By Kristin Bailey Wilson
Everybody needs family. Biological relationships aren’t necessary, but we humans need groups who are like us. Or, if not entirely like us, then others interested or concerned with the same things we are. Community.
In search of community
When I joined Kentucky Native Plant Society, I wasn’t sure what would come of it, but I knew I needed human relationships formed because of a common interest in native plants. I had been planting and reading about natives for several years, but humans need to chit chat. I was looking for a human community, so I signed up for the fall meeting at Blue Licks Battlefield State Resort Park with the hopes of finding some people with which to chat, and I did.
When I left home that morning, Solidago altissima was blooming in yellow waves along a fencerow that my husband and I make a point not to mow regularly. It’s the Solidago that I think of — always. Altissima announces the beginning of fall as it starts to bloom. On our property it grows thick and tall, some as tall as I am – 5’ 7”.
I don’t live in the bluegrass region, so when I think of Kentucky goldenrod, it’s altissima that comes to mind. For me, our native flower is the emblem of our state, the goldenrod state. I’ve taken dozens of pictures of bees and butterflies landing, napping, and feeding on Solidago altissima, but I hadn’t heard of Solidago shortii. A discussion of it was on the agenda, and I was curious to know more.
Workshop 1: Solidago shortii by Dr. Carol Baskin
Dr. Carol Baskin, a plant ecologist at the University of Kentucky, was the first speaker, and she described her many years of work on Solidago shortii. It’s shorter than altissima, but that’s not where the name derives. Rather, shortii is named for Dr. Charles Wilkins Short who found the plant on a limestone outcropping called Rock Island in the Falls of the Ohio River.
Although it’s not known how shortii came to Blue Licks, several people in attendance speculated that it may have come as seeds on the coat and hooves of bison. Because shorty’s range is so small, it’s federally endangered. It grows on rocky and shallow soil, often near old crop fields.
You can distinguish Shortii from altissima by its smooth leaves and smaller growth habit. It doesn’t compete well with altissima because it’s shorter and has fewer leaves, but underground, it has a larger biomass than altissima, so shortii is more drought tolerant than altissima. As Dr. Baskin spoke, I whispered with my neighbors, comparing what surprised us or interested us about this Solidago that we were all looking forward to meeting in person.
Workshop 2: Controlling native areas by Jess Slade
The second presenter was Jess Slade, Native Plants Collection Manager at the UK Arboretum. Jess talked about using fire, chemical, and woman-with-loppers to eliminate invasive non-native species and encourage the growth of native species.
She described the areas designated for improvement. After burning the existent non-native grasses, the team simply waited to see what remained in the seed bank. As non-native invasive species came up, they dug them or treated them chemically. When the natives emerged, they stepped carefully and gratefully. Protecting the natives and eliminating the invasives is the work in a nutshell.
Finding community
After lunch, we took two plant walks. This is when community matters. The walks were the talks in action. As soon as we began, our entire group was milling around, heads-down, touching goldenrod leaves to identify shortii. When an identification was confirmed by Hedi or Jess, others would touch and discuss things such as biomass, blooms, location, and on and on. This was the chit chat I had been looking for.
As we walked, Dr. Baskin’s points about shortii and competition were brought to life by the many other natives and non-natives that crowded around shortii. The picture to the left shows Short’s Aster, among other natives, crowding a Solidago shortii in the foreground. It all seems so clear when you’re sitting in a hotel conference room, but in the field, the many other plants and the varying sizes of plants confuse the issues. It was great to have experts on hand to identify species and place the talking points in the field.
In addition to shortii, the trails were full of other natives, like frost’s aster, sneezeweed, short’s aster, New England aster, thistle, and ironweed. We walked and talked plants. We also talked vocations, kids, and spouses. The weather was perfect for a fall walk, cool but not cold.
Hedi and Jess also identified Gentiana alba and purple gentian, and we lined up to look and take pictures. These were flowers I would not have been able to identify without their help, and they were beautiful to behold.
The education and training in botany, land management, and ecology were on display as we listened to the experts describe what we were seeing and what it means. But botany alone will not be enough to draw people to plants. Humans need family and community. As more and more Kentuckians, concerned about climate change; decreasing butterfly and insect populations; and supporting a wider diversity of plants in their yards, they’ll seek out community, a plant family, just as I did, and they’ll find it with the Kentucky Native Plant Society.
Kristin Bailey Wilson, Ph.D., has served as a professor, an academic dean, and a chief academic officer. After nearly 30 years in higher education, she is spending her time in her garden…with her camera and her cat.
