Wednesday, January 14th, 2026, 9:00AM-12:00PM EST, Virtual and Free

“Coming Together to Discuss Current Botany 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 5th annual Virtual Kentucky Botanical Symposium on Wednesday, January 14th, from 9:00AM-12:00PM 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 Kendall McDonald, President of KNPS facilitating the meeting and speaking about OKNP’s Kentucky Forest Biodiversity Assessment Program, Jeff Nelson, Immediate Past President of KNPS providing a KNPS update, Tara Littlefield, of the Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves on the state of Kentucky plant conservation, Tony Romano of OKNP speaking about the Kentucky Roadside Conservation Program, Joey Shaw of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga providing an update on the Tennessee-Kentucky Plant Atlas, and our keynote speaker Dr. Wesley Knapp, CEO of the Center for Plant Conservation.

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

KNPS will be hosting our annual, virtual, Botanical Symposium on Monday, January 12th, from 9AM-1:00PM 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 November Lady Slipper for the full agenda and for registration details.

The Symposium will include a slide show of updates from other individuals and organizations working with the native plants of Kentucky. If you or your organization would like to update Kentucky’s botanical community about recent native plant related news, projects, or upcoming events start planning your update now. When the Symposium registration opens in November, you will have the opportunity to upload a PowerPoint slide with your update.

Starting in 2021, the Kentucky Native Plant Society began formally recognizing individuals and organizations with the KNPS Conservation Award. Individuals and organizations 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. When the Symposium registration opens in November, you will have the opportunity to submit nominations for the awards.

While waiting for January 12th, you might want to watch the presentations from the 4th Annual Botanical Symposium, 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 BotanicalSymposium@knps.org

“Coming together to discuss current botanical projects, conservation, and collaboration in Kentucky and beyond”

On Friday, February 2, 2024, the Kentucky Native Plant Society and the Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves held our fourth 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. Below are videos of all of the presentations.

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).

Image Gallery

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.