As we begin a new year and a new decade, anticipating the year ahead, it can be fun and informative to look back and reflect on the Society’s activities in 2019. Beginning in early April and ending in November, with events and activities across the Commonwealth, KNPS had another great year spreading the message of the value, importance, and beauty of the native plants and ecosystems of Kentucky. We hope you enjoy these images and descriptions of the Society’s 2019 activities and that you will be able to join us in the field in 2020.
Wildflower Weekend, April 12 & 13
On Friday, April 12, and Saturday, April 13, over 100 lovers of Kentucky’s native plants joined with some of the best botanists in the state to explore Natural Bridge State Park and the Red River Gorge in search of spring wildflowers. Besides wildflower hikes on Friday and Saturday, there was a Friday night social where folks had the opportunity to meet other KNPS members. Saturday evening had educational talks, a book-signing (by Dan and Judy Dourson, Wildflowers and Ferns of Red River Gorge and the Greater Red River Basin), live music by the Forest Fiddleheads, and a panel discussion on recreational uses and impacts of the Red River Gorge.
Wildflower Weekend in 2020 will be on April 3 & 4 at Natural Bridge SRP. Hope to see you there.
Field Trips
As part of its educational mission, each year KNPS organizes field trips to explore Kentucky’s natural areas. Trip leaders are knowledgeable about the area being explored and the native plants and plant communities that are found in that area. In 2019, there were several field trips, at natural areas across the Commonwealth.
The Field Trip season began at the Hazeldell Meadow Nature Preserve in Pulaski County on April 5, in search of Kentucky’s rarest carnivorous plant, the dwarf sundew (Drosera brevifolia).
On May 11, Dr. Julian Campbell led the trip to Griffith Woods WMA, in Harrison County, to explore this iconic bluegrass woodland with old growth oaks and hickories, cane thickets, and remnant mesic herbaceous flowers, such as bear grass and running buffalo clover. Julian has been studying bluegrass woodland vegetation for over 40 years and is the authority on past and present plants and communities in the region. Go to http://bluegrasswoodland.com/Griffith_Woods.html for information on Griffith Woods compiled by Julian.
Photo © Don Perkins
On a rainy June 22, Laura Baird, assistant preserve manager and naturalist, at Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, in Mercer County, led several KNPS members on a hike to view the prairie restoration, as well as the adjacent forests, at Shakertown. Although a bit damp, the participants enjoyed many prairie flowers, trees and shrubs, and woodland flowers.
On July 6, Devin Rodgers, botanist at Kentucky Nature Preserves, led the group of KNPS members to several botanically important sites at LBL from prairies to wetlands. Devin has worked extensively at LBL conducting floristic surveys, rare species surveys and habitat characterizations. The participants learned about ongoing efforts to protect rare species and communities at botanical sites at LBL and how to help by assisting with monitoring, management, and restoration projects.
Sedge Identification and Diversity Workshop, May 21 & 22, 2019
Many of the grass-like plants one may encounter in our natural areas in Kentucky are not actually grasses. Although similar, they are members of an entirely different family of plants, the sedge family (Cyperaceae). With close to 150 species in the Carex genus found in Kentucky, the diversity of sedges is astounding and they can tell us a lot about the natural communities upon which they are found.
On May 21 & 22, Rob Naczi, curator of the New York Botanical garden and North America’s Carex expert, taught 17 KNPS members about sedge diversity and how to identify this notoriously difficult group. The workshop combined classroom instruction with work in the field over two days. Due to the success of this event, more workshops are in the works.
Invasive Plant Cleanup Days
In November, several KNPS members volunteered to remove invasive plant species in Fayette and Franklin Counties with partners from Kentucky Nature Preserves. On Nov. 2, members joined Heidi Braunreiter, with Kentucky Nature Preserves, to help pull winter-creeper (Euonymus fortunei) from populations of running buffalo clover populations at Ashland, The Henry Clay Estate in Lexington. Running buffalo clover (Trifolium stoloniferum) is a federally-endangered plant that requires periodic disturbance and a partially shaded canopy.
On several weekends in November, KNPS worked with Kentucky Nature Preserves to organize several work days at state nature preserves and natural areas in Franklin County. Volunteer activities involved manually removing invasive shrubs, such as bush honeysuckle and privet. Members who assisted in invasive species management at these sites had a direct impact on rare plant recovery as the sites are designated as critical habitat for federally listed plants.
Mantle Rock Preserve Floristic Inventory, July 13
L to R: Kendall McDonald, Tara Littlefield, Julian Campbell, Mason Brock, and Chris Benda
Photo © Christopher Benda
The Nature Conservancy’s Mantle Rock Nature Preserve, in Livingston Co., is a fascinating part of Kentucky. The centerpiece of the Preserve is a 30-foot high natural sandstone bridge spanning 188 feet (the longest sandstone arch east of the Mississippi) embellished by bluffs, shelters, honeycomb formations, fluorite deposits and a rock-lined stream. The nature preserve also contains extraordinary biological diversity, with spectacular springtime wildflowers and an upland forest interspersed with the best example of rare and fragile sandstone glades in all of Kentucky. Kentucky’s only known occurrence of June grass thrives here along with other glade species such as prickly pear cactus, rush foil, hairy lipfern, little bluestem, pinweed and poverty grass. Scattered deep soil pockets are dominated by gnarled and stunted post oak, blackjack oak, farkleberry and red cedar.
On a hot and humid July 13, the Kentucky Native Plant Society conducted a detailed floristic inventory of the sandstone glades, barrens, woodlands and mesic forests at this botanically fascinating site. Several of the region’s preeminent botanists spent much of the day locating, identifying, and documenting over 200 native plant species. The data collected will be used by The Nature Conservancy as they develop long range management plans for this site.
Fall Membership Meeting, Oct. 12
For this year’s fall membership meeting, KNPS partnered with West Sixth Brewing to have a Native Plant Day at the West Sixth Farm in Frankfort, KY. Native plant enthusiasts, young and old, heard a review of KNPS 2019 activities and plans for 2020. A new and exiting activity that was enjoyed by everyone was KNPS’s very first native plant and seed exchange. West 6th Farm is one of the few locations in the world where Braun’s rock cress (Arabis perstellata) is found. At the end of the day some members took a hike to view this species led by Heather Housman of the Woods and Waters Land Trust.
Student Research Grants
Since 2012 the Kentucky Native Plant Society has been awarding annual grants to undergraduate and graduate students that are researching native plants and plant communities in Kentucky. Since 2012 we have awarded over $6,000 in grants. In 2019, the Society awarded three, $500 grants. The recipients and their projects were:
- Bailey King
Canopy gaps and light availability in running buffalo clover (Trifolium stoloniferum) patches - Jonathan Kubesch
Forage approaches to native clover conservation - Jordan Winkenbach
Restoration of native woodland flora in response to mastication and prescribed burning in an upland hardwood forest