Edmonton Native Plant Society

Buttery yellow large flowers are perched atop flushes of kidney shaped leaves. They are called Marsh Marigolds and flowering happens May to June. They are a wetland species and can be seen at Wagner natural area outside of Edmonton.

More details about the leaf shape & ' leaf dimorphism ' is mentioned which means there are two different morphologies of a single plants leaves.

It's a critical early flowering species that feeds at minimum 39 different species of insect. The major pollinator for Caltha palustris is the Syrphid flies.

Caltha palustris is an early flowering buttercup that goes by the name of Marsh Marigold. A fixture of wetlands around Edmonton, this species is a critical food source for early pollinators. #yeg #alberta #nativeplants #edmonton #gardening

A slide depicts Western jewelweed. It describes that it grows in wet habitats.

A close up of the flower head with three text boxes. It's an annual, completing it's lifecycle in one year. It flowers from July through to September.

This slide describes how the flower is shaped and what pollinates it.

This slide shows three close up images of the seeds and seed pod and describes how if you touch the pod, it explodes, leading to it's namesake ' touch me not '

This plant is so beautiful it's been mistaken for an orchid! Impatiens noli-tangere is an attractive forb with large yellow flowers that stand out in the later summer. Very abundant at Wagner Natural Area just outside of Edmonton. #nativeplants #yeglocal #explorealberta #nature

In the winter, twining honeysuckle is visible shooting up tree trunks. Its leaves stay on during the winter season, offering a clue in the over story to watch out for.

Fourth and final photo: it's winter form!

Twining honeysuckle in bud. A green vine with cupped leaves holds several flower buds in the very center of the leaf.

Twining honeysuckle in flower. A green vine with cupped leaves holds several flower buds in the very center of the leaf, some open and some closed. The color of the open flowers are yellow and orange, and a large bumblebee hangs upside down, feeding from a yellow bloom

Twining honeysuckle in full flower. A green vine with cupped leaves holds several flowers emerging from the center, all open, varying shades of orange and yellow. Long anthers stick out from the flowers.

Are you familiar with our native honeysuckle, Lonicera dioica? Common in the Edmonton area, this twining vine likes to shoot up trunks or nearby shrubs. The shape of the flowers suggest hummingbird pollination, though it's beloved by many different pollinators. #Alberta

Russulaceae mushrooms are called milk caps and brittlegills, there are several pictures of different colored russulas. There is an association between the fungi and several families of native plants.

This slide talks about hyphae and the hartig net.

This slide features Monotropa uniflora and russula, showing the special relationship between the two.

Here we take a peek beneath the forest floor to see associations we rarely think about: Ectomycorrhizae and their partners, native plants! Many native plants have fungal partnerships they rely on for survival, and today we learn about Russalaceae. #yeg #alberta #mushrooms #nativeplants #nature

My partner likes them in the winter as well!

This slide focuses on identifying characteristics of Viburnum

The final slide.

Informational slide about the family this plant is grouped in

This slide focuses on fruit & animal dispersal of berries.

This slide goes into more detail about the bird species that feed on Viburnum as well as some information about beneficial insects.

This slide focuses on insect relationships

Though Highbush cranberry can grow in a variety of conditions, it does its best in moist soil. It's a multi stemmed shrub with white flowers in late June ripening into red drupes over August and September. The fruit is high value for birds during winter. #yeg #edmonton #alberta #nativeplants

Jewelweed centered in a sea of green with raindrops beading off of the leaves.

Jewelweed centered in a sea of green with raindrops beading off of the leaves.

Missing summer!

Here is a lovely bloom from Wagner Natural Area, just outside Edmonton.

This is Western Jewelweed, or Impatiens noli-tangere as the scientific name. In Wagner this plant is visible along the Marl Pond trail in July to early August. #yeg #edmonton #alberta #nativeplants #gardening

Purple boxes list features of the Penstemon gracilis flower

Purple boxes note habitat presence and rarity in Edmonton

Did you know Penstemon gracilis is a member of the Veronica family? Consider adding this attractive Penstemon to your pollinator garden next season! #yeg #edmonton #alberta #albertagardening #nativeplants #gardening #nature #pollinators #bumblebees #savethebees

Happening this weekend !!
The West Meadowlark Community Garden will offer their second annual seed swap on Sunday, November 23. ENPS will have an information table at this event, and will be selling seeds, books, brochures and memberships. #yeg #edmonton #alberta #gardening #nativeplants

Did you know that from a one meter squared area of leaves left retains about 20 moths, 300 parasitic wasps, over 100 spiders, 400 beetles and ONE THOUSAND FLIES. 🪲🦋🐞

Leave the leaves. #nativeplants #gardening #alberta #edmonton #yeg

Wildflower News October 2025 Welcome to the Wildflower News for October 2025

Another issue of our newsletter to share with you:

eomail6.com/web-version?...

Did you know that from a one meter squared area of leaves left retains about 20 moths, 300 parasitic wasps, over 100 spiders, 400 beetles and ONE THOUSAND FLIES. 🪲🦋🐞

Leave the leaves. #nativeplants #gardening #alberta #edmonton #yeg

Back after a bit of a break with some belated fall infographics! #yeg #alberta #nativeplants #larix #outdoors #nature #autumn #fall

A quick reminder that our sale is happening this Saturday beginning at 11 am! See attached image for details. #Yeg #Edmonton #Alberta #Albertagardening #Nativeplants

We are a week out! Native plant sale at Wild Birds Unlimited, please see image for details. This our biggest plant sale of the year, all at very reasonable prices! Come increase your backyard biodiversity! #Yeg #Alberta #Nativeplants #Edmonton

Lonicera involucrata/Bracted honeysuckle.

Family friend activities this weekend in Bruderheim! #YEG ENPS will be present & selling plants. We will also be at the St Albert plant sale and swap the same day! #Gardening #Alberta

First plant sale of May will take place in the parking lot of Wild Birds Unlimited on Saturday, May 31. (Since we will be using the parking lot for the sale, patrons are asked to park on the street or at West Central Dental, half a block east at 12110 107 Ave NW). #Yeg

A zoomed in photo of Viola rugulosa flower, with curling heart shaped leaves surrounding it. There is a grey concrete wall in the background, out of focus. The violet sits on top of leaf litter. It's white, tinged pink at the top petals, and the middle is yellow with thin purple lines traveling from the middle downwards on the bottom petal.

What's blooming now? Viola rugulosa! This pretty little perennial spreads via rhizomes into a lovely, early blooming ground cover. It also is great for containers!! Shade tolerant as well. #Yeg #Plantnative #Gardening #Alberta #Nativeplants

The April issue of Wildflower News has just been published. Check out the latest articles on identifying conifers in Alberta, plus much more, at:

eomail6.com/web-version?...

#Yeg #Edmonton #Nativeplants

“This Earth Week, Bring Some Native Plants to Your Community” Three people working together to plant native plants in a community garden.

Whether in your yard or at a local park, every bit of healthy habitat counts. So get your crew together & help them get gardening: Carpool to a plant nursery, team up for yard work, give out native seeds!
🌎 Find resources to get started & even more Earth Week activities ➡️ xerces.org/blog/stronge...

2/ which describes the process of the stamens either ripening before or after the pistils on the same plant do.

It is more usual that the stamens ripen before pistils than the opposite, and this is called protandry, but I believe it depends on species to which situation occurs.

This is a fantastic question. It might take me two replies to answer! So this is a feature of evolution over time to prevent self pollination - which is likely to ensure inbreeding doesn't happen and genetic diversity is maintained through the population.

The way they do this is called dichogamy 👇

An infographic displaying monoecious meaning ( male and female flower on the same plant ) and dioecious ( male and female flowers on seperate plants ) and what hermaphroditic plants are (plants with female and male parts in the same FLOWER - aka perfect plants ). There are cut out images of beaked hazelnut, woods rose, and male and female meadowrue flowers showing where the parts are.

Lessons in backyard botany, here's the first! #Gardening #Nativeplants #Yeg #Alberta #Nature #Rewildyourheart

We have mourning cloaks amongst other Lepidoptera out and about! Enjoy the lovely weather and get some much needed Vitamin D. Don't forget the sunscreen! #Yeg #Alberta #Lepidoptera

Regional plant lists to support native bees, just in time for spring planting.

And they emerge all season long, not just in the early spring! So avoid cleaning up altogether or leave your leaves in a designated section of your yard.

That's right folks, there are just as many insects emerging in mid summer as there are in spring.