Wednesday, March 24, 2021 — 7:30 pm
Speaker: Michael Uhler
Join Michael Uhler’s pod (Michael and his wife, Ellen) for a backpacking sojourn up Bloody Canyon, over Mono and Parker passes, and then on to the Kuna Crest and other nearby alpine zones known as sky islands. This past summer they camped for ten days at over 11,000 feet in splendid isolation, admiring the alpine ecology, geology, and especially the botany.
The alpine region is the zone above the tree line, and although it looks barren from afar, it is full of fascinating, diminutive plant species that have been the focus of Michael’s botanical interest for almost twenty years. Within the alpine zone are sky islands, very special plateaus that were never glaciated. Sky islands are often home to and refuges for an unusual and diverse assemblage of plant species and are the ultimate botanical destination for the alpine botanist.
For over fifteen years, Michael Uhler has been the curator and horticulturist of the Sierra Nevada section at the Regional Parks Botanic Garden in Tilden Regional Park. He recently completed a crevice rock garden at the botanic garden to grow and display plants found in the alpine zone. With special permission from the Inyo National Forest, propagules from many species described in Michael’s talk are now being cultivated in the botanic garden.
Our CNPS East Bay speaker programs will be presented as online meetings until it is once again safe to gather in person. If you have questions, contact programs@ebcnps.org.
