KNPS organized four Botany Blitz Kick-Off hikes in four different Kentucky counties on April 11th and 12th this year.
In McCreary County, Tyson Gregory from the University of Kentucky Arboretum led a group along the lower trails of Blue Heron Mining Community. The group identified a number of blooming plants, including Pinxster Azalea (Rhododendron periclymenoides), Primrose-Leaf Violet (Viola primulifolia), and Yellow Trillium (Trillium luteum). In Kentucky, Yellow Trillium is limited to only a handful of counties on the Cumberland Plateau.
In Cumberland County, Park Naturalist Coti Groce led a hike at Dale Hollow Lake. Plants seen in bloom included Southern Stoneseed (Lithospermum tuberosum), Showy Orchid (Galearis spectabilis), and Cumberland Spurge (Euphorbia mercurialina). Cumberland Spurge is mostly found to the south of Kentucky and these plants are near the northern edge of its range.
In Bullitt County, KNPS Field Trip Chair Alan Abbott guided a group through the main trail at Pine Creek Barrens. Highlights included Eastern Shooting Star (Primula meadia), Ohio Buckeye (Aesculus glabra), and Yellow Stargrass (Hypoxis hirsuta). Many American Columbo (Frasera caroliniensis) plants appeared likely to flower this year.
In Campbell County, Botany and Plant Ecology professors Dr. Maggie Whitson and Dr. Richard Boyce met approximately half a dozen people at the Northern Kentucky Field Research Station at St. Anne’s Woods and Wetlands. Plants seen in bloom included Wild Geranium (Geranium maculatum), Jacob’s Ladder (Polemonium reptans), and Common Pawpaw (Asimina triloba).
The events were part of KNPS’s Wildflower Week Botany Blitz on iNaturalist.