Blue Collar Botany

he California Native Plant Society (CNPS) invites the public to "Blue Collar Botany," Wednesday, May 8, 2019, at 7:30 p.m. at Six Rivers Masonic Lodge, 251 Bayside Road, near 7th and Union in Arcata. Joey Santore is an artist, railroader, and botanist who has traveled extensively documenting and photographing the flora and plant communities of western North America. He began his journey into botany ten years ago by studying conifers, and is currently focusing on the sunflower family. Joey will take us to unique botanical destinations in both the United States and Mexico, and share his passion for native plants, the mysteries of plant distribution, desert flora, evolutionary radiation, the genus Hesperocyparis, and street tacos. Check out Instagram @crime_pays_but_botany_doesnt, for a collection of his photographs. Doors open at 7:00 p.m. for snacks, sales, and socializing. The North Coast Chapter of CNPS offers free public programs on the second Wednesday of each month, September through May. 707-822-2015, www.northcoastcnps.org.