cactus and Sahara mustard

Daniel Winkler

Daniel Winkler is a PhD candidate at the University of California, Irvine and a recent National Park Service Young Leader in Climate Change at Saguaro National Park. He worked for several years throughout the Sonoran Desert as a Biological Science Technician for the National Park Service’s Sonoran Desert Network before returning to school to get his Master’s in Environmental Systems from the University of California, Merced. Most of his current PhD work brings him to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park where he is investigating the spread of the invasive Sahara mustard across the southwestern US. 

Daniel is a plant ecophysiologist interested in invasive species and how they alter native plant communities in “extreme” environments. His field sites include much of the desert southwest, alpine regions of Colorado, the sky islands of Baja California, and the tundra of northern Japan. All of Daniel’s research focuses on climate change impacts on native systems, with an emphasis on Parks and protected areas. 

Mr. Winkler's talk, A changing Sonoran Desert: the iconic saguaro cactus and the invasive Sahara mustard, will be an extension of his talk last season to the Botany Society. He has collected additional data and is back to share his work in another public lecture sponsored by the Botany Society.

Winkler will examine the impacts of climate change on two species: the iconic saguaro cactus and the invasive Sahara mustard. He will show how the prolonged drought in the West has shaped the saguaro populations we see today. Saguaros are long-lived, shallow-rooted plants that are thought to depend on seasonal rainfall but this has never been demonstrated. Daniel will investigate where saguaros get their water throughout the year and discuss what implications this has for deserts experiencing climate change. He will also discuss again the invasive Sahara mustard, what has been learned about its unique genetic makeup in the United States, what mysteries still remain regarding the species origin and life history, and where our future efforts are targeted in our mission to stop this invasive species from continuing its spread and negative impacts across the west.

Who: Daniel Winkler, Ecophysiologist
What: A changing Sonoran Desert: the iconic saguaro cactus and the invasive Sahara mustard
When: Monday, February 13, 2017; 10 AM
Where: Discovery Lab, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park® Visitor Center
Cost: Free to the public

Dr. Michael Simpson to Speak January 9th

Dr. Michael G. Simpson, recently retired from the San Diego State University biology department, will deliver a public lecture on Assessing plant biodiversity: Collections and DNA on Monday, January 9, 2017. The lecture is free.

Simpson is now Professor of Biology emeritus at San Diego State University.  His area of expertise is plant systematics, which is the description, identification, naming, and classification of plants with the overriding goal of discovering the pattern of the evolutionary history of plants. The first few Certification Classes of the Botany Society used his excellent textbook, Plant Systematics, as a text.

His talk will focus on two aspects of the plant sciences used to assess biodiversity.  One is the importance of collections (that is, plant specimens collected and placed in herbaria) in recognizing and describing new species or species previously thought to be extinct.  The second is the use of DNA sequence data to trace the evolutionary history of species, in evaluating their relationships, geographic history, and changes in morphology. Popcorn flowers will be used as a model system to illustrate these two interwoven scientific disciplines in assessing biodiversity.   

Who: Michael Simpson, Botanist
What: Assessing plant biodiversity: Collections and DNA
When: Monday, January 9 2017; 10 AM
Where: Discovery Lab, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park® Visitor Center
Cost: Free to the public

Botany Certification Course Set for 2017

President Joanne Ingwall has announced the schedule for the Botany Certification Course that begins next month. The Certification Course is required for all persons to become active members of the Botany Society.

Here are the details for the course:

WHEN:  Every Monday, beginning January 16 and ending March 27, 9 am to 2:30 pm
WHERE:  Lectures are held either at the Visitor Center Discovery Lab or UCI Steele/Burnand   Desert Research Center on Tilting T Drive. In addition, there will be several all-day sessions "in the field". A detailed schedule will be sent to you in early January.  
NOTE: the first class will be held at the UCI Desert Research Center.
TEXT:    California Desert Flowers by Sia Morhardt and Emil Morhardt. (Copies are on order and will be available for sale at the Visitor Center Bookstore.)
WHAT TO BRING:  Bring lunch,  a clipboard, and your curiosity and enthusiasm.
QUESTIONS:  Call Joanne Ingwall at 617-686-8065 or email: thebotanysociety@gmail.com

Michael Wilken-Robertson to Speak on Kumeyaay Ethnobotany & Lifeways

Michael Wilken-Robertson, ethnobotanist, is set to speak at the first Botany Society public lecture for the 2016-17 season. His talk will take place at the Discovery Lab in the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Visitor Center. The talk is free to the public.

Mr. Wilken-Robertson is an applied cultural anthropologist and recently completed the curation of the Kumeyaay exhibit of the Tecate Community Museum, as well as a Master’s thesis on Kumeyaay ethnobotany.

The territory of the Kumeyaay originally extended well into the desert areas east of the peninsular range, including parts of what is known today as Anza Borrego Desert State Park. This talk will focus on the author’s ethnobotanical research and findings from Baja California that are relevant to the ABDSP region, including prehistoric life ways of the Kumeyaay, historical and ethnographic descriptions of native peoples, and traditional uses of native plants. Plants to be discussed include Desert Agave, California Fan Palm, Jojoba, Holly-Leaf Cherry, Indian Tea, California Juniper, Arrow Weed, Manzanita, Mohave Yucca, Western Cottonwood, Prickly Pears and many others.

Who: Michael Wilken-Robertson, Ethnobotanist
What: Kumeyaay Ethnobotany and Lifeways
When: Monday, December 12, 2016; 10 AM
Where: Discovery Lab, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park® Visitor Center
Cost: Free to the public

Botany Festival and Plant Sale Begins Friday, November 25th

We hope you enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday and come visit the Botany Society Plant Sale. The sale of native desert-adapted plants begins at 9 AM on Friday, November 25th. The sale continues at 9 AM on Saturday, November 26th and runs until all plants are sold. 

Don Rideout, noted botanist and founding member of the Botany Society, will be the featured speaker on Saturday morning. He will be speaking on Growing Native Desert Trees. Don is also the author of our Gardening with Native Desert Plants: A How-to Booklet available on our Web site.

Proceeds from the plant sale are used to bring notable botanists to participate in the Botany Society Speakers Program. 

Mallow, bursage, acacia, palo verde, fish hook cactus, and many other desert plants are waiting for you to adopt them and give them a good home.

What: Botany Society Fall Festival and Plant Sale
When: Friday, November 25th, 9 am to 3 pm
           Saturday, November 26th, 9 am to 3 pm or when all plants are sold
Where: Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Visitor Center