Colorado Willows Workshop

Meet at Copper Mountain Union Parking Lot – 9 am

Do you want to be able to identify the keystone species that make wetlands so difficult to walk through? Join Betty Ford Alpine Gardens and the Colorado Native Plant Society for a willows workshop. Discover up to 12 different willows on the Western Slope! We will start at the Copper Mountain Union parking lot and move up in elevation to the Vail Pass bike path to find some subalpine species of willows. We will then travel to Betty Ford Alpine Gardens in Vail and study seven different willows, Participants will be provided with Gwen’s willow identification key and a field ruler. In addition, you will have a chance to purchase Gwen Kittel’s new book “Willows (Salix) of Colorado: Their Ecology & Identification.” Details of the field trip will be given upon registration.

“Willows (Salix) of Colorado: Their Ecology & Identification”. This work covers all of Colorado’s willow species, native and non-native. Keys are to vegetative, reproductive, and winter-dormant material. Photos include side-by-side comparisons of similar species. Each species is described and photographed in detail. Terms are illustrated, tables include willows by elevation, detailed comparison of catkin characteristics, and surrounding states (NM, UT, WY, NV, KS) willow species are listed.  Also included are a glossary, and indexes to scientific names, synonyms, and common names.

Additional information can be found at www.gwenkittel.com