Local wildflower, dusky penstemon. Courtesy/PEEC

PEEC News:

What a difference a little rain makes. The roadsides and hillsides are green, and yellow, red, pink and purple flowers dot the landscape.

“How to Identify Wildflowers” is the name of a five-week class offered 5:30-7:30 p.m. beginning Tuesday, July 14 at the Los Alamos Nature Center.

This is an opportunity to get outside, to be curious, and learn more about the area and the flora. Longtime residents and experts Craig Martin and Teralene (Terry) Foxx will teach the class.

Foxx is a plant ecologist, writer and artist. She taught plant taxonomy at UNM-Los Alamos in the 1970s, wrote a book with Dorothy Hoard titled “Flowers of the Southwestern Forests and Woodlands,” and taught classes and led hikes for more than 40 years. She worked in conservation ecology at Los Alamos National Laboratory for 20 years. Foxx has spent years studying the impact of fire on the ecosystem. Her website is www.teralenefoxx.com.

Martin is the open space specialist for Los Alamos County. He is a writer, musician and avid hiker. His books include Los Alamos Place Names, Valle Grande, A History of the Baca Location No. 1, and 100 Hikes in New Mexico, among others. They have helped preserve history of the area and acquaint readers with the importance of the landscape and use. The new trail app at the Nature Center is a result of his many years of exploring the area.

Foxx and Martin are revising the book originally written by Foxx and Dorothy Hoard. The book focuses on the plants of the Jemez Mountains. It includes color photographs by Foxx and Martin, and many drawings done by Hoard and Foxx. Participants will have access to copies.

The first and last class will be in the classroom at the Nature Center and subsequent classes in various locations around Los Alamos. The cost is $75 or $60 for Pajarito Environmental Education Center (PEEC) members. Register in advance, as space is limited.

For more information about this and other programs offered by PEEC at the Nature Center, visit www.peecnature.org, email programs@peecnature.org or call 505.662.0460.