ONPS News & Events

Watch archived videos, meetings and presentations, including Doug Tallamy's talk, by clicking here.

Apr. 26-28 - Wonders of Wildflowers (WOW) event that will be at Robbers Cave State Park. Details are in the Spring Gaillardia and on the WOW webpage. Rooms and cabins have been reserved until March 25th, must call to reserve.

Upcoming Events and Activities

Mar. 15 - Fabulous Wildflower Fridays, 5:30pm casual at Panera Bread, 5601 E 41st St., Tulsa

Apr. 4 - Central Chapter, at Oklahoma City University (OCU) campus. Doors open at 6:30pm for socializing and seed swap (if you’ve got ‘em); presentations begin at 7:00pm. Lauren Rosenfelt will present her graduate work, Ecosystem multifunctionality: benefits of forb plant diversity to local pollinators and soil properties from water retention to carbon sequestration.

Apr. 19 - Fabulous Wildflower Fridays, 5:30pm casual at Panera Bread, 5601 E 41st St., Tulsa

Apr. 26-28 - SAVE THE DATE for the annual Wonders of Wildflowers (WOW) event that will be at Robbers Cave State Park. Details are in the Spring Gaillardia and the WOW webpage. Rooms and cabins have been reserved until March 25th, must call to reserve.

Apr. 28 - ONPS Board meeting 9:00am, members are welcome to attend.

May 2 - Central Chapter, at Oklahoma City University (OCU) campus. Doors open at 6:30pm for socializing and seed swap (if you’ve got ‘em); presentations begin at 7:00pm. Sean Washington will present how native gardens can directly help species like migrating birds and butterflies explode and create hubs of biodiversity.

May 6 - NE Chapter at the Tulsa Garden Center, 2435 S Peoria Ave. Doors open at 6:30pm for socializing with the program starting at 7:00pm. Program will be by Jack Titchener who works for the Oklahoma Conservation Commission helping administer the Yard by Yard community resiliency project.

June 8 - Plant Walk: Learning Plant Families. Meeting at 9am at the from entrance of the Belle Isle Library, 5501 N Villa Ave, OKC. We will traverse to the creek behind the library to look at plants. We will focus on using plant family characteristics to help identify plants.

July 6 - Plant Walk: Botany in the City. We will meet at 9am in front of Shoe Carnival, 1701 Belle Isle Blvd, OKC. We will caravan to the Deep Fork River, which is 0.5 mile from the meeting spot.

Remember to wear hiking clothes and bring water to our outdoor activities.

About ONPS

Oklahoma’s amazingly diverse flora has long been of interest to state residents. In 1987, individuals from throughout the state founded the Oklahoma Native Plant Society with the purpose to encourage the study, protection, propagation, appreciation, and use of the state’s native plants. The society’s varied activities (field trips, lectures, workshops, displays, inventories, and roadside plantings) promote an awareness and understanding of some of the state’s most valued treasures.

Botanically, Oklahoma is a remarkable state! Located at the juncture of several physiographic provinces, it is indeed an ecological crossroad. Within its borders are found ~175 families, ~870 genera, and approximately 2,600 species of vascular plants—flowering plants, conifers, ferns, horsetails, and clubmosses. This flora is a complex assemblage of plants representative of different phytogeographic regions. Species characteristic of the eastern deciduous forest and central grasslands are the most common; however, species from the Rocky Mountains, the Chihuahuan and Sonoran Deserts, the Gulf Coastal Plain, and the Ozark Mountains also occur in the state. Fourteen different vegetation types are traditionally recognized. This tremendous diversity of plant species and communities reflects the considerable variation in the state’s climatic, physiographic, geological, and edaphic features. A plethora of different habitats for plants are present. More information about the flora of our great state can be found at the Flora of Oklahoma Project page.

The photos seen below were submitted by our members on our Facebook page. Click on the Facebook icon at the bottom of the page to see many more photos and to submit your own. Our Facebook page is a closed group, so you'll have to ask to participate in commenting.

Say Hello to our newly elected officers for 2023-2025.

ONPS Officers:
President: Shalini Chitturi
Vice President: Juliette Hulen
Secretary: Debbie Drinko
Treasurer: Mary Korthase
Past-President: Patrick Bell
Historian: Fran Stallings
Directors at Large: Dennis Martin, Constance Murray (2024), Nancy Truelove and Kathy Kuhns-Marino (2025), Joe Roberts and Andrea Schultz-Farriester (2026)

NEW Resource Is Here!!

"Lichen Field Guide for Oklahoma and Surrounding States" is available now. Released in June 2021. This is a companion book to "Lichen Study Guide for Oklahoma and Surrounding States". You can contact Sheila Strawn at sastrawn@hotmail.com for lichen workshops, presentations, or field trips. Sheila is the author. Sarah Hearn is the illustrator. It sells for $30. Both guides can be purchased through the Botanical Research Institute of Texas at shop.brit.org

Central Chapter Meetings (Oklahoma City area)
Typically the 1st Thursday of every month at Oklahoma City University (OCU) campus. Doors open at 6:30pm for socializing and seed swap (if you’ve got ‘em); presentations begin at 7:00pm.

NE Chapter Meetings (Tulsa and NE Oklahoma area)
1st Monday in December, March, May, and 2nd Monday in September. 6:30pm Social and 7:00pm Meeting at the Tulsa Garden Center, Ballroom, 2435 S Peoria Ave, Tulsa

Fabulous Wildflower Fridays
Join the Northeast Chapter for Fabulous Wildflower Fridays, every third Friday of each month at 5:30pm at Panera Bread at 41st Street and Hudson Avenue.

Mycology Chapter (NE to Central Oklahoma area)
Watch for impromptu field trips when the weather is just right.

ONPS Board meetings, locations vary
All are welcome to attend. Meetings are held early February, then during WOW in late Spring, and the Annual Meeting in the Fall.