Tara Littlefield, OKNP Botanist, KNPS board member
The sweet, sweet pinesap (Monotropsis odorata), a globally rare little herbaceous plant related to the heath family (now placed in the family Monotropaceae, formerly in the Ericaceae), gets its name from the sweet, clove like scent it emits in the early spring. It is one of those plants that you can find just by using your nose. In fact, you would have better luck finding this plant by its smell rather than sight as it’s a master of disguise, camouflaging its tiny self (just a couple inches tall) among the oak and pine leaf litter in the acidic uplands of the Appalachians.
Sweet pinesap. @LittlefieldSweet pinesap. @LittlefieldCan you see the sweet pinesap? @LittlefieldSweet Pinesap global range. This globally rare plant occurs more often in North Carolina and Virginia, but is tracked as rare throughout its range. While state endangered in KY, the Red River Gorge is a disjunct hotspot for sweet pinesap. @BONAP range map.Its leaves are brown and scale like, covering its pale purple flower stalk and yellowish flower, completely disguising the patches of sweet pinesap as oak leaf litter @Littlefield
In addition to its diminutive size, camouflaged adaptations, and strong sweet odor, it is even more of an oddity in the plant world. This little hidden plant gets its energy NOT from the sun, a characteristic plant trait, but from partnering up with mycorrhizal fungi in the soil! No need to photosynthesize and be green if you have friendly fungus among us to help you out. There are not that many plants that have chosen this path of forgoing the sun and going all in with fungal co evolution. These same mycorrhizal fungi are also attached to the roots of the oaks and pines of the acidic Appalachian ridgetop forests and serve an important role of creating an underground network of plants and fungi communicating and sharing nutrients for survival. They call this type of plant a mycoheterotroph-a plant that gets its energy from mycorrhizal fungi.
Pollen from the sweet pinesap falls to the ground. @Littlefield.
One of my favorite springtime rituals in Kentucky is to visit the Red River Gorge at the end of March to early April and use my nose to locate patches of sweet pinesap while hiking along the trails of the upland ridges. During the KNPS wildflower weekend this year, a group of excited plant enthusiasts did just that. Walking the pine oak ridge tops, our group took in the scenes of chestnut oaks, scraggly pitch and Virginia pines, and among the little violets, bluets and tufts of pin cushion and broom moss, a faint sweet smell became stronger, until it was so strong our group stopped and knew we were upon a sweet pinesap population. Looking around the leaf litter, we finally located the sweet pine sap, and we all dropped to the ground to view this little beauty in all is glory, enamored by its wonderful smell and amazing adaptations for survival.
KNPS hike to search for the elusive sweet pinesap. Estella and Henry Berry find the sweet pinesap! @LittlefieldYou have to get down close to view the sweet pinesap. @LittlefieldAlan Abbott gets down close to photograph the elusive beauty. @LittlefieldDr. Koslow, KNPS board member, looks closely at a patch of sweet pinesap. @LittlefieldKNPS hike to search for the elusive sweet pinesap, April 9th, 2022.
Last year one of the components of our “Virtual” Wildflower Week 2021 was KNPS’s first BotanyBlitz event, hosted on the iNaturalist platform. A BotanyBlitz is a plant-focused BioBlitz, which is an event where participants try to document as many species as possible within a certain geographical location during a set period of time. We felt the event was such a success that even though we returned to in-person events for Wildflower Weekend 2022, we decided to keep the weeklong BotanyBlitz as part of the annual event.
BotanyBlitz Winners
We have awarded a small prize (KNPS coffee mug!) to the first place participants in three categories: Most Species Observed, Most Observations, and Most Identifications. So without further ado, here are the winners of the 2022 BotanyBlitz!
For the categories of both Most Species Observed and Most Observations, Nick Koenig (@nick_koenig1) swept the first-place spot with 224 species observed and a total of 294 observations made over the course of the week. Congrats to Nick for his awesome botanizing! In the category of Most Identifications, Pennsylvania resident Burlton Griffith (@burls) came in first place with an incredible 1,632 observations made for Kentucky botanizers. We’re grateful for all the identification help we can get during iNaturalist events, no matter where it comes from, and @burls’s contribution to the ID effort this year was invaluable! To see the rest of the leaderboard in all three categories, check out the project overview page on iNaturalist.
BotanyBlitz 2022 and 2021 Compared
This year, the BotanyBlitz was scheduled a week earlier than it was last year, and the cooler-than-average weather from March to early April resulted in a slower emergence of spring flora. The effects of this are definitely reflected when you compare the most observed species in 2021 and 2022, as earlier-blooming species were observed much more frequently this year. For example, the most observed species for this year’s BotanyBlitz was Cutleaf toothwort (Cardamine concatenata) with 105 observations, and the vast majority of these observations showed plants in full bloom. Contrast this with last year’s blitz, where Cutleaf Toothwort was in 29th place, and about a third of it was already past flowering and starting to develop fruits. Last year, the most observed species was Dwarf Larkspur (Delphinium tricorne) with 72 observations, and with nearly all observed plants in full bloom. This year Dwarf Larkspur was in 10th place, and about half of the plants seen were only in bud.
Despite the slower and cooler spring, this year’s BotanyBlitz showed a lot of growth compared to last year. We actually observed more species this year (539 species compared to 462 in 2021), increased our total observations by almost 1,500 (4,614 vs. 3,169) and had more participants (121 observers compared to 109). Just a note — the data on iNaturalist are constantly changing, as identifications can be added or changed over time, so all numbers reported here are just a snapshot.
Rare Species Observations
Participants also observed a number of rare spring flora this year, click the links to check out the observations on iNaturalist!
Running Buffalo Clover (Trifolium stoloniferum, Threatened): On the Kick-off day of the BotanyBlitz, Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves botanists Heidi Braunreiter and Rachel Cook lead an iNaturalist tutorial hike in Lexington, where participants were able to observe a well-managed population of this former federally-endangered species.
False Mermaidweed (Floerkea proserpinacoides, Special Concern): Several observations of this small annual species showed healthy and abundant populations in wooded parks of Kenton County.
Sweet Pinesap (Monotropsis odorata, Threatened): Several populations of this unique and highly fragrant species were seen (and smelled!) by hikers during Wildflower Weekend at Natural Bridge State Park.
Smallflower Baby Blue Eyes (Nemophila aphylla, Threatened): A new population of this species was discovered in Trigg County just prior to the Kickoff Day, and was revisited during the BotanyBlitz.
Kentucky Gladecress (Leavenworthia exigua var. laciniata, Endangered): This tiny and very rare glade-dweller was observed several times in flower during the BotanyBlitz.
Glade Violet (Viola egglestonii, Special Concern): Another glade species, this was observed by OKNP botanists while surveying for Kentucky Gladecress.
Wildflower Photos
Finally, the most important part of the BotanyBlitz is the gorgeous photos of Kentucky’s spring wildflowers. Here are a few that caught our eye:
Thanks to all of the BotanyBlitz participants for making this year’s project so successful, we hope to see you all again in 2023. In the meantime, if you enjoyed the BotanyBlitz and are looking for more iNaturalist projects to participate in, consider joining the 2022 Kentucky Botanists Big Year project: this is an event similar to the BotanyBlitz, but is a yearlong event rather than just one week, and it’s a great way to become more familiar with Kentucky’s flora across the seasons!
Here’s Wildflower Weekend Hike Leader Estella Berry photographed in a patch of Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica) by her mom and co-leader @tararoselittlefield.
Date of trip: 06/11/2022 Time: 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM (approx.) Central Time Location: Ballard County Difficulty of hike: Easy – We will caravan/carpool on the gravel roads in the wildlife management area, stopping to view a variety of native plants and habitats. At a couple of the stops, we will walk distances of under a 1/2 mile.
Swamp Candles (Lysimachia terrestris)
Join KNPS President, Jeff Nelson and Ballard WMA employee, Gerald Burnett, as as we explore the native plant ecosystems in the wetlands and river bottoms of the Ballard WMA in Ballard Co.
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.
We will caravan (carpooling as much as possible) around the WMA, stopping to examine the botany of Ballard’s diverse ecosystems. We should see several uncommon, wetland plant species. In particular we should see the rare swamp candles (Lysimachia terrestris), a more northerly species that in Kentucky is only found in two far western counties. Although we will not be hiking any distance, we will be taking walks of less than 1/2 mile at a couple of stops, all on the road or trails. We will walk into areas off the road to get a better view many of the plants. There is likely to be some muddy spots where we will be walking, so be prepared.
Registration is Required
Please fill out the form below to register for this field trip. This trip will be limited to 20 people.
KNPS Field Trip to the Land Between the Lakes on July 6, 2019. Devin Rogers is the hike Leader.
Our 2022 schedule of KNPS Field Trips is coming together! Already scheduled, we will have field trips in June to Ballard WMA and in July we will visit a glade community across the Ohio River, in Indiana. Other field trips across the Commonwealth are in the planning stages and will be announced here in the Lady Slipper when they are scheduled.
Several years ago, KNPS adopted the policy of requiring preregistration for field trips and KNPS members are given the first opportunity to register for these trips. Once KNPS members have had a chance to register, signup forms will be available on the web site approximately 30 days before the field trip.
Swamp candles (Lysimacha terrestris)
Our first field trip this year will be on June 11 to the Ballard Wildlife Management Area, in Ballard Co. Ballard Wildlife Management Area is 8,000 acres located in the Ohio River bottomlands ecoregion in far western Kentucky. Much of the wetlands are comprised of rare, cypress-tupelo swamps and sloughs which many Kentuckians have never had the opportunity to experience. The Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves lists cypress-tupelo swamp as a state endangered ecosystem. We should see several uncommon, wetland plant species. In particular we hope to see the rare swamp candles (Lysimachia terrestris) in bloom, a more northerly species, that in Kentucky is only found in two far western counties.
On July 9, KNPS member Alan Abbott will lead a field trip to Buena Vista Glade in Taylor, Indiana, about 50 minutes west from downtown Louisville. Plants that will likely be in flower include green milkweed (Asclepias verdiflora), whorled milkweed (Asclepias verticillata), and glade St. John’s-wort (Hypernicum dolabriforme). With a little luck we might also see American columbo (Melanthium woodii) in bloom. Read more about glades in Alan’s article, What is A Glade? Registration for this field trip will open up in early June. Watch the Lady Slipper for the announcement (or if you are a KNPS member you will receive an email when registration is open).
If you have any questions about these trips or if there is a natural area in KY that you think would make for a good field trip, send us an email at KYPlants@knps.org. We are also always looking for folks to lead field trips. If there is a natural area with some nice native plant species that you would like to share with other KNPS members, send us an email. We will take care of organizing and publicizing the trip, you just have to share you love of native plants with the participants.
Kentucky Gladecress (Leavenworthia exigua var. laciniata)
One of the defining characteristics of the Bluegrass and Pennyroyal Plateau regions is the presence of small, rocky glades. Broadly speaking, a glade is any clearing in a forest. But in our part of the country, it tends to refer to areas with a shallow soil and a limestone bedrock, usually on south- or west-facing slopes. Without trees shading everything out, a rich layer of grasses and forbs emerges. As islands of grassland within larger forested areas, they tend to have high rates of endemism, or plants found only within one, relatively small area. Some plants can be found only in a few counties (like Kentucky gladecress, Leavenworthia exigua var. laciniata) or a narrow region, like the Interior Low Plateau, which runs from northern Alabama, through central Tennessee and Kentucky and into south-central Indiana.
Their isolation means that glades separated by only a few miles can have surprisingly different plant communities. In Harrison County, Indiana, which has similar shallow soils and limestone bedrock as Kentucky’s Bluegrass Region, one glade may have hundreds of Echinacea and a similar one walking distance away won’t have any.
There are a number of opportunities to see limestone glades in the greater Louisville area this year. As part of the Botany Blitz, KNPS members met at Pine Creek Barrens in Shepardsville to see Kentucky gladecress, as well as the more common spring ephemerals in the woods that surrounded the grasslands.
In Indiana, the Nature Conservancy had a Glade Appreciation Day on May 7th in Harrison County. Information for many of the glades of the area can be found here: Harrison County Glades | The Nature Conservancy
KNPS will be providing a tour of some Harrison County glades in July, when the wildflower show should be near its peak. More information to follow. The glades are about 45 minutes northwest of Louisville.
We’ll also be offering another tour of Pine Creek Barrens in September to see the Asters and Blazing Stars.
Check out this new publication about Trilliums of North America! The report, “The Conservation Status of Trillium in North America,” presents the analysis of 53 plant taxa using two different methodologies. Authors found that habitat loss, overpopulation of white-tailed deer, and habitat disturbance caused by feral pigs are the primary threats to North American Trillium. Every trillium that occurs in North America is included in this publication.
Trillium reaches its peak diversity in the southern Appalachians. BONAP Nodding Trillium (Trillium flexipes). @Littlefield.Great White Trillium (Trillium grandiflorum). @Littlefield.Yellow Trillium (Trillium luteum). @Littlefield.Stinking Benjamin (Trillium erectum). @Littlefield.Authors of the new Trillium publication. IUCN_Natureserve North American Trillium assessment team 2019-2021. KNPS board member Tara Littlefield is one of the coauthors. From L to R: Robert Raguso, Leah Oliver, Anna Walker, Clayton Meridith, Amy Highland, Tara Littlefield, Wes Knapp, Anne Frances, LL Gaddy, Danna Leaman, Aaron Floden, Kjirsten Wayman, Ed Schilling and Alfred Schotz.
Other important links highlighting this publication can be found below:
Past president, Tara Littlefield, leading the “Search for Sweet Pinesap” near Gray’s Arch in the Red River Gorge during Wildflower Weekend 2022. Spoiler alert, the search for this rare, KY native was successful!
The Kentucky Native Plant Society has had a busy and exciting few weeks recently. From April 8th through the 10th, over 100 native plant enthusiasts came together to enjoy KNPS’ first, in-person, Wildflower Weekend since 2019. Although temperatures were cool and skies were damp at Natural Bridge SRP, spirits were high as folks dressed for the weather and enjoyed 14 different native plant walks led by an incredible group of expert botanists. Saturday night, a large group of KNPS members and friends met in the Woodland Center for presentations by Ted Brancheau, Nick Koenig, and the keynote speaker, Mike Homoya. We are working on articles for May’s Lady Slipper all about Wildflower Weekend 2022, but for now, you can read about the events on the Wildflower Weekend page.
Leading up to Wildflower Weekend 2022, from April 2 through April 8, KNPS organized a week-long BotanyBlitz project on iNaturalist. This was our second year for this event and the KNPS Wildflower Week 2022 Botany Blitz exceeded all expectations, with over 4,600 observations of 539 different plant species across Kentucky. Look for Vanessa Voelker’s article about the 2022 BotanyBlitz in next month’s Lady Slipper.
To educate the public about iNaturalist and to promote the KNPS Wildflower Week’s BotanyBlitz iNaturalist Project, on Saturday, April 2, eleven tutorial hikes, led by experienced iNaturalist users, were held in parks and natural areas across the state. These hikes were geared towards beginning iNaturalist users and taught them how to make observations and navigate the app. Look for Rachel Cook’s article about the tutorial hikes in next month’s Lady Slipper. Until the article comes out in May, you can see the list of these hikes in this article from last month, Kick-off BotanyBlitz 2022 with an iNaturalist Tutorial Hike!
Our successful Wildflower Weekend 2022 and the other Wildflower Week activities would not have been possible without the hard work of so many folks. KNPS Vice President Heidi Brauneiter and her WW2022 committee put in many hours making Wildflower Weekend happen so well. Vanessa Voelker and Rachel Cook organized BotanyBlitz and the iNaturalist Tutorial hikes and were instrumental in getting so many folks participating this year. Thanks go to those 200 folks on iNaturalist that helped identify the many observations made during BotanyBlitz. We also have to thank the amazing botanists and naturalists who led the walks and hikes and answered our questions, as well as KNPS board members and volunteers who staffed the registration tables. Finally to our partners at Natural Bridge SRP, thank you for hosting the KNPS Wildflower Weekend for the 30th time. All of these folks came together to produce a fun and educational experience with Kentucky’s most beautiful native plants. Thank you.
Prior to the presentations on Saturday night, there was a short KNPS membership meeting where the results of the online election for our KNPS officers were announced. Officers for 2022-2024 are; President, Jeff Nelson, Vice-President, Heidi Braunreiter, Secretary, Kelly Watson, Treasurer, Steele McFadden, and Directors Wes Cunningham, Jen Koslow, Jess Slade, and David Taylor. I am honored and excited to be elected president of the Kentucky Native Plant Society and look forward to working closely with the other board members and the KNPS membership to continue to advance the KNPS mission; “to promote education, preservation, and protection of native plants and natural communities.“
Liz Neihoff & Jeff Nelson at Metropolis Lake SNP, McCracken Co.
A little bit about me. I was born in San Francisco, California, and grew up in Sunnyvale, California. I received a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of California at Santa Barbara. My wife Liz, our son Aaron, and I moved from California to McCracken Co., Kentucky (Liz’s home), in 1987. After building a house on our 10 acres, we have spent the last 30+ years restoring the property from farmland to a native woodland. We have been members of the Kentucky Native Plant Society since the early 1990s and I have been on the Board of KNPS since 2017. Since 2019, Liz and I have shared responsibilities as Nature Preserve Monitors at Metropolis Lake SNP in McCracken Co. As lifelong amateur naturalists, we love exploring Kentucky and learning about the rich diversity of the Commonwealth’s many ecosystems.
I cannot end this message without a big, personal thank you to Tara Littlefield. Tara recruited me to serve on the Board in 2017. Her love of, and commitment to, the native plants and ecosystems of Kentucky has served as an inspiration to me and everyone who knows her. Tara’s service to the Kentucky Native Plant Society is long-standing, serving in many roles, most recently as President for the past five years. Although leaving the office of President, Tara remains on the Board as the Immediate Past President and as the Chair of the Plant Conservation Committee so we will continue to have the benefit of her skills and botanical knowledge. Thank you, Tara.
Beginning my two-year term as President of KNPS, I am confident that the Society will grow and continue to be a leader in promoting education about, appreciation for, and conservation of our native flora. If you have any thoughts about what KNPS can and should be doing going forward, or if you just have a question about our native plants, email me at jeff.53chevy@gmail.com .
