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On December 9, 2025, the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) hosted their first ever Plant Conservation Symposium online. The theme of the symposium was “Plant Conservation in an Era of Rapid Change” and included seventeen (17) presentations across a variety of topics including climate resilience, pollinators, taxonomy, molecular phylogenetics, species conservation, and plant materials. In depth plenary presentations covered seed dormancy…

Reflecting on the season’s explorations, we’re reminded of why NPSO holds such meaning for so many of us. From the stately Steen’s mountain thistle to the brilliant golden bog-asphodel, Oregon’s native plants sustain wildlife, weave ecosystems, and deepen our sense of place. In the same way, NPSO is sustained by the participation, curiosity, and generosity…

Kim Brown, NPSO State Secretary and Portland Chapter member, won the Botanical Society of America’s Advocacy and Service Grant for her proposal on creating accessible and educational native plant gardens. Every year Kim organizes a community “bike-planting” event in Portland called the Beecycle. Beecycle seeks to boost native plant knowledge amongst the community and increase people-plant…

In mid-July 2025, when the summer sun was in full force and the Willamette Valley felt like the closest point to the sun, Citizen’s Rare Plant Watch braved the sunny heat and went hunting for rare plants. Our target was Doellingeria vialis (previously Eucephalus vialis), the wayside aster, and we joined botanists Ed Alverson and Bruce Newhouse at…

Peacock larkspur (Delphinium pavonaceum). Photo by Judi Sanders. Thank you to all the individuals and organizations who helped make it happen- Senate Bill 547 has officially passed both the Oregon Senate and House and has been signed into law by Governor Tina Kotek, designating April as Oregon’s Native Plant Appreciation Month! This milestone is the result of…

IntroductionThe relationship between herbivorous insects and their respective foodplants ranges from a species acting as a generalist versus a species acting as a specialist (Miller and Hammond 2003, 2007, Miller et al. 2020). The generalist life strategy is less common than the specialist life strategy. A generalist herbivore can successfully develop on any one of…

The following article by Rachel R. Renne, Doctoral Candidate at the Yale School of the Environment, is based on research that was partially supported by funds from the NPSO’s field research grants program. Special thanks to Rachel for taking the extra effort to provide this perspective that illustrates the kinds of research that our society supports…

The following article by Nikki Hill is based on research that was partially supported by funds from the NPSO’s Field Research Grants program. Kudos to Nikki for making the extra effort to provide these insights on their project. Their work illustrates the kind of research that NPSO supports via your membership and donations. This type…

Plan now for activities in your chapter to help promote NPSO’s mission to support “the enjoyment, conservation, and study of Oregon’s native plants and habitats.” What could your chapter do? Your chapter might lead hikes or walks to view native plants in your area. The chapter could also organize workshops such as how to propagate,…