Mark your calendars and plan to meet up with other KNPS members and friends as we head to western Kentucky for the Society’s 2023 Fall Meeting, on Oct 28th, at John James Audubon State Park, in Henderson. We will learn about and explore the old growth forests and wetland plant and animal communities in and around John James Audubon State Park and the nearby Sloughs Wildlife Management Area.
John James Audubon State Park Wetlands, video via Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves.
We are still in the planning process, but the basic outline is set. There will be a meeting in the morning, from 10am to noon, with talks and updates from KNPS. After lunch there will be walks to look at some of the plants and plant communities that occur at the state park and wildlife management area. All of the talks and walks will be finalized by next month’s Lady Slipper
Morning session: 10am CDT, in the Audubon Theater in the John James Audubon Museum and Nature Center at John James Audubon SP in Henderson, KY
10am – Welcome and KNPS Updates – KNPS Board
10:45am – One or more talks on plants native to the area and the special plant communities they are part of.
12noon – Lunch on your own. There are no food facilities in the park, so we are recommending that people bring lunch and we can all picnic on the lawns and other park facilities.
1pm – 4:00pm – Afternoon Walks – We are still finalizing our walk schedules, but as of right now, the plan is to have two sets of two walks that folks can choose from. Walks will be led by experts who know the plants and birds in and around the park.
1pm – 2:15pm – 1) A walk through the old growth forest or 2) a birds and botany walk in the Audubon Wetlands
2:30pm – 3:45pm – 1) A walk through the old growth forest or 2) a carpool/caravan to Sloughs WMA for a walk in the wetlands.
The forest along the bluffs of the Ohio River is mature, almost old growth in nature with some trees more than 200 years old. At least 61 species of trees and more than 200 wildflowers have been documented from the site. The north facing, mesic forests are dominated by American beech, sugar maple, and American basswood whereas the more south facing slopes are dominated by sugar maple, various oaks, and tulip tree. At least 169 bird species have been observed in the park.
The 650-acre Audubon Wetlands was added to the park by the Kentucky Heritage Land Conservation fund in 2016. The highlight is a bald eagle nest and heron rookery, as well as habitat for waterfowl and amphibians. The Friends of Audubon, a local nonprofit, has installed a wheelchair accessible boardwalk through the wetlands with plans to install more.
Summer storm clouds over Sloughs WMA
Sloughs WMA consists of a diverse mix of seasonally flooded grain crops and natural “moist soil” vegetation, natural marsh, seasonally flooded bottomland forest, and natural depressions or “sloughs,” that contain flooded stands of bald cypress lined with buttonbush thickets.
Please Let Us Know if You Are Going to Join Us
This event is open to KNPS members and friends alike. There is no cost for the event, but in order to plan effectively, we are requesting that folks pre-register for this event. If you are likely to attend, please fill out the registration form HERE. Thanks, hope to see you there!
John James Audubon SRP, Oct 26 2022, photo by Haley Owens
Save the date for the KNPS 2023 Fall Meeting at John James Audubon SP, in Henderson Co., KY, on Saturday, October 28. There will be a KNPS member and friends meeting in the morning, with informative talks and updates about the Society. After a break for lunch, there will be hikes, led by experienced botanists and naturalists that know the park, to look at the plants and plant communities that occur at the state park.
John James Audubon State Park is located just south of the Ohio river in Henderson County in western Kentucky. The park preserves the peaceful woods where John James Audubon walked as he studied the subjects of his paintings. The park museum features the largest collection of original Audubon art in the world in addition to personal artifacts about his life.
The surrounding forest along the bluffs of the Ohio River is mature, almost old growth in nature with some trees more than 200 years old. Approximately half of the property has been dedicated as a state Nature Preserve. At least 61 species of trees and more than 200 wildflowers have been documented from the site. The north facing, mesic forests are dominated by American beech, sugar maple, and American basswood whereas the more south facing slopes are dominated by sugar maple, various oaks, and tulip tree. At least 169 bird species have been observed in the park.
The 650-acre Audubon Wetlands was added to the park by the Kentucky Heritage Land Conservation Fund in 2016. There are bald eagles nesting and a heron rookery, as well as habitat for waterfowl and amphibians. The Friends of Audubon, a local nonprofit, has installed a wheelchair accessible boardwalk through the wetlands with plans to install more.
We have just begun the planning process for the 2023 Fall Meeting. If you have any thoughts, suggestions, or questions, email us at KYPlants@knps.org.
On April 14th & 15th, over 150 KNPS members and friends came together at Cumberland Falls SRP for the Society’s 34th Annual Wildflower Weekend. For the first time since Wildflower Weekend began in 1989, the event was held in a different location from Natural Bridge SRP. This change from years past gave us the opportunity to discover botanically, ecologically, and geologically unique areas of Kentucky as we explored Cumberland Falls, Natural Arch Scenic Area, & the Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area.
Rest assured, we are not abandoning our friends at Natural Bridge SRP, who have hosted Wildflower Weekend for over 30 years. KNPS plans to now alternate Wildflower Weekend locations between Natural Bridge SRP in even numbered years, and other Kentucky parks in odd numbered years. Planning has already begun for next year’s Wildflower Weekend 2024 and to pique your interest for April 2024, enjoy the following images and discussion of Wildflower Weekend 2023.
Wildflower Walks
Wildflower walks and hikes are the defining activities of every Wildflower Week. This year, beginning at noon on Friday and running through the end of the day on Saturday, we enjoyed a record number 19 wildflower walks, led by 30 of the best botanists and naturalists in the country. Exploring the amazing diversity of the plant communities in Cumberland Falls state park, Natural Arch Scenic Area, & the Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area, participants learned about and enjoyed dozens of native plant species, the fauna associated with them, and the amazing geology and hydrology that surrounds them.
Friday Night Members & Friends Campfire Social
Friday night was our campfire social. Dozens of KNPS members and friends came together for an evening of fun, fellowship, and s’mores around the campfire next to the Cumberland River.
During the social, James Kiser, naturalist, hike leader, and Sat. night speaker, took several groups out to search the cliff face for salamanders. The searches were great fun and successful as the groups made multiple observations of several different species of these shy, nocturnal amphibians.
Green salamander (Aneides aeneus)
Red salamander (Pseudotriton ruber)
Long-tailed salamander(Eurycea longicauda)
Saturday Night Presentation & Raffle
On Saturday evening we came together for a KNPS update, evening talks, and our annual raffle. An overflow crowd filled the Moonbow Room at the Cumberland Falls DuPont Lodge.
James Kiser
James Kiser gave a fascinating presentation on “Southern Kentucky Landscape Features and Associated Rare Species“. The number and diversity of rare species in McCreary and nearby counties is much higher than in many other parts of Kentucky and James explained how the variety of landscape features likely leads to this. James is a senior biologist with Stantec Consulting Services. He grew up along the base of Pine Mountain in Letcher County, Kentucky, received a B.S. degree from Morehead State University and completed courses toward a Master’s Science Degree at Eastern Kentucky University. James moved to the Big South Fork area in McCreary County in 2003 when he took a biologist position with the Daniel Boone National Forest. He is an old fashioned Naturalist spending the last 32 years studying the flora and fauna of Kentucky.
Chris Benda
After a short break the group came back together to listen to an informative and fun talk by Chris Benda, the Illinois Botanizer. Chris’s talk was “Botanical Humor: You Never Knew Plants Were So Funny“. Chris kept the group laughing, while at the same time presenting a wealth of interesting botanical observations. Chris is a botanist and past president of the Illinois Native Plant Society (2015-2016). Currently, he works as a Researcher at Southern Illinois University, where he coordinates the Plants of Concern Southern Illinois Program and teaches The Flora of Southern Illinois. Besides working at SIU, he conducts botanical fieldwork around the world, teaches a variety of classes at The Morton Arboretum and leads nature tours for Camp Ondessonk. He has research appointments with the University of Illinois and Argonne National Laboratory, and is an accomplished photographer and author of several publications about natural areas in Illinois. He is also known as Illinois Botanizer and can be reached by email at botanizer@gmail.com.
The Bidwell’s with Bob Van Hoff’s carving.
The evening ended with the annual raffle. The grand prize of the raffle, as has been the case for many years, was a beautiful carving by KNPS member, Bob Van Hoff. This was a hand-carved, hand-painted depiction of a flowering pink lady-slipper orchid (Cypripedium acaule) at three stages of inflorescence development. The winners of the carving were Mary Alice and Chris Bidwell, long time members of KNPS. Besides the carving, we also raffled off over 30 native plants. The plants were generously given to KNPS by our partners Ironweed Nursery in Waddy, KY, Dropseed Native Plant Nursery, in Goshen, KY, and The Arboretum at the State Botanical Garden of Kentucky, at the University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY.
Discussions about next year’s Wildflower Weekend 2024 are already happening. Dates are not set yet, but be thinking about the first half of April as the general time-frame. If you have any thoughts about how the event could be made better, we would love to hear from you. If you would like to lead or co-lead a walk next year, let us know. KYPlants@knps.org.
Kentucky Native Plant Society’s Wildflower Weekend 2023 Cumberland Falls State Resort Park Friday, April 14th & Saturday, April 15th, 2023
The schedule is set and registration is now open for Wildflower Weekend 2023, April 14th-15th, at Cumberland Falls 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. Pre-registration is required using the form at the bottom of this page (click here to go to the form). Admission is $10 for adults, $3 for ages 13-17, and free for ages 12 & under. The agenda for the weekend is listed below. Saturday night includes a raffle featuring a woodcarving by Bob VanHoff.
KNPS will have staffed tables in the lobby and the Great Hall of the Dupont Lodge where you can ask questions, meet old and new native plant friends, see the items that will be raffled off on Saturday night, purchase raffle tickets, and purchase some other native plant related items.
All walks are limited as to the number of people who can sign up. This is done so that everyone will have a rich and positive experience. Last year walks filled up fairly quickly, so register as soon as possible to get the best choice of walks.
Schedule of Events
For Friday afternoon, Saturday morning, and Saturday afternoon, walks listed below are organized into three geographical areas: Big South Fork Area, Natural Arch Scenic Area, and the Cumberland Falls State Resort Park (SRP) Area. Attendees will meet walk leaders in the Great Hall to get directions, and to coordinate carpooling & caravanning to trailheads. The Great Hall is located behind the lobby of the historic Dupont Lodge of Cumberland Falls SRP.
Friday, April 14th – Afternoon Walks
Click here to download the full schedule in PDF format.
Big South Fork Area
SORRY, THIS HIKE IS FULL – 1:00 PM Natural History Walk, Yahoo Falls: moderately difficult walk. Explore the area around the Big South Fork of the Cumberland River with Senior Biologist James Kiser of Stantec. This walk will focus on the natural history of the Big South Fork region, along with its associated plants, animals, and ecological communities. Aside from the beautiful waterfall along the trail, attendees can expect to see the only known Kentucky population of lesser rattlesnake plantain, the rare filmy fern, and box huckleberry. Attendees can meet at the lodge at 1PM to carpool and/or caravan to the site. Alternatively, attendees can meet at the Yahoo Falls trailhead at 1:45PM.
Natural Arch Scenic Area
1:30 PM Bryophyte Walk, Natural Arch: easy walk. Join U.S. Forest Service botanist David Taylor for a hike along this ridgetop trail to learn about the diversity and ecology of the non-vascular plants in the area, including mosses, liverworts, and hornworts. If you have a hand lens (a.k.a. jewelers loupe) or magnifying lens available, bring it along for better viewing of these small organisms.
Cumberland Falls SRP Area
SORRY, THIS HIKE IS FULL – 2:00 PM Woody Plants and their Enemies, Dog Slaughter Falls Trail: moderately difficult walk. Hike with Kentucky Division of Forestry’s Forest Health Program Coordinator Alexandra Blevins along this scenic trail beneath towering hemlocks and learn about our woody plants and threats to the forest health of Kentucky. Attendees will have the chance to spot sweet pinesap alongside this trail!
SORRY, THIS HIKE IS FULL – 2:30 PM Woody Plants and Wildflowers Walk, Blue Bend Loop Trail: moderately difficult walk. Join Copperhead Consulting botanist Nate Parrish and UK-LFUCG Arboretum Curator Jess Slade for a hike along a section of the Sheltowee Trace, which follows the Cumberland River. Hike leaders will place special emphasis on the diversity of woody plants in the area and how the communities shift with changes in elevation. Expect to see a wide variety of wildflowers in bloom!
SORRY, THIS HIKE IS FULL – 3:00 PM Wildflowers and Ferns Walk, Sheltowee Trace to Anvil Branch Trail: moderately difficult to strenuous walk. Join Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves botanist Rachel Cook and UK-LFUCG Arboretum native plants assistant Judson Collins for a hike on this botanically diverse trail. This hike will focus on a wide array of ferns and an even more diverse cast of wildflowers. Some plants we hope to find include Trilliums, showy orchid, climbing fern, spleenwort ferns, and more! This trail has lots of hills, so bring plenty of water.
Friday, April 14 – Members & Friends Campfire Social
7:30pm Members & Friends Social, Cumberland Falls SRP Picnic Shelter Join us at the picnic shelter on the Cumberland River to gather around a firepit with fellow wildflower enthusiasts. S’mores fixings will be provided (you might want to bring a stick for roasting the marshmallows)! Bring your own camp chairs and flashlights. No alcohol allowed per state park. Directions for driving or walking to the Picnic Shelter are below.
Directions to the Members & Friends Social, Picnic Shelter along the Cumberland River:
Directions to the picnic shelter by car: See yellow dotted line on map below. Take Hwy 90 west from the Dupont Lodge parking lot. Just before you cross the river, take the driveway to the left, across from the Cumberland Falls Visitor Center parking lot. Continue about 0.2 mile down the road and the shelter will be on the left. Parking is available at the end of the road.
Directions to picnic shelter by foot: See yellow dotted line on map below. Take the trail behind the Dupont Lodge down the slope to the river. Turn left onto the road or trail going northeast. The picnic shelter will be on the left hand side of the road. Caution: the trail is steep and you will need a headlamp or flashlight to safely get back up the trail to the lodge in the dark after the social.
Saturday, April 15th – Morning Walks
Big South Fork Area
8:00 AM Ecology of the Big South Fork Walk, Blue Heron Trail: moderately difficult walk, 3-4 hours. Join botanist Rob Paratley and ecologist Dr. Mary Arthur as they explore the Big South Fork of the Cumberland River. Hike leaders will be highlighting plants that are restricted to southern Kentucky counties and therefore unique to this part of Appalachia. The impacts of climate change on Kentucky’s ecosystems will also be discussed.
8:15 AM Natural History Walk, Princess Falls: moderately difficult walk. Explore the Big South Fork of the Cumberland River with senior biologist James Kiser of Stantec. This walk will focus on the natural history of the area and its associated plants, animals, and natural communities. In addition to Princess Falls, there is a diverse mix of spring wildflowers growing along the trail and river.
Natural Arch Scenic Area
9:30 AM Natural Formations, Waterfalls, and Associated Plants, Buffalo Canyon Trail: moderately difficult walk. Admire the stunning natural formations and waterfalls of this scenic area while learning about the associated plant communities from hike leaders Nate Parrish, botanist of Copperhead Consulting, and Tyler Adams, a KNPS member and waterfalls enthusiast.
Cumberland Falls SRP Area
SORRY, THIS HIKE IS FULL – 7:45 AM Birds and Wildflowers Walk, Sheltowee Trace to Dog Slaughter Falls: easy to moderately difficult walk. Join Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves Rod Botkins and Heidi Braunreiter for this morning bird & wildflower walk along the Sheltowee Trace. Attendees should expect to see a variety of migratory birds in their showy mating plumage, in addition to wildflowers blooming along the trail. If you have a pair of binoculars handy, we recommend bringing them along for this walk. The destination for the walk will be the Dog Slaughter Falls. Topography is generally flat along the river and gets hillier into the forest to see the waterfall.
SORRY, THIS HIKE IS FULL – 8:30 AM Wildflower Walk, Trail #2 to Bunches Creek Tributary: easy to moderately difficult walk. Join botanist Julian Campbell to hike 1.5 miles along the Cumberland River to the mouth of Bunches Creek through mature mesic and subxeric forests. The cobble bar at the mouth of Bunches Creek is a remarkably unique river scour plant community, with several rare plants. These include the rare Balsam Ragweed (Packera paupercula var. paupercula) and dragonhead (Physostegia virginiana), plus several graminoids.
9:00 AM Ecology, Biodiversity, and Endemism Walk, Anvil Branch Trail to Sheltowee Trace Trail: 4-5 miles, strenuous walk with 600’ elevation gain. Hike with Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves botanist Devin Rodgers to explore a cross-section of southern Cumberland Plateau natural communities and learn how their density in this region leads to not only high biodiversity, but also endemism. Special emphasis will be given to xeric pine-heath woodlands, Appalachian mesophytic forest, sandstone cliff/rockhouse, and sandstone riverscour communities.
SORRY, THIS HIKE IS FULL – 10:00 AM Wildflowers and Woody Plants Walk, Blue Bend Loop: easy to moderately difficult walk. Join Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves biologists Rachel Cook and Ted Brancheau to hike along the botanically rich Blue Bend section of the Sheltowee Trace and see a dazzling display of spring ephemerals. Hike leaders will also emphasize the diversity and identification characteristics of woody plants along this trail.
SORRY, THIS HIKE IS FULL – 10:30AM Wildflower Walk, Pinnacle Knob Lookout trail: easy to moderately difficult walk. See a diverse mix of blooms along with spectacular views along this short out and back trail. U.S. Forest Service botanist David Taylor will lead this hike with a special focus on wildflowers in the area. The trail ends at a restored fire tower that is one of only 13 remaining historic look-outs in Kentucky.
Saturday, April 15th – Afternoon Walks
Big South Fork Area
SORRY THIS HIKE IS FULL –1:15 PM Wildflower Walk, Yahoo Falls: moderately difficult walk. Join KNPS member and plant photographer Alan Abbott and Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves botanist and iNaturalist aficionado Vanessa Voelker on this hike to a beautiful waterfall with lots of wildflowers in bloom along the way. Expect to see the usual suspects including Trillium and bellflowers as well as a rare plant, the lesser rattlesnake plantain (Goodyera repens).
Natural Arch Scenic Area
SORRY, THIS HIKE IS FULL – 2:30PM Woody Plants Walk, Panoramic Trail: easy walk. Join U.S. Forest Service botanist David Taylor to learn about the trees and shrubs growing on this ridgetop trail and take in some scenic views of the area.
Cumberland Falls SRP Area
SORRY, THIS WORKSHOP IS FULL – 1:00 PM WORKSHOP: Frondly Endeavors: Identifying the ferns of Kentucky, Cumberland Falls Lodge: easy, accessible walk. Ferns are the second most diverse group of vascular land plants, but identification is often difficult for many botanical enthusiasts. In this workshop, you will learn about the morphological features that are important for fern identification. You will also learn about some unique and cool ferns found in Kentucky! Dr. Sally Chambers, Assistant Professor and Herbarium Curator at Eastern Kentucky University, will lead this workshop followed by an outdoor walk to identify some ferns in their natural habitat.
SORRY, THIS HIKE IS FULL -1:30 PM Vascular Plants and Geology Walk, Blue Bend trail along the Cumberland River: generally easy walk. Join Professor Emeritus of Eastern Kentucky University, Dr. Ron Jones, and retired president of Shield Environmental Associates, Mark Sweet, for an out-and-back walk on the Blue Bend trail along the Cumberland River to learn about vascular plants, including the primitive and advanced features, as well as a lesson in geology and natural history of the Cumberland Falls area.
2:00 PM Wake up, Woods! A spring pollinator walk, Wildflower Trail (Trail 12): easy to moderately difficult walk. Come take a bilingual (Spanish and English) walk in the woods to learn about spring wildflowers and their pollinators as the forest wakes up from its winter slumber. Families and people of all ages are welcome. Join two Eastern Kentucky University professors along the Eagle Falls trail. Dr. Valerie Peters, who studies pollinators in Kentucky and Costa Rica, will lead the walk in Spanish, while Dr. Jennifer Koslow, a plant ecologist who works in Kentucky, will assist in Spanglish.
¡Despierta, bosque!: caminata fácil a moderadamente difícil. Venga al bosque para una caminata bilingüe en español y ingles para aprender sobre las flores de la primavera y sus polinizadores, durante el tiempo del año cuando el bosque esta despertando del invierno. Las familias y la gente de todas las edades están bienvenidos. La Dra. Valerie Peters, quien estudia las polinizadores de KY y en Costa Rica, seria encargada de dirigir la caminata en español. La Dra. Jennifer Koslow, una ecóloga que estudia plantas en KY, estaría co-líder de la caminata, en Spanglish.
SORRY THIS HIKE IS FULL – 3:00 PM Birds and Wildflowers Walk, Pinnacle Knob Lookout trail: easy walk. Join Shaker Village preserve managers Ben Leffew and Laura Baird to search for birds in the canopy and wildflowers beneath your feet on this short forested trail that ends at a historic fire tower with spectacular views of the area. Since this walk will occur during spring migration, we are sure to see some migratory birds in their showy mating plumage. If you have a pair of binoculars available, we recommend bringing those along for this hike.
Saturday Evening Talks in the Moonbow Conference Room, Dupont Lodge at Cumberland Falls State Resort Park
6:00 Welcome/Introductions, Heidi Braunreiter
6:05 KNPS Membership Business Meeting, Jeff Nelson & David Taylor
6:30 Trilliums of Kentucky Update, Tara Littlefield (see bio below)
6:50 Southern Kentucky Landscape Features and Associated Rare Species, James Kiser (see bio below)
7:20 Ten-minute break
7:30 Botanical Humor: You Never Knew Plants Were So Funny, Chris Benda (see bio below)
8:15 Q&A time (& raffle set-up)
8:30 Raffle Drawing, featuring KNPS gear, wildflowers, and a wood carving by Bob VanHoff
Speakers:
Heidi Braunreiter, KNPS Vice President & Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves Fire Program Manager
Jeff Nelson, Kentucky Native Plant Society President
David Taylor, USFS Botanist for Daniel Boone National Forest
Vanessa Voelker, Botanist for Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves
Presentation Speaker Biographies
Tara Littlefield is the state botanist and manager of the Biological Assessment Branch at the Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves. She has over 17 years’ experience as a heritage botanist and ecologist and natural area conservation leadership. She coordinates the state’s Plant Conservation Alliance, a public private partnership working on rare plant and community conservation, and is the past president of the KNPS (2016-2022). Tara has a B.S. in Biochemistry from University of Louisville, M.S. in Forestry/Plant Ecology from the University of Kentucky and is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Kentucky in Forest/Natural Resource Conservation. Much of her work involves rare species surveys, general floristic inventories, natural areas inventory, biological research, acquisition/protection of natural areas, rare plant/community restoration and recovery, and biological/conservation program development and management.
James Kiser is a senior biologist with Stantec Consulting Services. He grew up along the base of Pine Mountain in Letcher County, Kentucky, received a B.S. degree from Morehead State University and completed courses toward a Master’s Science Degree at Eastern Kentucky University. James moved to the Big South Fork area in McCreary County in 2003 when he took a biologist position with the Daniel Boone National Forest. He is an old fashioned Naturalist spending the last 32 years studying the flora and fauna of Kentucky. He has traveled throughout the eastern and Midwestern United States conducting rare plant, reptile, amphibian, bat and mussel surveys.
Chris Benda is a botanist and past president of the Illinois Native Plant Society (2015-2016). Currently, he works as a Researcher at Southern Illinois University, where he coordinates the Plants of Concern Southern Illinois Program and teaches The Flora of Southern Illinois. Besides working at SIU, he conducts botanical fieldwork around the world, teaches a variety of classes at The Morton Arboretum and leads nature tours for Camp Ondessonk. He has research appointments with the University of Illinois and Argonne National Laboratory, and is an accomplished photographer and author of several publications about natural areas in Illinois. He is also known as Illinois Botanizer and can be reached by email at botanizer@gmail.com.
Wildflower Weekend 2023 Registration Form
Thank you for your interest in Wildflower Weekend 2023. We have shut down online registration, but you can register onsite at the registration desk on either Friday afternoon, or all day Saturday.
April 8 – 16, First Day Hikes, BotanyBlitz, & Wildflower Weekend
Design by Kendall McDonald
In less than 2 months, the Kentucky Native Plant Society’s Wildflower Week 2023 will begin!
Join with other nature lovers, families, community scientists, amateur naturalists, and professional botanists, from across the Commonwealth, as we explore the beauty and diversity of Kentucky’s native plant communities in April.
We are excited to be making some big changes this year: while our friends at Natural Bridge SRP have hosted Wildflower Weekend for over 30 years, we want to give parks across the state the opportunity to show off their unique ecology and geology, as well as their spring flora. To accomplish this, we plan to alternate Wildflower Weekend locations between Natural Bridge SRP in even-numbered years, and other Kentucky parks in odd-numbered years. For Wildflower Weekend 2023 (April 14th-16th) we’re delighted to be meeting at beautiful Cumberland Falls SRP & the Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area.
But our celebration isn’t just limited to Wildflower Weekend itself — continuing our new tradition, we will be holding a week-long BotanyBlitz (April 8-15) hosted on iNaturalist. To help us kick off the BotanyBlitz, we will host a number of BotanyBlitz First Day Hikes in natural areas across the Commonwealth. The First Day Hikes and the BotanyBlitz will be opportunities to broaden our spring wildflower scope to the entire state of Kentucky and allow us to highlight natural areas across the state!
Details are still being worked out, but we anticipate opening up registration to all of the events in early March. Kentucky Native Plant Society members will be given the first opportunity to register for the events, before they are opened up to the general public.
We have also created a page for Wildflower Week 2023, where the latest information will be posted as it is developed. Please visit and bookmark.
BotanyBlitz 2023
Leading up to Wildflower Weekend will be our third annual, week-long BotanyBlitz, which will run from Saturday, April 8, through Saturday, April 15, and will be hosted on the iNaturalist website. A BotanyBlitz is a community-science event that focuses on finding and identifying as many plant species as possible within a designated location and time period. To join in the fun, please log in or sign up for an iNaturalist account, then head to the BotanyBlitz project page and click “Join” in the top right corner.
Commencing on Saturday, April 8, and continuing all week, we are encouraging everyone to visit parks and natural areas throughout the Commonwealth, to find and photograph native plants (with an emphasis on those in bloom) and upload them to iNat. If you’re not sure how to identify a plant you see, you can use iNat’s excellent mobile app to suggest identifications based on your photos, and iNat’s community of expert botanists and naturalists can add comments to your “digital specimens” to confirm or help correct the ID.
BotanyBlitz 2023 First Day Hikes
To kick off 2023’s BotanyBlitz, on Saturday, April 8 we will host a series of First Day Hikes in parks and natural areas across the Commonwealth. These easy nature walks will be led by local botanizers and iNat users who are familiar with the local native flora you’ll encounter. Don’t forget to make sure you’ve joined the BotanyBlitz iNat project before embarking on the hike! And if you’re new to iNaturalist, we recommend signing up for an account, then joining our BotanyBlitz project, and downloading the iNaturalist mobile app in advance of the hike to give yourself time to “test drive” the app. You can check out these video tutorials to get started!
Although the First Day Hikes are intended to give the BotanyBlitz a strong start, you do not need to be an iNat user to sign up for these hikes — all wildflower enthusiasts are welcome to join in!
Wildflower Weekend 2023
The culmination of Wildflower Week will be our 34th annual Wildflower Weekend, scheduled for April 14, 15, & 16. The weekend will offer wildflower hikes Friday afternoon and all day Saturday, led by some of the best botanists in the state. These hikes will explore the region’s rich natural heritage and resources in Cumberland State Resort Park and the Big South Fork Recreation Area. Friday evening there will be a campfire social gathering to meet your fellow native plant enthusiasts. On Saturday night we will have a KNPS member meeting (the general public is welcome), several botanically oriented talks, and a native plant raffle.
This event is open to the public and kid-friendly. Admission is $10 for adults, $3 for ages 13-17, and free for ages 12 & under.
In June of 2022, a KNPS member posted an image on the KNPS Facebook group page of an old Wildflower Weekend t-shirt she had found in a thrift store. Asking among several longtime members, it turns out that in the 1990s, and into the early 2000’s, KNPS produced t-shirts for each Wildflower Weekend. This was such a fun idea, we have decided to bring back this great tradition. We wanted the design to be similar to the 1991 shirt, with native plant species as the central element. We also wanted to use species that would likely be flowering (or showing attractive foliage) in mid-April, in the area around Cumberland Falls. We surveyed the KNPS membership to find out which wildflower the community wanted to see on a t-shirt, and the winning species was the lovely American Trout Lily (Erythronium americanum).
Many thanks to the artistic talents of KNPS member Kendall MacDonald for creating this gorgeous illustration for our 2023 Wildflower Weekend! This beautiful image will be featured on an adult t-shirt, a coffee mug, a kid’s t-shirt, and an adult hoodie and all will be available for sale on our KNPS Gear Shop when event registration begins in early March.
Kendall McDonald, Wildflower Weekend Logo Designer
Short’s goldenrod (Solidago shortii) with Kendall McDonald
Kendall McDonald is an artist, botanist and lichenologist that grew up in Owen County, Kentucky. She developed a love for art and nature at a young age, and carried that with her into her education and career. After getting her bachelors degree in biology at Morehead State University, she started at the Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves as a heritage botanist and lichenologist. For the last 5 years, she has been an active member of the Kentucky Native Plant Society as a member of planning committees and a co-editor for the Lady Slipper newsletter. Her passion for biodiversity permeates her art, as her collection mostly consists of paintings of Kentucky native species and landscapes. She combined her love of spring ephemerals and wonderful Kentucky landscapes to create the design for the t-shirt and stickers for Wildflower Weekend 2023! The design is a close up of the gorgeous native Yellow Trout Lily (Erythronium americanum) over a background of Cumberland Falls.
“Coming Together to Discuss Current Botany Projects, Conservation, and Collaboration in Kentucky and Beyond”
On Thursday, January 26, 2023, the Kentucky Native Plant Society and the Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves held our third annual, virtual, Botanical Symposium. Close to 200 folks were able to attend online to hear and see several presentations about our native plants and plant communities. We know that there are many who would have liked to participate, but were not able to do so. Here are videos of all of the presentations.
Thursday, January 26, 2023, 9:00AM-11:30AM EST, Virtual & Free
“Coming together to discuss current botanical projects, conservation, and collaboration in Kentucky and beyond”
The Kentucky Native Plant Society (KNPS) and Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves (OKNP) is co-hosting the annual Kentucky Botanical Symposium onThursday, January 26th from 9:00AM-11:30AM EST. For several years, KNPS has organized a botanical symposium with a goal of bringing together professionals, community scientists, academics, researchers, gardeners, and students to learn about what is going on in the world of Kentucky botany and beyond. This year, speakers and facilitators include Tara Littlefield (OKNP/KYPCA) discussing the current state of Kentucky plant conservation, Jeff Nelson providing KNPS updates, Dr. Alan Weakley (NCBG) providing an update on the SE flora project, Justin Thomas (NatureCITE) providing an overview of management effects on grasslands in Missouri, Nour Salam (OKNP) discussing modernizing data collection for field botanists and land managers, and Dr. Bridgette Williams discussing conservation genetics and the recent Kentucky Glade Cress (Leavenworthia exigua var. leavenworthia) project.
We are accepting updates from our plant partners to be featured in the botanical stakeholders highlights portion of the meeting. You can submit a PowerPoint slide including information about news or events to be featured during the symposium break. If you want to update Kentucky’s botanical community about recent native plant related news, projects, or upcoming events, please contact us at BotanicalSymposium@knps.org to be added to the stakeholders update section.
Starting in 2021, the Kentucky Native Plant Society began formally recognizing individuals with the KNPS Conservation Award. Individuals are recognized for their outstanding contributions in advancing KNPS’s mission: to promote education about, appreciation for, and conservation of Kentucky’s native plants and native plant communities. If you know of someone deserving of this award, please send us an email to BotanicalSymposium@knps.org with the individual’s name (and contact info) and a description of what this person has done to qualify for this recognition.
Agenda
Welcome & General Symposium Rules Overview, Heidi Braunreiter, KNPS Vice-President
Kentucky Native Plant Society Updates, Jeff Nelson, KNPS President
State of Kentucky Plant Conservation, Tara Littlefield, OKNP State Botanist, Plant Conservation & Biological Assessment Branch Manager & KPCA Coordinator
Update on the Southeastern Flora Project, Dr. Alan Weakley, North Carolina Botanical Garden & Southeast Botanist
Modernizing Data Collection for Field Botany and Management, Nour Salam, OKNP Database Analyst
Break with stakeholder and upcoming events slideshow updates
Species Level Vegetation Monitoring – Letting the Trees, Forbs, Grasses, and Communities Speak for Themselves, Justin Thomas, NatureCITE Co-director
Advancing Plant Conservation with Genetic and Epigenetic Tools: A case study of the federally threatened “Kentucky glade cress,” Leavenworthia exigua var. laciniata, Dr. Bridgette Williams & Dr. Christie Edwards, Missouri Botanical Garden
Questions and Discussions Section, Moderator: Ted Brancheau, KNPS Board Member
Kentucky Botanical Symposium Speakers:
Kentucky Native Plant Society Updates, Jeff Nelson, KNPS President
Jeff Nelson has a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of California at Santa Barbara. Jeff worked as the IT Director of the Paducah Independent School District for 15 years, retiring in 2008. A native of California, Jeff, his wife Liz, and his son Aaron, moved to McCracken Co., Kentucky, in 1987. After building their house on their 10 acres, the family has spent the last 30 years restoring the property from farmland to a native woodland. As a lifelong amateur naturalist, Jeff loves exploring Kentucky and learning about the rich diversity of the Commonwealth’s many ecosystems. He has been a member of the KNPS since the early 1990s and on the Board since 2017, and is the current KNPS president (2022-2024)
Jeff Nelson
State of Kentucky Plant Conservation, Tara Littlefield, OKNP State Botanist, Plant Conservation & Biological Assessment Branch Manager & KPCA Coordinator
Tara Littlefield is the state botanist and manager of the Plant Conservation and Biological Assessment Branch at the Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves. She has over 17 years’ experience as a heritage biologist (botany and ecology) and natural area conservation leadership. She also coordinates the states Plant Conservation Alliance, a public private partnership working on rare plant and community conservation, and is the past president of the KNPS (2016-2022). Tara has a B.S. in Biochemistry from University of Louisville, M.S. in Forestry/Plant Ecology from the University of Kentucky and is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Kentucky in Forest/Natural Resource Conservation. Much of her work involves rare species surveys, general floristic inventories, natural areas inventory, biological research, acquisition/protection of natural areas, rare plant/community restoration and recovery, and biological/conservation program development and management.
Tara Littlefield
Update on the Southeastern Flora Project, Dr. Alan Weakley, Plant Taxonomist, Community Ecologist, UNC herbarium director and professor
Alan Weakley is a plant taxonomist, community ecologist, and conservationist specializing in the Southeastern United States. He holds a B.A. from UNC-Chapel Hill and a Ph.D. from Duke University. He has worked as botanist and ecologist for the N.C. Natural Heritage Program, and as regional and chief ecologist for The Nature Conservancy and NatureServe. He is currently Director of the UNC Herbarium, a department of the N.C. Botanical Garden, and teaches as adjunct faculty at UNC-Chapel Hill and at the Highlands Biological Station. Alan is the author and coordinator of The Flora of the Southeastern United States is an open access, downloadable flora with over 10,000 species. See the article about this important research here: Flora of the Southeastern United States – 2020 Edition. He has also released an app, FloraQuest, co-developed with Michael Lee and Rudy Nash, covering the Southeastern United States flora. Alan focuses on systematics and biogeography of the Southeastern United States, community classification developing the U.S. National Vegetation Classification, and land management, conservation planning, and environmental policy involving the conservation of Southeastern United States ecosystems and species.
Dr. Alan Weakley
Modernizing Data Collection for Field Botany and Management, Nour Salam, OKNP Database Analyst
Nour Salam is a database analyst at the Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves. She is passionate about using her SQL and GIS skills to guide data-driven conservation decisions. Nour earned a bachelor’s degree in Biology from the American University of Beirut and a master’s degree in marine biodiversity and conservation from the University of Pierre and Marie Curie, and got the opportunity to live in five different countries as part of that path. For the last 3 years, she has been focusing on managing Kentucky’s natural heritage database and making sure that staff botanists, zoologists, and land managers have the GIS tools they need to operate efficiently in the field. During her off time, she’s currently pursuing her mission to birdwatch in every Kentucky county, and to hike the state’s most beautiful preserves and trails.
Nour Salam
Species Level Vegetation Monitoring – Letting the Trees, Forbs, Grasses, and Communities Speak for Themselves, Justin Thomas, Co-Director of NatureCITE, Director of the Institute of Botanical Training
Justin Thomas is the co-founder and Science Director of NatureCITE and the co-founder and Director of the Institute of Botanical Training. He conducts ecological and taxonomic research, instructs plant identification workshops, and serves as a scientific advisor to several conservation organizations in the central and eastern United States.
Justin Thomas
Advancing Plant Conservation with Genetic and Epigenetic Tools: A case study of the federally threatened “Kentucky glade cress,” Leavenworthia exigua var. laciniata, Dr. Bridgette Williams & Dr. Christie Edwards, Missouri Botanical Garden
Brigette Williams is a Postdoctoral Fellow in Plant Conservation Genetics in the Center for Conservation and Sustainable Development at the Missouri Botanical Garden. Her primary research interests focus on understanding how plants with limited or fixed genetic diversity, such as rare and endangered species, respond to and survive changing environmental conditions in order to better conserve and protect native plants. She uses a range of approaches, including field-based and greenhouse experiments, in combination with genetic tools to identify important variation that can promote rare plants’ capacity to adapt and survive, and to enable their conservation.
