Jeff Nelson, KNPS President

On Saturday, April 26, KNPS led a group of Kentucky Master Naturalists on a botanically oriented hike around Hematite Lake in the Land Between the Lakes in Trigg County. With beautiful weather and lots of native species in bloom, the 2 mile loop around the lake was a wonderful way to spend the day.

Hematite Lake is a small, man-made lake, created in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps. The orientation of the lake, which runs roughly east-west, makes for some interesting habitats. The southern side of the lake, with a northern exposure, is a mesic woodland. The western end of the lake, where Long Creek enters the lake, is a wetland. The northern side of the lake, with its southern exposure is a much drier woodland.

The mesic woods had many species of native spring flowers in bloom or just getting ready to bloom. Among the species we saw were dwarf crested iris (Iris cristata), rue anemone (Thalictrum thalictroides), wild comfrey (Andersonglossum virginianum), violet wood sorrel (Oxalis violacea), star chickweed (Stellaria pubera), spring beauty (Claytonia virginica), dwarf larkspur (Delphinium tricorne), woodland phlox (Phlox divaricataI), common greenbriar (Smilax rotundifolia), and prairie trillium (Trillium recurvatum). In a drier ridge area, we saw several patches of cranefly orchid (Tipularia discolor).

As we walked along the southern portion of the trail, we began seeing many zebra swallowtail butterflies (Eurytides marcellus). This was not surprising as this part of the trail had lots of pawpaw trees (Asimina triloba) and pawpaws are the only host plant for this lovely butterfly.

The west end of Hematite Lake is wetland. Few of the wetland species were in flower, but we did see lots of young, swamp chestnut oak (Quercus michauxii), broadleaf arrowhead (Sagittaria latifolia), American lotus (Nelumbo lutea), and buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis).

The woods on the northern side of Hematite Lake are much drier than the southern side and have a different mix of natives. Lots of two-flowered Cynthia (Krigia bicolor) were blooming throughout the woods. We also saw an interesting native tick-trefoil, round-leaved trailing tick trefoil (Desmodium rotundifolium).

By Alan Abbott, KNPS Field Trip Coordinator

The Kentucky Native Plant Society led a hike at Bullitt County’s Pine Creek Barrens Nature Preserve on June 8th. The preserve has a mixture of oak-dominated woodlands, shallow limestone glades, and grasslands and is one of the best examples of Kentucky’s limestone/dolomite barrens open to the public.

Member Alan Abbott led a group of around a dozen KNPS members for a three hour stroll along the trails. Plants identified by the group included: two species of Coneflowers (Echinacea simulata and pallida), Vase Vine (Clematis viorna), Climbing Milkvine (Matelea obliqua), Prairie Dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis), Prickly Ash (Zanthoxylum americanum), Scaly Blazing Star (Zanthoxylum americanum), and Glade Heliotrope (Heliotropium tenellum).

The group also discussed the natural history of the region, tools like iNaturalist and Floraquest, and grassland land management techniques.

By Jeff Nelson, KNPS President

On Saturday, June 15, a group of KNPS members and friends enjoyed a field trip to the Ballard WMA in Ballard county in far western Kentucky. Ballard Wildlife Management Area is 8,000 acres located in the Ohio River bottomlands ecoregion in far western Kentucky. The WMA is mostly wetland with 39% of the acreage in wetland, 28% forest, 27% open land, and 6% open water. Much of the wetland is comprised of rare, cypress-tupelo swamps and sloughs which many Kentuckians have not had the opportunity to experience. The Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves lists cypress-tupelo swamp as a state endangered ecosystem.

Date of trip: June 8, 2024
Start time: 10AM EDT
Location: Pine Creek Barrens Nature Preserve, Bullitt County, KY
Difficulty of hike: Moderate, approximately 2 miles and 2 hours.

Join KNPS member, Alan Abbott, at Pine Creek Barren for a hike. Pale purple coneflower (Echinacea pallida) will likely be near full bloom in this beautiful grassland. We’ll probably see other prairie plants like orange milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) and Senega snakeroot (Polygala senega).

We’ll start at 10 a.m. and hike about two miles. Prepare for some walking off trail by wearing appropriate footwear. You’ll want to practice tick prevention and bring water to prepare for heat and humidity.   

This grassland near Shepherdsville is about 20-30 minutes from Louisville.  Meet in the parking lot by 10 a.m. We’ll be done around noon.

Registration is Required

Please fill out the form below to register for this field trip. This trip will be limited to 15 participants.

Date of trip: Sunday, June 9th, 2024
Time: 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM Eastern Time
Location: Hi Lewis Pine Barrens State Nature Preserve, Harlan County (Site closed to the public, directions will be sent to registered participants)
Difficulty of hike: Strenuous

Join KNPS Board members, Heidi Braunreiter (Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves Prescribed Fire Program Coordinator) and Dr. Jennifer Koslow (Eastern Kentucky University Department of Biological Sciences) as we explore Hi Lewis Pine Barrens State Nature Preserve, which is normally closed to the public. During this approximately three hour hike, we will learn about prescribed fire, and other land management practices to sustain and enhance a globally rare natural community, the pitch pine barrens. Hi Lewis Pine Barrens SNP is the best example of this community type on Pine Mountain, and hosts numerous rare and endangered species. The preserve is also home to American chestnuts, which flower in response to the canopy opening created by fires. Following a 2020 prescribed fire and clearing, the trees responded by growing an average of 24 stems per tree, several of which flowered at a height of six to eight feet (it is difficult to predict the exact timing of flowering). The hike will be capped off at 20 participants.

Special Considerations: Hiking conditions are strenuous on Pine Mountain due to steep terrain, please wear shoes with good ankle support. Please bring lots of water, and lunch/snacks. Venomous snakes, ticks, and chiggers occur in the area so please plan accordingly- no open toed shoes, and long pants are recommended. All participants will need to sign the liability waiver below while registering for the hike. We will be hiking along the perimeter of a prescribed burn and management unit that has been recently cleared, although tripping hazards are still present and participants will need to watch their footing. 

Lodging options in the area for participants wanting to stay nearby:

• Benham Schoolhouse Inn, Benham, KY (Approx. 15 min to site)
• Quality Inn, Harlan, KY (Approx. 25 min to site)
• Pine Mountain State Resort Park (Approx. 1 hr. 10 min to site)

Registration is Required

Please fill out the form below to register for this field trip. This trip will be limited to 20 people.

By David Taylor

On November 4, several brave hikers joined me for the Not Quite Winter Botany field trip at the Berea College Forest (Berea Woods). The day’s start was a bit chilly while waiting for everyone to arrive. Once we began to hike, we warmed and the air temperature did as well.

We hiked through oak forest on acids soils developed over Devonian shale, then into mixed mesophytic forest on basic soils developed over Mississippian limestone and compared forest composition. A total of about 30 woody plants — vines, shrubs and trees — were seen with about the same number of herbaceous plants, mostly forbs and some grasses.

The previous week, the area experienced temperatures below 20 for two nights in a row and several other nights around 30. We anticipated finding many plants without leaves. That was not the case. Most shrubs and trees still held leaves, as did many of the herbaceous plants. We had trouble finding fruits of plants and our trip focused on bark and leaves. Some herbaceous plants were still in flower. For example, late purple aster (Symphyotrichum patens) and others such as small-disk sunflower (Helianthus microcephalus) still had identifying remnants of inflorescences.

There was ample opportunity, unfortunately, to discuss nonnative invasive species. The trail corridor provided habitat for a number of them. Many questions were asked and we spent more time having discussions or looking for examples of specific characters than hiking.

We did not reach our goal of Indian Fort Lookout before we had to turn around due to time limitations and identification based on fruit was limited. The trip was a success just the same. Participants were able to see a variety of species, including some nonnative invasive species in winter conditions to aid identification in other places. We had good discussion and laughs and a few people will be coming back to the area in the spring to check out the wildflowers.

David has been interested in plants since elementary school. During middle and high school years, he began a list of the plants found in the fields and forest near his home. He also began to grow wildflowers in a garden that his mother soon adopted. At Berea College, he was exposed to formal botany classes and began to collect extensively (with permission) in the Berea College Forest, updating a much earlier collection. In graduate school, he completed a preliminary flora of St. Tammany and Washington Parishes, Louisiana. After teaching at Cumberland College for two years, he joined the U.S. Forest Service as Forest Botanist for the Daniel Boone National Forest. He has been in that position for more than 30 years working primarily with rare plants and nonnative invasive plants.

David has worked with the Kentucky Native Plant society for about 30 years, serving mostly as grants chairperson. He has contributed about a dozen articles to The Lady Slipper over the years. David lives outside of Berea, where he grows a variety of plants and works to remove invasive species from grown up pasture land.