Wednesday, July 15, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
5
Sisters is home to rare botanical treasure
By Rima Givot
Correspondent
Wi t h g r e a t s u m m e r
weather and little opportu-
nity to gather inside, people
are increasingly looking to
nature to find peace, rec-
reation, and entertainment.
We are especially lucky to
have access to local natural
resources that draw so many
people to Sisters, including
the snow-capped mountains,
dark skies at night, and pub-
lic lands with miles of var-
ied forest ecosystems, from
the alpine to the high desert,
supporting a rich diversity of
species.
Sisters Country is espe-
cially fortunate to host a
beautiful and rare endemic
plant, Peck9s penstemon
(Penstemon peckii), which
inhabits the ponderosa
pine forests in the transi-
tion between subalpine and
high desert biomes. Listed
as a sensitive species by the
U.S. Forest Service and the
Bureau of Land Management
(BLM), and as a species
of concern on the Oregon
Natural Heritage Program
list, Peck9s penstemon grows
in open forests with seasonal
moisture.
According to a study done
by Sisters ecologist Maret
Pajutee, its range covers
about 485 square miles west
and northwest from Sisters
around Black Butte and into
Camp Sherman. This dainty
plant has deep red, maroon,
or green stems, with slen-
der arching green or dark
red leaves, and bunches of
trumpet-like pink, purple,
or blue flowers topping a
stem that blooms from June
into July. Peck9s penstemon
is similar to its much more
common cousin Lowly pen-
stemon (Penstemon humilis),
which has more tear-dropped
leaves, especially at the base
of the flower stalks, and blue
to purple flowers. Both of
these flowering species are
key sources of food for pol-
linators like butterflies, bees,
flies and hummingbirds.
With only about 247,000
Peck9s penstemon plants in
the world, all of which live
in Central Oregon, finding
them feels like discovering
a rare treasure, and as Sisters
residents it is important for
us to know and care for this
PHOTO BY RIMA GIVOT
Peck’s penstemon (Penstemon peckii) growing in and near Trout Creek,
north of the new Hayden Homes.
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wildflower so that we can
protect its habitat and pre-
serve local biodiversity. Most
Peck9s penstemon plants
grow on Forest Service land,
but private landowners can
also manage their land to
enhance habitat and help
preserve this unique plant
by leaving land in its natu-
ral state and supporting the
native landscape.
Peck9s penstemon has
been documented to grow
primarily in temporal moist
areas and along waterways
feeding the Metolius River
and Whychus Creek. Close
to Sisters, Peck9s penstemon
generally grows within 50
meters of Trout Creek, an
ephemeral stream that inter-
sects Highway 242 just west
of Crossroads and traverses
Trout Creek Conservation
Area, a 160-acre conserva-
tion forest owned by Sisters
School District and managed
to protect Peck9s penstemon
habitat between Sisters High
School and Tollgate. Trout
Creek flows east just north
of the Hayden Homes and
Ray9s complex, runs under
Highway 22, and eventually
meets Indian Ford Creek east
of Camp Polk road. Trout
Creek is typically dry most
of the year between Highway
242 and Indian Ford Creek,
flowing only in the winter
during sudden warm periods
when snow melts and in the
late spring.
Preserving habitat and
increasing awareness of
Peck9s penstemon is impor-
tant to sustaining genetic
diversity and preventing
the plant from disappearing
altogether. With increased
awareness and community
PHOTO BY RIMA GIVOT
Lowly penstemon (Penstemon humilis) growing in Trout Creek
Conservation Area forest and surrounding area.
support, people can have a
positive impact on conserva-
tion of this wildflower and
sustain enjoyment of this
natural treasure. This is the
perfect time of year to catch
it in flower, and if you are
lucky you might even watch
a hummingbird or butterfly
enjoy its delicious nectar.
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