The Wyoming Native Plant Society is excited to announce that Governor Gordon has signed a proclamation recognizing April 2024 as Wyoming Native Plant Month. The proclamation encourages “everyone in Wyoming to participate in the recognition and celebration of the importance of native plants to Wyoming’s rich biological heritage ……by planting native trees and flowers in their yards, removing non-native invasive plants from their communities, and educating themselves about the many benefits of native plants.”

To celebrate Native Plant Month, the Wyoming Native Plant Society sponsored a Native Plant Poster Contest for all 6th-8th grade students. The theme of the contest is “Help Wildlife: Grow Native Plants” encouraging students to learn how native plants are essential to Wyoming’s wildlife. 

Poster Contest Winners Announced

After reviewing many beautiful and creative submissions from students across the state, these four winners have been selected:

– Violet Peterson from Powell Middle School and her teacher, Kix Carter
– Isla Blair from Pinedale Middle School and her teacher, Kandase Youtz
– Eva Bustamonte from Torrington Middle School and her teacher, Morgan Von Lintel
– Claire Scott from Casper and her teacher, Jody Scott

Each winning student, along with their respective teacher, will receive $250. Additionally, Honorable Mentions were awarded to eight other students reflecting the high level of creativity and engagement in this year’s contest.

“We are thrilled with the level of participation and the quality of the posters submitted by these talented young artists,” said Joyce Evans, Co-President of the Wyoming Native Plant Society. “Their work beautifully showcases the importance of native plants in our state and their vital role in supporting Wyoming’s diverse wildlife.”

To view the winning posters as well as collages of all the submitted posters, please visit the Wyoming Native Plant Society website at http://www.wynps.org/events/.

The Wyoming Native Plant Society thanks all participants for their efforts in highlighting the importance of native plants to our ecosystem and looks forward to next year’s contest.