Eriogonum codium, Umtanum Desert buckwheat

Washington is home to a rich diversity of vascular plants, with approximately 3,100 species recorded in the state. While the iconic conifers of western Washington capture many visitors’ attention, it is places like the Wenatchee Mountains, Olympic Mountains and Columbia River Gorge that harbor the greatest diversity of plants, including most of the 49 species of endemic plants found nowhere else in the world. In fact, approximately 15% of the state’s native flora is considered rare and vulnerable to decline. With the continuing expansion of the state’s population, degradation of habitat, and changing weather patterns due to climate change, these plants face an uncertain future. In this talk, Wendy Gibble will present an overview of the conservation efforts to protect rare native plants by the Washington Rare Plant Care and Conservation (Rare Care) program at the UW Botanic Gardens and share current research on recovering and reintroducing the most imperiled species.

This recording will be sent within 48 hours and will be available for viewing by the registrant for four weeks.

Wendy Gibble is the Manager of Conservation and Education at the University of Washington Botanic Gardens. In her 17 years with the program, she has conducted research on rare plant ecology, overseen the seed banking program, and propagated rare plants for out plantings. She completed her master’s thesis in plant ecology at the University of Washington.