Bishop - Planting the seeds of knowledge

Put Stephen Ingram in the most arid of desert landscapes and sooner or later he’ll emerge with stories of intrigue and survival, adversity and diversity.
These tales – belonging to and told by the sometimes-rare, always-astonishing flora that thrive in the most unlikely of landscapes found both here in the Eastern Sierra and around California and Nevada – are enthusiastically shared by Ingram via his well-known writings and iconic photographs.

Stephen Ingram, a botanist, writer and photographer living in Swall Meadows, will give a multi-media presentation Saturday at Inyo Council for the Arts to launch his new book, “Cacti, Agaves and Yuccas of California and Nevada.” Photo © Karen Ferrell-Ingram

The man whose name has almost become synonymous with native plants and conservation on their behalf has just released a new book, which he hopes broadens the knowledge of fellow botanists and also uncover the secret world of desert plants for novices and the uninitiated alike.
“Cacti, Agaves and Yuccas of California and Nevada,” published by Cachuma Press, is already being heralded as one of the most comprehensively researched, well-written books on native plants to hit the shelves in a long time. Ingram’s book, which he spent about four years researching and writing, is also being given credit for being a rare combination of technical manual and field guide.
Considering Ingram is an accomplished photographer, perhaps it’s not surprising the book’s full-color photos are also getting rave reviews.
Ingram will launch “Cacti, Agaves and Yuccas of California and Nevada” with a multi-media presentation at Inyo Council for the Arts in Bishop at 7 p.m. Saturday.
His presentation, according to Cachuma press, will explore some of the unique attributes of the cacti, agaves and yuccas and highlight what makes them such intriguing components of local native plant communities. Ingram will also be signing copies of his book, for which he undertook exhaustive research.
In addition to traveling more than 30,000 miles – much of it on remote backroads – to search out, study and photograph the succulents of California and Nevada, Ingram also delved into scientific literature, visited numerous herbaria and interviewed the region’s leading experts on cacacea and agavaceae.

The book, and the odyssey-like research involved in its production, follows decades of study and work in the field of botany for Ingram.
After receiving his B.S. degree in Biology from Lewis and Clark College, and an M.A. in Botany from U.C. Santa Barbara, Ingram went to work with the Research Department at Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota, Fla., managing the herbarium and working on an epiphyte flora of Monteverde, Costa Rica.
He moved to the Eastern Sierra in 1994, and before focusing on writing and his landscape photography business full-time, was a botanical consultant doing rare plant surveys in the Eastern Sierra and Mojave Desert. Ingram is past president of the Bristlecone Chapter of the California Native Plant Society and lives in Swall Meadows with his wife, Karen Ferrell-Ingram.
In an attempt to find out a little more about what makes Ingram so devoted to native plants, and what’s so special about them, The Inyo Register took the opportunity to pick his brain this week with several questions about his work and motivation.
IR: You’ve long been interested in botany and enjoyed a long career researching, photographing and writing about plants. When and where did this passion first develop?
Ingram: I suppose the seeds of my interest in plants first developed during backpacking trips I did in the Sierra as a high school kid. I remember noticing how the forest zone plants differed so much from those on the exposed alpine ridges.
But my passion and interest developed much more fully during my first trip to the cloud forests of Costa Rica while I was a graduate student studying epiphytes. Seeing the diversity of life in a tropical rain forest, and becoming familiar with a small percentage of the plants there, was an extraordinary experience that really shaped my interest in botany, as well as photography.
What is it about desert plants in particular – cacti, agaves, yuccas and other succulents – that you find so fascinating?
I find cacti, agaves and yuccas very photogenic, and their unusual growth forms and flowers make them attractive and captivating. The adaptations these particular plants have evolved to thrive in our deserts are amazing. These plants also interest me because they attract lots of different animal life, such as cactus bees, yucca moths and birds like cactus wrens and orioles. I guess I’m basically most interested in those plants that thrive on the edge – either in arid habitats, at high elevations and in forest canopies.
What are some of your favorite, specific plants and why?
While photographing the plants for this book, I became familiar with numerous species I had never seen before, so each particular plant I was trying to observe and photograph would be the current favorite.
But one of my all-time favorite plants, at least this year, is mountain cactus, which occurs from central Nevada north and east. It grows at higher elevations than any other cactus in North America (up to 11,800 feet), and produces pale yellow, white or pink flowers that smell like jasmine. And it doesn’t blow in the wind. Other favorites include giant saguaro because they are so big and so rare in California, and Parry nolina, a relative of agaves and yuccas that produces an enormous flowering stalk in the spring. Mojave fishhook cactus is also a long-time favorite because it can be hard to find, and it produces gorgeous flowers, often with a spicy fragrance. But it’s really hard to pick favorites among such a great group of plants.
You’re also an accomplished photographer. Was moving into that field a natural progression in your particular line of work?
Yes, it seemed like a natural progression. Because I was required to give seminars at UCSB on my research and field work in Costa Rica, I really wanted to show great photos. A few years later while employed at a botanical garden in Florida, I realized I had access to greenhouses and grounds full of exotic tropical plants that I could photograph after-hours and on weekends, and I learned a lot about photography then.
What do you hope to accomplish with your botanical research, on a personal level? On a broader scale?
I’d just like to think that I’ve helped expand the knowledge base for those who may not know a lot about our native cacti, agaves and yuccas. I consider the photos as revealing as the research, and hope people will gain a better appreciation for the importance of these plants, their beauty and their habitats.
How did the idea of this book come about?
I had worked closely with the publishers, John Evarts and Margie Popper of Cachuma Press, providing specific photos for their two most previous books, and they asked if I’d be interested in photographing and writing this book. It took about two seconds to say I would like to do the photography, and about two days to decide on researching and writing it. There had not been a book of this scope for California or Nevada. A book by botanist Lyman Benson, “The Native Cacti of California,” from 1969, is outdated and quite technical, so the publishers thought this would be a good time to produce a book on this subject that was geared towards anyone with an interest in the natural history of these plants.
You spent about four years researching and developing “Cacti, Agaves and Yuccas of California and Nevada” and traveled more than 30,000 miles in search of plants to include in this book. Is it safe to say this project was a true “labor of love” for you?
Oh yeah, absolutely. It has been a great experience, with lots of learning, good times and fun discoveries.
Did you have especially unusual or exciting encounters during your travels?
It was fun to see the desert wildlife, such as Gila monsters, desert tortoises, wild horses, pronghorns, lots of good birds and snakes. At Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada I went out early to photograph a specific Utah yucca plant at first light, and there was a little sidewinder coiled up in my boot print I had left the night before near the yucca. Once while I was at Upper Covington Flat in Joshua Tree National Park I saw a very bright, long shooting star in the middle of the afternoon, and that was pretty exciting. But photographing some of these plants in the right place with ideal conditions also represent exciting encounters.
Was there ever a time over the past four years where it felt like too much work?
The only time it felt like it might be too much was right after I got comments back from the botanical reviewers and four of the five suggested including all of Nevada, and not just the southern Mojave Desert part, which is what we had originally planned on. Several of the additional five cacti are quite rare and difficult to find, and can be hard to identify, but in hindsight, I’m really glad we included everything from Nevada. The book is more complete, and those “additional” six species are some of the most interesting (including mountain cactus). Now it’s hard to imagine not including all of the species from both states. It was also difficult at times when I felt like I was running out of time to find a certain species in flower, and I grew worried a few times about that. But in the end I wound up getting flower photos of all species but one that I needed.
You’ve said that your book hopefully fills the gap between “highly technical publications” and “field guides that don’t allow room to discuss the natural history of their botanical subjects.” Why was it so important for you to bridge that gap?
I think it’s important because the book can appeal to a broader range of people. I also think it’s very important to be able to write about “technical” botany so that anyone can understand it. Interpreting and publishing science and natural history is a worthy endeavor.
What will qualify “Cacti, Agaves and Yuccas of California and Nevada” a “success” in your opinion?
If people tell me they enjoy it, and that they’ve learned something they find interesting, then I’ll feel it’s a success. Of course, second and third printings would help too.
Do you have any advice or suggestions for amateur botanists or plant-lovers looking to make the most out of a weekend in the Eastern Sierra?
Get out with a hand lens and look at plants. Good places to see cacti around here include Mazourka Canyon, the Alabama Hills and lots of places in the Whites and Inyos. In the spring and summer you can’t go wrong hiking up into the Sierra or driving up to the bristlecone pine forest. Another good idea would be to check for Saturday field trips led by the Bristlecone Chapter of the California Native Plant Society. There are several good books that can help with plant identification too, and they can be found at Spellbinder Books in Bishop and the Booky Joint in Mammoth Lakes.