President’s Message
February 2026

Henderson's shootingstars. C. Harvey. Swasey RA.
Henderson's shooting-stars, Primula hendersonii. March 2, 2021. Photo by Chris Harvey.

Greetings friends! 
I have a brief message for the shortest month of the year! If you are like me, you are anxiously awaiting the first wildflower bloom of the new year. When I see the Henderson’s shooting-stars, Primula hendersonii, I know that spring is in on the horizon! 

Our plant propagation sessions have been ramping up for our spring plant sale, and we will be planning hikes for the spring wildflower bloom! 

Toyon. C. Harvey.
Be sure to check out two cool native plant articles: Toyon, Heteromeles artbutifolia (pictured above, with its Christmas-red berries), and California pipevine, Aristolochia californica. Photo taken on “Steep as a Cow’s Face Trail,” Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, on December 27, 2020, by Chris Harvey.

This is a great time to get out on a nice day, clean up that native plant garden, toss out some seeds, divide your perennials, and put down mulch before those pesky weeds pop up! 

I have moved to Oregon and will be stepping down as President this April. This is an opportunity for some of our current members to fill these important functions. Interested parties can inquire by emailing the Chapter at shastacnps@gmail.com.

In the meantime, we can sip a cup of warm tea and daydream about the plants we will buy and put in the ground this spring! Take care my friends! 
~Jeremey Kelley, President

Andrea Craig speaking at our January meeting. D. Burk.
Andrea Craig, Lassen Foothills Stewardship Manager for The Nature Conservancy of California, gaving us a riveting presentation on the biodiversity of Dye Creek Preserve, at our January 15, 2026, Chapter meeting. Photo by Don Burk.