Grasslands Naturalists’ wildflower brochure a valuable resource for southern Albertans

By Medicine Hat News on April 20, 2018.

Medicine Hat News

The snow has finally melted. People are getting outside to look for signs of spring.Noticing local wildflowers is part of the fun. To help with identification of these finds, the Society of Grasslands Naturalists has just completed distribution of its hot-off-the-press Wildflower Brochure.

The brochure, which was carefully designed and exhaustively researched by volunteers, illustrates typical local flowers found in three seasons (spring, early summer and late summer). The printingcost was covered with generous grants from the Alberta Native Plant Council and The Medicine Hat & District Horticultural Society.

Seventy-two pictures show local wildflowers with their common and Latin names. They are arranged according to season, and within each season they are grouped by colour for easy search. An additional 21 pictures show six grasses, three sages or sage-like species, nine invasive/non-native plants, and three irritating or poisonous plants.

Different species of wildflowers favour different habitat.For example, the plants on the sunny sides within the coulees are quite different from the plants in the cooler moist parts of the coulees.The riparian areas near water host still different plants.The pictures in the brochure are coded to show whether the plant is found in grasslands, coulees, or wetlands.

Each teacher in the three local school districts should have found a wildflower brochure in their mailbox, after the Easter break.Because of the extensive coulee landscape in Medicine Hat, most schools are within walking distance of a natural area where they might find wildflowers in May and June.Those who produced the brochure hope it will be useful for May and June activities. For example, a wildflower treasure hunt can be combined with a spring litter blitz along the trails and coulees where wildflowers may be found, while at the same time meeting goals for physical activity, environmental and service learning.

The Wildflower Brochure together with the recently releasedGuide of Birding Trails of Southeastern Alberta (also aproductof Grasslands Naturalists), shows the environmental diversity in Medicine Hat and area as well as the depth of knowledge of people in the Grasslands Naturalists Society.

The public can pick up a brochure from any of these places: Nature Centre, Tourist Centre, Public Library, or Library and Bookstore at the College. Also, the Wildflower Brochure can be accessed on the internet by going to the website of Grasslands Naturalists, or to http://www.hatwildflowers.weebly.com.

If you want to identify a flower when you are without the brochure, just use your phone or tablet to go to the website and you can compare ‘on site’.

Let’s all get outside and enjoy the spring wildflowers that soon will pop up in the natural areas in and around the city.

Questions?Drop by or phone the Nature Centre at Police Point Park (403) 529-6225.