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. After a poll of our members, we have selected the gorgeous American trout-lily (Erythronium americanum) for our native plant spotlight.
Many thanks to the artistic talents of KNPS member Kendall MacDonald (Kendall’s bio is below the items) for creating the gorgeous illustration for our 2023 Wildflower Weekend! This beautiful image is featured on an adult t-shirt, a coffee mug, a kid’s t-shirt, and an adult hoodie.
Even if you are not planning on attending Wildflower Weekend 2023, you can still purchase a shirt or coffee cup with this lovely image.
Wildflower Weekend 2023 Merchandise
All of these items are produced by the manufacturer at the time of the order. Neither KNPS nor the manufacturer maintains any inventory. Because of this returns or exchanges are not possible if you order a wrong size, color, or simply don’t like the product. Please carefully double check your order before placing it. We can make exchanges if the product arrives damaged in some way. If you have any questions or receive a damaged product, please contact us at WildflowerWeekend2023@knps.org.
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.
To kick off BotanyBlitz 2023 and Wildflower Week, 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 who know the native plant species that will be encountered in each area. As the First Day hikes are meant to start the BotanyBlitz project, we are hoping that folks who plan to participate will sign up for an iNaturalist account (if they don’t already have one) and join the BotanyBlitz 2023 project.
Please fill out the form at the bottom of this page if you are going to participate in one of the First Day hikes. If you have any questions email us at WildflowerWeekend2023@knps.org.
List of First Day Hikes
10:00 AM EDT Pine Creek Barrens Nature Preserve, Shepherdsville KY: 1.5 miles, easy loop trail. Join Kentucky Native Plant society member Alan Abbott on a spring barrens walk through the preserve, just a short drive from Louisville, KY. Meet and park in the Pine Creek Barrens parking area (1264 Pine Creek Trail, Shepherdsville, KY 40165).
10:00 AM EDT St. Anne Woods and Wetlands, Melbourne KY: 0.7 miles, easy walk, loop trail. Join Northern Kentucky University professor, Dr. Maggie Whitson, on this walk through the wetlands and floodplain of the Ohio River. Trails may be muddy, so choose footwear accordingly. Park and meet at the St. Anne Convent visitor parking lot (off Mary Ingles Hwy, Melbourne, KY 41059).
12:00 PM CDT Woodland Walk Trail & Honker Lake Trail, Land Between the Lakes (LBL) National Recreation Area, Eddyville KY: 2.5 miles, easy walk, loop trail. Walk with Murray State graduate student Gage Barnes along the Woodland Walk Trail & part of Honker Lake Trail and see a diversity of woodland plant species. Meet and park at the Woodlands Nature Station parking lot (3146 Silver Trail Road, Cadiz, KY 42211).
10:00 AM CDT River Styx Spring Trail & Dixon Cave Trail, Mammoth Cave National Park, Park City KY: moderate hike that descends 300 ft in elevation, then ascends again. Learn with Mammoth Cave naturalists Steve Kistler, Janet Kistler, and Carol Friedman on these trails with a wide variety of spring wildflowers and impressive rock formations. Park and meet at the flagpole at the Mammoth Cave Visitors Center (1 Mammoth Cave Pkwy, Mammoth Cave, KY 42259).
10:00 AM CDT Metropolis Lake SNP, McCracken Co, KY: 1 mile, easy to moderate walk, some off trail. Join Kentucky Native Plant Society President, Jeff Nelson & KNPS Member and Nature Preserves Monitor, Bob Dunlap, on this walk through the bald cypress-tupelo swamp forest on the floodplains of Metropolis Lake SNP. In addition to the trees we should see several species of spring ephemerals in flower. If we are lucky we will also see the rare (in KY) Carolina silverbells tree (Halesia carolina) in flower. Parts of the walk may be muddy, so choose footwear accordingly. Meet at the Metropolis Lake parking area (Stafford Rd, McCracken Co., KY)
First Day Hike Registration Form
Please complete the form below if you are going to participate in one of the First Day hikes.
Leading up to Wildflower Weekend will be our week long BotanyBlitz 2023, which will run from Saturday, April 8, through Saturday, April 15. This is the third year for our BotanyBlitz, which is an effort to document as many plant species as possible within Kentucky during the week preceding Wildflower Weekend 2023. The BotanyBlitz will be again hosted on the community science website iNaturalist, and participants will be using the iNaturalist mobile app (or website, if your preferred camera is not a smartphone!) to upload photos of budding and blooming plants they observe in local parks, state parks, wildlife sanctuaries, and nature preserves.
At the end of the week, we will have a map and totals by numbers, species, and by each person of all the great collections we found! Additionally, expert botanists and people with a keen identifying eye will be able to add comments to your specimens on why they agree or disagree with a certain identification, so we can learn better ways to ID plants in the future.
In 2022, BotanyBlitz was a great success. We had well over 100 observers who made over 4,400 observations of 536 species of plants.
Of course, you don’t need to wait till the BotanyBlitz to start making observations on iNaturalist, and wildflowers across Kentucky are already starting to show their stuff.
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.
Among the bald cypress knees at Metropolis Lake SNP
Like many of you, I love early spring and exploring the woods for the first native plants to appear and blossom. Here, on our place in McCracken county, we have spring beauties (Claytonia virginica), yellow corydalis (Corydalis flavula), common violet (Viola soria), downy serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea), and pawpaw (Asimina triloba) all in bloom. Lots of natives are just now popping out of the ground everywhere I look. After the severe drought we experienced last summer all the signs are that this will be a good year for our native plants. I hope you all are having the opportunity to get out into Kentucky’s native plant communities and are enjoying the spring rebirth.
Tomorrow, Saturday, April 8 begins KNPS’s Wildflower Week 2023. The week will begin with a series of First Day Hikes at locations around the commonwealth. From Metropolis Lake in McCracken county to St. Anne Woods and Wetlands in Campbell county, and several locations in between, these easy nature walks will be led by local botanizers who know the native plant species that will be encountered in each area. If you would like to learn more about these hikes and join one, just visit this page: Kick-off BotanyBlitz 2023 with a First Day Hike on April 8.
The First Day Hikes begin our week long BotanyBlitz 2023, which will run from Saturday, April 8, through Saturday, April 15. This is the third year for our BotanyBlitz, which is an effort to document as many plant species as possible within Kentucky during the week preceding Wildflower Weekend 2023. The BotanyBlitz will be again hosted on the community science website iNaturalist, and participants will be using the iNaturalist mobile app (or website, if your preferred camera is not a smartphone!) to upload photos of budding and blooming plants they observe in local parks, state parks, wildlife sanctuaries, and nature preserves. Last year’s BotanyBlitz 2022 had over 100 participants in more than 70 counties in Kentucky make 4,456 observations of 536 different species of plants, including 6 species that are rare in Kentucky. I encourage everyone reading this message to join in this exciting and valuable community science project. Learn how to participate here: Become Part of BotanyBlitz 2023! April 8 – April 15.
Last, but certainly by no means least, Wildflower Week 2023 comes to its conclusion with Wildflower Weekend 2023 at Cumberland Falls State Resort Park on Friday, April 14th & Saturday, April 15th, 2023. This is the 34th year that the Kentucky Native Plant Society has organized and held this amazing spring event and the first year that it has been held in a location other than Natural Bridge SRP. For fans of Natural Bridge and the Red River Gorge (and who cannot be a fan of that amazing region of Kentucky?) don’t worry, we will be back at Natural Bridge in April of 2024. The KNPS Board that we will have future Wildflower Weekends in even numbered years at Natural Bridge and in odd numbered years we will be moving the event around the state to other parks and natural areas.
Wildflower Weekend 2023 is shaping up to be among the best events KNPS has put on. There are 19 different hikes, led by some of the best botanists in Kentucky, exploring native plant communities in Cumberland Falls and the surrounding area. Several of the hikes are full, but there are still spots open in all of the time slots (Friday afternoon, Saturday morning, and Saturday afternoon.) The weekend’s events will culminate with the Saturday evening talks in the Moonbow Conference Room. Scheduled talks are Trilliums of Kentucky Update, by Tara Littlefield, Southern Kentucky Landscape Features and Associated Rare Species, by James Kiser, and Botanical Humor: You Never Knew Plants Were So Funny, by Chris Benda. Read all about Wildflower Weekend 2023 and register here: Wildflower Weekend 2023 – Registration is Now Open!
By Jonathan O.C. Kubesch1,2, Derek Hilfiker 1,2, Frank Reith 1,2, Dillon Golding 1,3 , Joe House4, Jenna Beville1, Peter Arnold1,5, and Forrest Brown1
Virginia Tech School of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Blacksburg, VA
Country Home Farms, Pembroke, VA
Hoot Owl Hollow Farm, Woodlawn, VA
Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
Arnold Classic Farms, Chestertown, MD
The vast majority of Kentucky’s population is not directly involved with livestock. However, backyard chickens have become a popular trend in recent years. Many people are raising chickens both for their fresh eggs and as pets. Some households even dabble in turkeys and ducks. While these birds can be a fun and rewarding addition to any backyard, there is some debate about whether or not they harm native plants and landscaping. In this article, we discuss both sides of the argument to determine whether backyard chickens help or harm native plants. Potential solutions and management ideas will also be presented in this article to balance your interest in native plants as well as backyard poultry.
Benefits of Backyard Poultry for Native Plants
There are several ways that you and your native plants can benefit from raising backyard poultry. In this section, we’ll review a few.
Pest control
One of the primary benefits of backyard chickens and other poultry is that they can help control pests. Chickens love to eat insects and other small animals that can be harmful to native plants. A few examples of this are chickens searching and eating beetle grubs such as June beetles (Cotinis nitida), common black ants (Lasius niger), and brown marmorated stink bugs (Halyomorpha halys). Removing these insects can be beneficial to desired plants. By reducing the number of pests in your backyard, your plants are more likely to thrive and grow.
Free organic fertilizer
Another benefit of backyard chickens is that they can provide a source of natural fertilizer. Manure is composed of ammonium, which is a volatile form of nitrogen, and organic N, which is stable but not immediately available. Poultry manure has one considerable advantage: it does not require commercial production and is a by-product of livestock production. Chicken manure is high in nitrogen, which is essential for healthy plant growth. By adding chicken manure to your garden, you can improve the soil quality and increase the nutrient content of your plants. This can help native plants grow stronger and healthier, making them more resistant to pests and diseases.
Poultry manure is a valuable resource that is often undervalued and subsequently misused in gardens and on farms. Fresh poultry manure typically contains 1.3% nitrogen (N), of which 55% is available for crop uptake (Zublena et. al 1996). Poultry manure also contains between 1.1-1.3% P2O5 (phosphate) and 0.5-0.8% K2O (potash). When using recommended poultry stocking rates, an average of 19 lbs N/ac, 31 lbs P2O5/ac, and 16 lbs K2O/ac are defecated in poultry manure monthly. If you were to assume a 40-lb bag of 13-13-13, a commonly used home fertilizer, costs $20, then accounting for the nitrogen contribution of poultry manures saves you $73 per acre each month on fertilizer. Scaled to your backyard, this might translate to $33 of nitrogen savings.
Of course, the nutrients from the manure need to be utilized, otherwise the full economic benefits will not be realized. Native plants are often slower to use nitrogen compared to introduced species, and so limited applications of poultry manure are preferable to larger deposits. To best utilize the manure nutrients, consider rotating poultry through garden or lawn areas, which will help nourish plant growth without the need for synthetic fertilizers. Backyard gardeners might prioritize getting their bird manure into vegetable gardens, then cool-season lawns, and finally into native plantings. Synthetic fertilizers are incapable of adding carbon to the soil as they do not contain carbon. When considering the immediate savings on fertilizer and the long-term increase in soil carbon, having poultry provides many other benefits beyond the meat and eggs produced.
Figure 1. Nitrogen cycle in mineral soils showing various transformations and processes related to fertilization practices (Havlin et al., 2014).
Nitrogen cycling in mineral soils is a complex process with several pathways: plant uptake, soil-bound, aqueous losses via leaching, gaseous losses via denitrification, nitrification, and urea hydrolysis (Figure 1). Although manure and urea forms of nitrogen result in gaseous losses, utilizing litter as a part of a fertility regimen is a beneficial use of a by-product of livestock production. Additionally, using a mobile coop may be advantageous compared to stationary chicken coops, which often result in exposed soil. Exposed soil presents an issue when considering the advantages of poultry litter fertilization. When there is a lack of plant cover to protect the soil, there is additionally a lack of plant matter to incorporate nitrogen from poultry litter.
Improved soil organic matter
Poultry manures also provide valuable carbon (C) to the soil, something that inorganic fertilizers cannot do. Coops and runs full of wood shavings, sawdust, or other carbon sources can bind up the nitrogen in poultry manure and produce a more stable compost. Poultry manure can be a more stable form of fertilizer for native plants as the bedding material immobilizes nitrogen and then gradually releases the nitrogen back into the rhizosphere.
Plant roots can then uptake this nitrogen. This carbon is cycled by soil microbes into soil organic matter, which helps soil hold more water and provide more nutrients to plants, among many other benefits. While it is difficult to place a monetary value on the carbon additions of poultry manure, repeated applications will build up soil organic matter, saving you money in the long run from the countless benefits seen from increased organic matter. It should be noted that shavings are an additional cost to consider. This organic matter can also serve as an enriched mulch around native plant beds that can suppress weed seedlings.
Health and safety considerations
The direct application of fresh manure can also be detrimental to plants and their fruits. High levels of nitrogen, in the forms of urea and ammonia, and salts are often toxic to common vegetables and fruits. A direct application may quickly kill many desirable species. Conversely, manure with shavings will increase the amount of carbon present, which will immobilize nitrogen, making it less available to plants (Mahr, 2012). Bacteria harmful to humans such as E. Coli are often present in manure as well.
Composting recommendations vary, but it is generally accepted that poultry litter should be aged for 3-5 months and have reached a temperature of 140-160 degrees Fahrenheit. The USDA recommends waiting 120 days before eating crops fertilized with manure (Swanson, 2016).
Native plants for the backyard flock
Certain native plants can tolerate disturbance and high soil fertility, such as the rare previously federally-listed running buffalo clover (Trifolium stoloniferum). In another case, wild onions (Allium canadense) tend to grow rapidly, exhibit good health, and have increased numbers after a period of poultry foraging (F. Reith, personal observation). Across eastern North America, some native plants can even require regular disturbance to remain useful to wildlife (Table 1) (Kubesch et al., 2022; Brooke & Harper, 2018).
Common name
Scientific name
Big bluestem
Andropogon gerardii
Little bluestem
Schizachyrium scoparium
Indiangrass
Sorghastrum nutans
Black-eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
Maximilian sunflower
Helianthus maximiliani
Annual gaillardia
Gaillardia pulchella
Running buffalo clover**
Trifolium stoloniferum
Wild Onion
Allium canadense
Table 1. Native herbaceous plants with tolerance to high fertility and/or disturbance conditions.*
*Based on ongoing research at Virginia Tech as part of Bee-Friendly Beef; Kubesch, 2018. **Running buffalo clover will be commercially available in 2027 in Kentucky. The authors anticipate that commercial availability will allow this species to serve as an alternate turf.
It is important to have woody plants that can benefit poultry year-round and cater to their needs. These species should provide shelter, protection, and serve as a food source. A variety of trees and shrubs can create layered diversity even across a “thin” woodland or a mixed range. Picture this as a layered forest garden for your flock.
Amongst the native species, there are a few that stand out and will serve your birds well:
Mulberry (Morus spp.) is a native deciduous tree that most landowners probably already have on their property. It produces sweet berries that are loved by poultry and it can tolerate a wide range of soils and is easy to grow.
Another great woody plant is serviceberry. Serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea) is another native deciduous shrub that can tolerate poultry well. It produces clusters of white flowers in the spring followed by blue to black berries in the summer.
Elderberry (Sambucus spp.) is a small tree that you might already have due to its preference for rich soils. This tree would do well downslope in a backyard. It provides shade and serves as an additional food source.
A tree that also might be found downslope is the dogwood (Cornus spp.) as it too thrives in rich, fertile soil. It will provide your flock with late season fruit to further diversify their diet.
Another great tree, especially for the winter months, is the crabapple. Crabapple (Malus spp.) has a tendency to hold onto its fruit until late fall/early winter and gradually drop off.
Further recommendations for shelter include eastern red cedars (Juniperus virginiana) and Willows (Salix spp.). Additional woody plant suggestions include various bramble fruits that are easily accessible to your birds. These include, but are not limited to blackberries, raspberries, and dewberries (Rubus spp).
Poultry can also be used to convert lawns into native plantings by destroying the existing vegetation (Arnold et al., 2022). This process is often unintentionally done when people first get into backyard chickens or poultry; however, it can be beneficial. Birds will forage and scratch through existing vegetation repeatedly when looking for food. Poultry preferentially eat broadleaf plants over grassy ones which can help to control the succulent broadleaf weeds around native plants. Furthermore, the continuous presence and addition of manure will also suppress and kill plants.
These actions combined will rapidly convert land to mud, dust, and manure when there is a large and stationary population. Poultry will not disturb more than the first 2-3 inches of soil generally, but nonetheless are an efficient form of “tillage” (Lee & Foreman, 2011). Such shallow tillage might be ideal for native plant seeding as it creates a fertile and loose seed bed. This scratching will likely be insufficient to plug plants. Controlled long-term presence of poultry may therefore allow for a natural, low cost, and easy form of native seed bed preparation.
That’s the question I hear most often at native plant events. People want to know where they can purchase Kentucky native plants.
If you’re in central Kentucky, you have a nursery nearby that’s dedicated to native plants: Ironweed Native Plant Nursery. Every plant is a Kentucky native.
Owner Alicia Bosela started Ironweed Native Plant Nursery in Columbia, Kentucky about eight years ago. Last fall, Alicia bought property in Waddy Kentucky and moved her nursery there in February of this year. In the last two months, Alicia has made many new connections with educators and growers in the area. Alicia says “The momentum for native plants is growing!”
Alicia’s still moving in. She’s currently in the process of expanding an area for native plants that prefer shade by hanging shade cloth.
Fortunately for us, Ironweed is fully stocked with native plants ready for new homes. You’ll find an amazing selection of flowers, grasses, trees, and shrubs, all native to Kentucky.
Ironweed Native Plant Nursery is open for business by appointment. The nursery’s number is (270) 250-3587 and the email address is info@ironweednursery.com. The physical location is 400 Waddy Road, Waddy, KY 40076, which is easy to find. The entrance is on the east side of the road and clearly marked. You can also order online by pointing your browser to https://www.ironweednursery.com/. You can follow the nursery on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Ironweednursery/.
A couple of happy customers, Kris and Charlie Goggin visit Ironweed.
