Welcome

The Kentucky Native Plant Society was founded in 1986 for everyone interested in the native plants and wildflowers of Kentucky. Plants are essential to both the well-being of our Commonwealth’s natural ecosystems and our enjoyment of its unique environment. With members in Kentucky and neighboring states, the Kentucky Native Plant Society is a leader in promoting education about, appreciation for, and conservation of our native flora.

KNPS depends entirely on volunteers and the contributions of members and friends to accomplish our goals. If you are not a member, please consider joining today. If you are a member, now would be a great time to renew your membership. You can also make a tax deductible general donation to KNPS. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Wildflower Weekend 2024

The schedule is set and registration is now open for Wildflower Weekend 2024, April 12th-13th, at Natural Bridge State Resort Park. Join nature lovers, families, community scientists, amateur naturalists, and professional botanists from across the Commonwealth, as we explore the beauty and diversity of Kentucky’s natural history. Wildflower Weekend is open to the public and family-friendly.

What's Happening

Read the latest posts on the site.
Wildflower Weekend 2024 - Registration is Now Open!

Wildflower Weekend 2024 – Registration is Now Open!

The schedule is set and registration is now open for Wildflower Weekend 2024, April 12th-13th, at Natural Bridge State Resort Park. Join nature lovers, families, community scientists, amateur naturalists, and …

Become Part of Botany Blitz 2024! April 6th - April 14th

Become Part of Botany Blitz 2024! April 6th – April 14th

Leading up to Wildflower Weekend will be our week long Botany Blitz 2024, which will run from Saturday, April 6, through Sunday, April 14 …

Begin Botany Blitz 2024 with a Kick Off Hike on April 6

Begin Botany Blitz 2024 with a Kick Off Hike on April 6

To begin Botany Blitz 2024 and Wildflower Week, on Saturday, April 6, we will host a series of Kick Off Hikes in parks and natural areas across the Commonwealth …

Help Us Celebrate 35 Years of Wildflower Weekend With Your Photos!

Help Us Celebrate 35 Years of Wildflower Weekend With Your Photos!

This year we are celebrating 35 years of Wildflower Weekend! To help celebrate we are planning to put together a montage of photos from prior Weekends that we will show …

Wildflower Weekend 2024 -  Merchandise

Wildflower Weekend 2024 – Merchandise

This year we are excited to reinstitute a great tradition from Wildflower Weekends in the past, t-shirts with a logo developed specifically for the event …

Jakub Gluszek

A Hope for Conservation

In my home country, we didn’t see much wildlife. The occasional deer or pheasant wandering across the field adjacent to our house was enough to spark excitement in my family …

Save the Date! KNPS Wildflower Weekend 2024 – April 12th-14th, 2024

Save the Date! KNPS Wildflower Weekend 2024 – April 12th-14th, 2024

We have exciting news for all of our members and friends! KNPS is happy to announce this year’s Wildflower Weekend has been scheduled for April 12th-14th, 2024 at Natural Bridge …

Wildflower Weekend 2024 Logo Design Contest, We Have A Winner!

Wildflower Weekend 2024 Logo Design Contest, We Have A Winner!

This year, in the spirit of bringing together creative expression and love for nature, the KNPS Board decided to have a Wildflower Weekend 2024 Logo Design Contest …

Volunteers planting the pollinator garden.

Call to Action: KNPS Now Accepting Applications for Native Plant Pollinator Garden Grant

The Kentucky Native Plant Society (KNPS) is thrilled to announce the continuation of its Native Plant Pollinator Grant, following a successful pilot phase last year. In its initial year, six …

Art for the sake of natives 

Art for the sake of natives 

or many years, beautiful wood carvings of native plants have been specially made by Bob Van Hoff as a fundraiser during KPNS Wildflower Weekend. Bob says he has been carving since …

Register for the 2024 Annual (Virtual) Kentucky Botanical Symposium

Register for the 2024 Annual (Virtual) Kentucky Botanical Symposium

The Kentucky Native Plant Society (KNPS) is hosting our annual botanical symposium on Friday, February 2, from 9AM-11:30AM EST. For several years, KNPS has organized a botanical symposium in the fall/winter …

This photo shows editor Jonathan Jonathan Kubesch and family.

Associate Editor Jonathan Kubesch earns his PhD from Virginia Tech

Jonathan Omar Cole Kubesch, an associate editor and contributor to The Ladyslipper, graduated with his PhD in Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences from Virginia Tech on December 15, 2023 …

The Buzz on Kentucky’s Native Bees 

The Buzz on Kentucky’s Native Bees 

Our native plants need native pollinators; they support nearly 90% of the world’s flowering plant reproduction. This pollination is mainly carried out by insects.   …

Emergence rates of native splitbeard bluestem and little bluestem from a hay transfer microcosm 

Emergence rates of native splitbeard bluestem and little bluestem from a hay transfer microcosm 

Native grasslands in the Midsouth previously existed in a mosaic of plant communities across moisture and fertility regimes (Noss, 2013; Campbell, 2012). These grasslands persisted through a variety of edaphic, …

KNPS 2023, The Year in Review

KNPS 2023, The Year in Review

As we begin a new year it can be fun and informative to look back and reflect on the Society’s activities in 2023. Beginning in January and ending in November, …

WHAT WE DO

KNPS works towards fulfilling our mission of education, preservation, and protection of the native plants and ecosystems of Kentucky through many activities.
Field Trips

Field Trips

KNPS conducts field trips across the Commonwealth. Trip leaders are familiar with the plants that will be found in the area being explored. Field trips are a great way to see and learn about the native plants of Kentucky.

Learn More
Workshops & Symposia

Workshops & Symposia

One way the Society fulfills its mission of education is through workshops and symposiums on native plant studies and native plant identification. Workshops are narrowly focused, with a single instructor. Symposiums generally cover a broad range of topics with multiple presenters.

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Conservation

Conservation

Through activities ranging from the propagation and restoration of rare native species, through the organized removal of invasive species, KNPS acts to preserve and protect our native ecosystems.

Read more
Annual Events

Annual Events

Wildflower Weekend, at Natural Bridge SRP is a two day event in the spring that includes guided hikes, workshops, evening presentations, and opportunities to socialize with other native plant enthusiasts. Later in the year we have the Fall Meeting, at parks in other areas of the Commonwealth.

Learn More

Student Research Grants

KNPS is pleased to announce the student research grant program, a funding source to support botanical knowledge and understanding in Kentucky. We are pleased to offer awards of $500 for graduate student projects, and $250 for undergraduate projects.

Kentucky Botanical Hall of Fame

At a meeting in early 2015, the Kentucky Native Plant Society Board voted to establish a “Kentucky Botany Hall of Fame.” The intent of this Hall of Fame would be to recognize those people that had left a “substantial and long-lasting impact” on our knowledge of the flora and vegetation of the Commonwealth.

André Michaux (1746—1802

André Michaux (1746—1802)
The Father of Kentucky Botany

Memorials

Over the years, the Kentucky Native Plant Society has lost several members who were seminal in the organization and development of the Society and who have provided important services to the "preservation and protection of native plants and ecological systems" in Kentucky.
Robert Dunlap

Bob Dunlap (1955-2023)

On Friday, October 13, 2023, our friend Robert “Bob” Dunlap died, a terrible loss to the Kentucky botanical community …

Mary Carol Cooper

Mary Carol Cooper (1942-2016)

On May 17th, 2016, Kentucky lost one of its brightest and dearest conservation champions, Mary Carol Cooper …

Dr. Thomas G. Barnes (1957-2014)

Dr. Thomas G. Barnes (1957-2014)

Tom Barnes passed away on October 12 after a long battle with illness. This is a great loss to the …

Landon McKinney (1949-2014)

Landon McKinney (1949-2014)

Landon E. McKinney, a talented field botanist and naturalist, passed away on Thursday, June 5th, 2014, at the Wade Park …

Charles Lapham (1934-2009)

Charles Lapham (1934-2009)

Over the past decade Charles J. Lapham has been one of the most important figures in the Kentucky Native Plant …

KNPS Executive Committee

Jeff Nelson

Jeff Nelson

President

Kendall McDonald

Kendall McDonald

Vice-President

Kelly Watson

Kelly Watson

Secretary

Sally Chambers

Sally Chambers

Treasurer

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