Friday, February 2, 2024, 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 the Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves (OKNP) is co-hosting the 4th annual Kentucky Botanical Symposium on Friday, February 2nd, from 9:00AM-11:30AM EST. For ten 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 Jeff Nelson providing KNPS updates, Tara Littlefield (OKNP) providing current state updates related to Kentucky plant conservation, Bashira Chowdhury (Mississippi State University) discussing Prices potato bean (Apios priceana) and pollinators, Vanessa Volker (OKNP) presenting awards for the Kentucky Botanist Big Year project on iNaturalist, Dr. Sally Chambers (Eastern Kentucky University) discussing filmy fern (Vandenboschia boschiana), Dr. Shawn Krosnick and Chris Waters (Tennessee Tech) covering pollinator interactions in rare plants and Invasive Plant Assessments by Frannie Preston and Dr. Ellen Crocker (University of Kentucky and Invasive Plant Council-KY-IPC).

We are also 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, check the appropriate box in the registration form below. Upon submitting your registration you will be directed to a page where you will be able to upload your slide.

KNPS is also taking nominations and giving out awards for significant conservation actions in Kentucky in 2023. As you register for the Botanical Symposium you will have the option to nominate organizations or individuals in the following categories:

• Plant Conservation Organization Award: An agency or organization that has contributed significantly to Kentucky plant conservation in 2023
• Plant Conservation Individual Award: A person who has contributed significantly to Kentucky conservation in 2023
• Ex situ conservation Award: Person or agency that has significantly contributed to ex situ plant conservation in Kentucky in 2023
• Plant Research Award: Person or agency that has significantly contributed to plant research in Kentucky in 2023
• Stewardship Award: Person or agency that has significantly contributed to native plant community stewardship in KY in 2023
• Community Science Award: Person or agency that has significantly contributed to community science in KY in 2023

We hope you will be able to attend the Botanical Symposium. If you have any questions, please contact us at BotanicalSymposium@knps.org.

Tentative Agenda

Finalized agenda will be distributed at a later date to those who register. The following list is tentative and non-comprehensive.

Welcome & General Symposium Rules Overview, Kendall McDonald, KNPS Vice-President

Kentucky Native Plant Society Updates, Jeff Nelson, KNPS President

State of Kentucky Plant Conservation, Tara Littlefield, OKNP Plant Conservation/Biological Assessment Branch Manager

Prices potato bean (Apios priceana) and pollinators, Bashira Chowdhury, Mississippi State Univeristy

Invasive Plant Assessments for Kentucky, Frannie Preston and Dr. Ellen Crocker, University of Kentucky, Invasive Pest Council

Filmy Ferns in Kentucky, Dr. Sally Chambers, Eastern Kentucky University herbarium curator

Break with stakeholder and upcoming events slideshow

Studying pollinator interactions in rare plant species: old dog, new tricks, Dr. Shawn Krosnick and Chris Waters, Tennessee Tech

Kentucky Botanists Big Year iNaturalist overview and awards, Vanessa Voelker, OKNP

Conservation Awards Ceremony and Tribute to Bob Dunlap

Questions and Discussions Section

Coming Together to Discuss Current Botany Projects, Conservation, and Collaboration in Kentucky and Beyond

KNPS will be hosting our 4th annual, virtual, Botanical Symposium on Friday, February 2nd, from 9AM-11:30AM EST. For several years, KNPS has organized a botanical symposium in the fall/winter with a goal of bringing together professionals, citizen scientists, academics, gardeners and students in order to learn about what’s going on in the world of Kentucky Botany. Everyone interested in the native plants of Kentucky is welcome to watch the Symposium and there is no charge for this event. The Symposium will be recorded and will be made available online if you are unable to attend.

We are currently working on lining up presenters and developing the topics for the Symposium. Watch for the January Lady Slipper for details as they become available. In the meantime, you might want to watch the presentations from the 3rd Annual Botanical Symposium, the 2nd Annual Botanical Symposium, and the 1st Annual Botanical Symposium . If you have any questions, shoot us an email at KYPlants@knps.org

By Rachel Cook, EEC

On June 27-29, 2023, the Kentucky Native Plant Society hosted two Wetland Plant ID Workshops at John James Audubon State Park in Henderson, KY. June 27 was a one day workshop for beginners and June 28-29 was a two day workshop for intermediate level participants. The workshops were well attended with 26 participants combined between both workshops, despite some challenging weather.

Participants visited several areas of John James Audubon State Park and nearby Sloughs Wildlife Management area. The workshop instructor, Nathanael Pilla of Midwest Biological Surveys, focused on more difficult taxa such as graminoids and aquatic species. He took students through overarching characteristics of wetland plants, such as unique adaptations for seed dispersal by water and drought tolerance.

Henderson County, where the workshop was located, has been understudied botanically, leading to several new county records being discovered over the course of the three days. These new county records include multiple species of duckweed (Lemna sp.), watermeal (Wolffia sp.), broad waterweed (Elodea canadensis, S3), and joint paspalum (Paspalum distichum). Some other highlights of the workshop were seeing multiple state watch-listed species (S3/S4), including hemlock water-parsnip (Sium suave) and white-nymph (Trepocarpus aethusae).

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Workshops are one of the ways the Society fulfills its mission of education about our native plants and native plant communities. Workshops generally are narrowly focused, usually with a single instructor. Most workshops involve a mix of classroom instruction and field work, with an emphasis on hands-on experience for all of the participants. We are already talking about workshops that KNPS might offer in 2024. If there are native plant-related topics that you think would make a good workshop or if you would be interested in presenting a workshop (or know of someone who is), please send us an email at KYPlants@knps.org.

Rachel Cook is a botanist at the Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves.

[THESE WORKSHOPS HAVE COMPLETED]
Some spaces are still available in both of the upcoming KNPS workshops. There will be both a beginner level and an intermediate level, Wetland Plant Identification workshop at John James Audubon State Park in Henderson, KY on June 27th for the Beginner class and June 28th-29th for the Intermediate class! The workshops are field courses, exploring the Ohio River wetlands and learning how to ID the plants that are found there. The workshops are conducted in sequence and interested parties can sign up for just the Beginner workshop, just the Intermediate workshop, or both. To register for the workshops, use the form at the bottom of this page.

The Beginner Wetland Plant ID workshop will be one day long, on June 27^th, from 9AM CDT – 5PM CDT. The Beginner workshop will cover basic flower structure, leaf arrangement, etc. while highlighting plants as we go. It will be less technical with a focus on demystifying the nomenclature so as to be able to start keying plants out. The instructor will introduce C-values, wetland indicator status, and the basics on how to see the landscape in a broader, phytological way. There is a $25 registration fee for this workshop.

The Intermediate Wetland Plant ID workshop will be held over two days, June 28-29^th, from 9AM CDT – 5PM CDT each day. This workshop is aimed towards individuals with some prior experience in field identification of wetland plants and will focus on how to identify more complicated genera and groups (i.e. graminoids and asters). An understanding of basic floral morphology (petals, sepals, tepals, stamens, etc.) is more or less expected. We will be looking at keys and getting a bit deeper in the descriptive elements of the flora.In addition to Audubon State Park, there may be a visit to other close natural areas. There is a $75 registration fee for this course.

Courses will take place from 9am-5pm CDT each day and have a 1-hour break for lunch (bring your own lunch). You will need to bring a notebook, loupe or hand-lens, phone or camera, pencils, and preferred reference book if you’d like. Remember that these are field courses and may get into wet areas, so please wear appropriate clothing and bring water.

If you have any questions, email us at KYPlants@knps.org

*About the Instructor

Nathanael J. Pilla is a botanist for Midwest Biological Survey, LLC. He also is an adjunct professor at University of Notre Dame, hosts the YouTube series, Botany and Beer, and is part of the Chicago Wilderness Alliance Steering Committee. Nathanael is well versed in the terrestrial and aquatic flora of the Midwest bringing his knowledge and charisma with him in and outside the workplace. He has experience in botanical research and identification, hands-on resource management, project management and plant identification, and his written work has appeared in peer-reviewed journals. He recently co-authored the book, Wildflowers of the Indiana Dunes National Park, which was published through Indiana University Press. When he is not botanizing, he spends his time writing and singing ridiculous songs.

Registration Form for Workshops

Use this form to register for the workshop. The Intermediate workshop is now full, You can still sign up for the Beginner workshop on June 27th .

Beginner Wetland Plant ID

When: Tuesday, June 27th, 2023
Time:  9am-5pm Central Time
Where:  John James Audubon State Park, Henderson, KY. Meet at the Museum parking lot.
Cost:  $25
Bring your own lunch. This is a field course, so please wear appropriate clothing and shoes and bring water.

Instructor: Nathanael J. Pilla*

Intermediate Wetland Plant ID

When: Wednesday & Thursday, June 28th & 29th, 2023
Time:  9am-5pm Central Time
Where:  John James Audubon State Park, Henderson, KY. Meet at the Museum parking lot.
Cost:  $75
Bring your own lunch. This is a field course, so please wear appropriate clothing and shoes and bring water.

Instructor: Nathanael J. Pilla*

KNPS is delighted to offer two new workshops this summer. We will be offering both a beginner level and an intermediate level, Wetland Plant Identification workshop at John James Audubon State Park in Henderson, KY! The workshops are conducted in sequence and interested parties can sign up for just the Beginner course, just the Intermediate course, or both.

The Beginner Wetland Plant ID workshop will be one day long, on June 27^th, focusing on learning botanical lingo and key features of common wetland plants in Kentucky. There is a $25 registration fee.

The Intermediate Wetland Plant ID workshop will be held over two days, June 28-29^th. This workshop is aimed towards individuals with some prior experience in field identification of wetland plants and will cover more challenging taxa with an emphasis on grasses, rushes, and sedges. In addition to Audubon State Park, there may be a visit to other close natural areas. There is a $75 registration fee for this course.

Courses will take place from 9am-5pm CDT each day and have a 1-hour break for lunch (bring your own lunch). You will need to bring a notebook, loupe or hand-lens, phone or camera, pencils, and preferred reference book if you’d like. Remember that these are field courses, so please wear appropriate clothing and bring water.

*About the Instructor

Nathanael J. Pilla is a botanist for Midwest Biological Survey, LLC. He also is an adjunct professor at University of Notre Dame, hosts the YouTube series, Botany and Beer, and is part of the Chicago Wilderness Alliance Steering Committee. Nathanael is well versed in the terrestrial and aquatic flora of the Midwest bringing his knowledge and charisma with him in and outside the workplace. He has experience in botanical research and identification, hands-on resource management, project management and plant identification, and his written work has appeared in peer-reviewed journals. He recently co-authored the book, Wildflowers of the Indiana Dunes National Park, which was published through Indiana University Press. When he is not botanizing, he spends his time writing and singing ridiculous songs.

Registration Form for Workshops

This form is used to register for either or both of the workshops. You can sign up for either one of the two courses (Beginner on June 27th or Intermediate on June 28th-29th) or you can sign up for both.

Plant Family Identification Motifs: patterns for simplifying the complexity

Instructor: Dr. Richard Abbott*

When: Saturday, July 30, 2022 Workshop has finished
Time:  9am-4pm Eastern Time
Where:  Bernheim Arboretum & Forest, meet at the Garden Pavilion
Cost:  $25 /$10 for students
Bring your own lunch, and wear hiking shoes

Using minimal basic vocabulary, approximately 30 plant families, and half a dozen artificial motifs, we will focus on plant identification patterns.  Learning Kentucky plants within a global framework not only empowers confidence in knowing what you know, but enables identifying more than 130,000 plants to family globally and provides a solid foundation for incorporating other family patterns.  Essentially, this workshop is an introduction to a way of thinking about how to organize botanical knowledge in a practical, applied way.

*About the Instructor

Dr. J. Richard Abbott, Assistant Professor of Biology, is the current Curator of the University of Arkansas Monticello Herbarium. At UAM, he teaches General Botany, Ecology, Medical Terminology, Regional Flora, and Plants in Our World and conducts floristic, systematic, and taxonomic research, especially with the milkwort family (Polygalaceae). He received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Biology and German from Berea College in Kentucky and both M.S. degree and Ph.D. in Botany from the University of Florida in Gainesville. His primary passion is teaching plant identification, using the local flora to understand global patterns. To that end, he is currently working to establish a living teaching collection on the UAM campus, with the ultimate goal of cultivating as many families and genera as possible.

Registration Form

Please fill out the form below to register for the workshop. The workshop is limited to 20 participants.

Wednesday, December 8, 9AM-1130AM EST, virtual and free

“Coming Together to Discuss Current Botany Projects: Conservation and Collaboration in Kentucky and Beyond”

Kentucky Native Plant Society (KNPS) is hosting our annual botanical symposium on Wednesday, December 8^th from 9AM-1130AM EST. For several years, KNPS has organized a botanical symposium in the fall/winter with a goal of bringing together professionals, community scientists, academics, researchers, gardeners and students in order to learn about what’s going on in the world of Kentucky Botany and beyond. Please join us!

To Kentucky Native Plant Society members and general native plant stakeholders! While the symposium agenda will highlight updates from Kentucky native plant society, the office of Kentucky Nature Preserves, and our main speakers from division of water, NRCS/Quail Forever/Southeastern Grasslands Initiative, and the Illinois plants of concern program, there will also be a section devoted to hearing about native plants projects from KNPS members and native plant stakeholders like YOU! If you would like to be included in this section, please send an email to Tara Littlefield @ tara.littlefield@ky.gov about the native plant project you are working on and you will be added to our stakeholder announcements section.

We are very excited to announce the agenda, featuring updates from botanists/ecologists from the Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves on state listings, adding plants to the state wildlife action plan, adopting a rockhouse in the RRG, implemented plant conservation conservation horticulture projects, and current monitoring programs; updates from Kentucky Native Plant Society board members on upcoming meetings and projects; Chris Benda, the Illinois botanizer, will be talking about the rare plant monitoring program he leads in southern Illinois, Brittney Viers will discuss working with private landowners to restore remnant prairies, Joey Shaw will discuss the Tennessee-Kentucky Plant Atlas, and Brittany White will provide updates on the Wetland Assessments conducted by Kentucky Division of Water. Click on the PDF below for the agenda.

Kentucky Botanical Symposium 2021 Speakers and Facilitators :

Brittney Viers, QF/NRCS TN State Coordinator/Southeastern Grasslands Initiative Liaison will be discussing Remnant Grassland Restoration on Private Lands in Kentucky and Tennessee.

“I’m originally from Northeast TX, which historically was the Blackland Prairie region.  My parents and I moved to southern Indiana since my Mother is from there.  I spent the rest of my childhood growing up on a row crop and cattle farm, but realized that natural history and ecology was my passion.  While in college at Murray State University studying Wildlife Biology I started working for IN DNR Div. of Nature Preserves and fell in love with the glades and barrens of southcentral IN.  I stayed at MSU to acquire a masters degree in Botany.  Because of my native plant and natural communities knowledge, I became a quail biologist in KY and later in TN working with private landowners desiring to restore habitat and improve their quail and other upland wildlife populations.  In 2019, I got the chance to have a strictly grasslands and quail focused position through a specialized Farm Bill grant in both KY and TN.  I will always strive to merge private lands work with restoration practices in degraded remnant grasslands since they are in desperate need of our recognition, care, and attention”. 

Chris Benda, Botanist and former president of the Illinois Native Plant Society will be discussing Monitoring Rare Plants of Southern Illinois (Plants of Concern program). 

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. Visit his website at https://illinoisbotanizer.com/

Brittany White, Division of Water Wetland Biologist, will be discussing Wetland Monitoring in Kentucky.

Brittany is a wetland biologist with the Kentucky Division of Water’s Wetlands Program.  After spending several years working in wetlands across the southeast, she is happy to work in Kentucky searching for salamanders, admiring soil profiles, and of course, looking at plants.  Although not in her job description, she also specializes in performing terrible nature-based parodies for her coworkers. When Brit is not at work, she enjoys meandering the woods with her best mutt Evelyn, hanging out with her two kiddos, and having far too many hobbies than is reasonable.

Dr. Joey Shaw, Associate Professor @ University of Tennessee, will be presenting on the Kentucky Tennessee Plant Atlas Project. 

Tara Littlefield, Botanist and Plant Conservation Section Manager at the Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves and President of the Kentucky Native Plant Society, will be co-facilitating the meeting and presenting updates on on a few priority plant projects from OKNP.

Tara Littlefield is the senior botanist and manager of the Plant Conservation Section at the Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves.  She serves on the board of the Kentucky Native Plant Society and coordinates the state’s plant conservation alliance activities-a public private partnership working on rare plant and community conservation.  She grew up on the southern edge of the cedar creek glade complex in Hardin County, Kentucky and has had a fascination with the natural world since a small child.  Tara has a B.S. in Biochemistry from University of Louisville and a M.S. in Forestry/Plant Ecology from the University of Kentucky.  Much of her work involves rare species surveys, general floristic inventories, natural areas inventory, acquisition of natural areas, and rare plant/community restoration and recovery.

Vanessa Voelker, botanist at OKNP, will be discussing the adopt a rockshelter program and other volunteer opportunies.

Vanessa Voelker is a botanist with the Plant Conservation Section at the Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves. Originally from central Illinois, Vanessa worked as a lab tech for the USDA before fleeing the lab for the woods, and honed her skills as a botany technician in Missouri and Indiana before coming to Kentucky in 2020. When she isn’t in the field, Vanessa is active on iNaturalist (@vvoelker) and is always happy to help with plant identification and offer pro-tips for differentiating between tricky species

Kendall McDonald, OKNP botanist/lichenologist will be presenting on the forest biodiversity project and lichen assessments.

Kendall McDonald is a KY native who researched lichens at Morehead State University. Since 2017, she has been a botanist and lichenologist with the Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves. She is the lead on OKNP’s Forest Biodiversity Assessment Program and lichen monitoring

Rachel Cook will be discussing the Kentucky Native Plant Suppliers database. Rachel Cook is a botany technician with the Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves. Rachel is a Kentucky native, growing up on a farm in Perryville, Kentucky. She graduated from the University of Kentucky with a B.A. and a B.S. in Environmental Sciences, but botany was always her passion. As a botany technician, she helps on rare plant surveys and floristic inventories throughout the state.  When not working, Rachel is tending to her house plant collection, hiking around Kentucky, or cuddling her cat.

Heidi Braunreiter will be presenting the KNPS updates and upcoming events. Heidi is a botanist and burn boss for the Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves. She is originally from Wisconsin and has done botanical surveys across the eastern United States. Heidi received her B.S. in Biological Aspects of Conservation and a certificate in Environmental Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In 2011, she met Dr. Ronald Jones on a KNPS Wildflower Weekend hike and decided to pursue a graduate degree at Eastern Kentucky University. She received her M.S. in Biology at EKU and finished her master’s thesis on A Vascular Flora of Boyle County, Kentucky.

Tony Romano will be providing an update to the states roadside pollinator habitat project. Tony is a botanist with the Plant Conservation Section at the Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves. He is the project coordinator for OKNP’s roadside pollinator habitat project. Originally from Illinois, Tony received a M.S. in Geography from Southern Illinois University. Tony spent several years working in land management and botany in Colorado before moving to Kentucky in 2019. When not botanizing he can be found climbing in the red river gorge and fly fishing on Elkhorn Creek.

Register Here for the Botanical Symposium

Registration is now closed