The future revolves around the present–and what we’re teaching our children in and out of the classroom. Environmental science is a part of that because native plants bring about ecological generations of life.
In Kentucky, teaching about native plants in the classroom is necessary for the future of our environment and the cycle of vegetative life that thrives in the Bluegrass State.
For those unfamiliar with our Kentucky native plants and seeds swap groups, I’d like to first give a brief history of its origins and then provide an update for everyone.
In 2010, my husband Stephen Brown and I moved to a property next to some woods in southeast Jefferson County and proceeded to create a native plants habitat. The project is detailed up to 2021 in our book “Let the Earth Breathe: Gardening with Native Plants”
At the beginning of the project, we could not have imagined the communities that would eventually form around the growing and sharing of native seeds and plants. It has been one of the more profound experiences of our lives. So many members at our gatherings feel as if we are meeting our “tribe” once again. We seem to instantly connect and have so much fun. SO grateful for Facebook’s “Groups” feature, which has allowed us to connect and organize events all over the state. While our goal has always had a single focus, to increase the diversity of Kentucky native plant species throughout our larger Louisville region, the laughter and fun at swap events makes a huge difference in terms of drawing and retaining new “converts” to our cause. I, personally, spent untold hours devoted to creating and guiding an ethos that is not top-heavy, sour in tone, exclusive, or hierarchical in form. I truly believe keeping swap events free of commercial enterprises represents the underlying philosophy of our movement and why so many people are drawn to it and stay with it.
Regarding local native plants nurseries: we have actively advertised their services from the very beginning and, at times, invite them to sell their plants at homeowners’ garden tours. These are not official swaps and are totally at the discretion of individual property owners.
Although I started and guided the Louisville Citywide swap movement in the first few years, I stepped away from that all-consuming role, fully trusting that the emerging regional swap leaders would develop their own unique ways of carrying out our common goal. And they have done just that, and more. In the meantime, I am actively spreading the good news of Kentucky native plants in our own neighborhood, hoisting plants and seeds on neighbors wherever I can.
Below you will find links to some of the most outstanding regional swap groups: Please consider joining some of the groups to keep up with community outreach events and possibly form your own swap group wherever you happen to live. I truly hope you will consider it, if one does not currently exist close by. The diversity of plant species and their pollinators seems to increase exponentially in areas where active native plants swap groups are present. We have definitely seen this in our neighborhoods, where “pollinator corridors” are forming from neighbor to neighbor, neighborhood to neighborhood, neighborhoods to regions, etc. It’s an incredibly meaningful thing to be a part of, so don’t hesitate to dive in wherever and however you can.
Lastly, to those who felt offended by my rather abrupt closing of the Louisville Citywide swap group, I apologize. Like all my predecessors, I have never been one who shies away from what I truly believe is the correct approach for the greater good, and am accustomed to the resistance my actions seem to draw up when we would rather “nest” than expand. I am so impressed by each of the regional swap leaders who have persevered, continuing to creatively envision a better future for our beautiful indigenous Kentucky landscapes and communities. Let’s keep going!
Anne Milligan Louisville, Kentucky
Anne Milligan is an artist, singer/musician, and landscape designer. She lives in Louisville, KY with her husband, author and historian Stephen A. Brown.
Since 2023, Kentucky Native Plant Society has been awarding five grants of $500 per year to foster the establishment of native plant pollinator gardens, emphasizing not only the ecological benefits but also the educational enrichment they provide. Through these gardens, KNPS seeks to nurture a deeper understanding and appreciation of native plant species and their crucial role in pollination.
In 2025, we were thrilled to receive nearly 30 worthy applications for this $500 garden grant. Picking only five was difficult for the committee: David Taylor, Rachel Cook, Kelly Watson, and Susan Harkins. You can see all five of this year’s grant winners here, KNPS 2025 Pollinator Garden Grant Winners!
One of this year’s winners was Wright Elementary School, in Shelbyville. Their new garden is a second-grade project, but will be used by the entire school for many academic endeavors. They have big plans for this garden’s future, including an irrigation system, benches, and even a picnic area.
We recently received this update about their garden and the images from Amanda Nett, a Second Grade teacher at Wright Elementary.
With the grant we received we were able to fill 2 large and 2 medium garden beds with native plants. Our students were able to plant them, care for them and learned why native plants are so important to Kentucky. We focused a lot on pollinators and how the native plants we selected can help pollinators. We cannot begin to thank you for the grant money. It was such a wonderful gift and really furthered our students’ learning and appreciation of native plants! I’m sending several pictures of the kids preparing the beds, the whole group and after we added the native plant beds. Many of the plants are blooming now, and we can’t wait to see how much it grows in the upcoming years!
Where: Fairdale Public Library, 10620 West Manslick Road, Fairdale, KY 40118 When: Wednesday, 23rd July, 6-7:30 pm
by Julian Campbell and Josh Wysor
Purple fringeless orchid (Platanthera peramoena)
Interested people are invited to this presentation and discussion at Fairdale Public Library on Wednesday, 23rd July, 6-7:30 pm EDT presented by Julian Campbell and Josh Wysor. “The Wet Woods, Salt Licks and Purple Orchids of Fabulous Fairdale“.
What is the Natural History of Fairdale–which emerged from the notorious “Wet Woods” of southern Jefferson County? How has this local ecology affected the human history and economy of this region since Virginian settlement? Where are best remnants of the original landscape, together with native flora and fauna? Can the community aim to conserve or restore such sites in an organized fashion? Can we assemble material for an interesting educational booklet (or website) that could be used to guide field trips and management? This presentation will address these questions, illustrated with old maps and current photographs. We hope to discuss mutual interests with the community, and to suggest ways forward. Much relevant information is available but there does not yet appear to be a definite plan for harmonious balance of development and conservation
The Lady Slipper newsletter, and now blog, of the Kentucky Native Plant Society has been published since the Society’s founding in 1986. We occasionally feature an article from a past issue. In this article from 2010, the late Tom Barnes, wildflower photographer and former president of Kentucky, takes an in-depth look at the gentians (Gentianaceae family) . This article ran in Vol. 25, No. 4. If you would like to see these and other past issues, visit the Lady Slipper Archives, where all issues from Vol. 1, February 1986 to Vol. 39, 2024, can be found.
Gentians: All Fall Color is Not Red, Yellow and Orange
Thomas G. Barnes, Ph.D. Extension Wildlife Specialist, Department of Forestry, University of Kentucky
Gentianopsis crinita by Tom Barnes
Fall is the time of the year when the leaf peepers begin their road trips across the Commonwealth in search of reds, yellows, oranges, and other colors in the tree canopy. For wildflower enthusiasts it is a time of the year when they think of other activities since the goldenrods and asters are done flowering and the drabness of winter is quickly approaching. For those who do love searching for unique wildflowers, like so many do for our native orchids, this is the time of the year to search for fall flowering members of the gentian family, those that typically have beautiful blue flowers. When you think of the rarity of the native orchids found in Kentucky, approximately 38% are listed as rare, special concern, threatened or endangered. Of the fall gentians, 68% fall in those same categories. So if looking for rare plants is your venue, then the fall gentians are an excellent group to focus on. I hope to share with you some information about gentians in general and then which species can be found in Kentucky.
On Friday, April 11th and Saturday, April 12, nearly 200 members and friends enjoyed KNPS’s Wildflower Weekend, at Carter Caves SRP! With 20 hikes, workshops, poster sessions, and kid’s activities and with many of the best botanists in Kentucky in attendance, Wildflower Weekend 2025 was an unqualified success.
Wildflower Weekend 2025 Logo Contest
This is the third consecutive year that KNPS offered merchandise with a unique logo developed specifically for Wildflower Weekend via the Wildflower Weekend 2025 Logo Design Contest. This was an open design contest to come up with a logo for Wildflower Weekend 2025. The winning design (featured at the top left of this post) is a collage of violets; the rare Three-parted Violet (Viola tripartita) accompanied by the Long-spurred Violet (Viola rostrata) and the Marsh Blue Violet (Viola cucullata). The winning design was submitted by Cheryll Frank of Scott County, KY.
Adult monarch (Danaus plexippus) feeding on rose milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)
Over the last several years, we have seen an explosion of interest in the growing of native milkweed plants (Asclepias genus), largely driven by the plight of the iconic monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus). As most of us are aware, monarch caterpillars only host on milkweeds. Without milkweed leaves to feed on, monarch caterpillars cannot not survive.
Asclepias is a genus of herbaceous, perennial, flowering plants known as milkweeds, named for their latex, a milky substance containing cardiac glycosides termed cardenolides, exuded where cells are damaged. Most species are toxic to humans and many other species, primarily due to the presence of cardenolides.
