We are happy to announce that we have a new events calendar for the Society and, hopefully, all conservation related events in our Commonwealth and our region. You can view the calendar here. We are currently putting in all scheduled events for KNPS, but we want this calendar to be so much more for the native plant community. So we are hoping that individuals, clubs, and all conservation oriented organizations in our region will post their events to the calendar. To facilitate this we have created the form below to let anyone submit an event. Alternatively you can just send the info about your event to KYPlants@knps.org. Thank you.
Date of trip: 06/15/2024 Time: 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM (approx.) Central Time Location: Ballard County Difficulty of hike: Easy – We will caravan/carpool on the gravel roads in the wildlife management area, stopping to view a variety of native plants and habitats. At a couple of the stops, we will walk distances of under a 1/2 mile.
Swamp Candles (Lysimachia terrestris)
Join KNPS President, Jeff Nelson and KNPS member and Ballard WMA employee, Gerald Burnett, as as we explore the native plant ecosystems in the wetlands and river bottoms of the Ballard WMA in Ballard Co.
Ballard Wildlife Management Area is 8,000 acres located in the Ohio River bottomlands ecoregion in far western Kentucky. The WMA is mostly wetland with 39% of the acreage in wetland, 28% forest, 27% open land, and 6% open water. Much of the wetland is comprised of rare, cypress-tupelo swamps and sloughs which many Kentuckians have not had the opportunity to experience. The Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves lists cypress-tupelo swamp as a state endangered ecosystem.
We will caravan (carpooling as much as possible) around the WMA, stopping to examine the botany of Ballard’s diverse ecosystems. We should see several uncommon, wetland plant species. In particular we hope to see the rare swamp candles (Lysimachia terrestris), a more northerly species that in Kentucky is only found in two far western counties. Although we will not be hiking any distance, we will be taking walks of less than 1/2 mile at a couple of stops, all on the road or trails. We will walk into areas off the road to get a better view many of the plants. There is likely to be some muddy spots where we will be walking, so be prepared.
Registration is Required
Please fill out the form below to register for this field trip. This trip will be limited to 20 people.
Date of trip: Sunday, June 9th, 2024 Time: 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM Eastern Time Location: Hi Lewis Pine Barrens State Nature Preserve, Harlan County (Site closed to the public, directions will be sent to registered participants) Difficulty of hike: Strenuous
Join KNPS Board members, Heidi Braunreiter (Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves Prescribed Fire Program Coordinator) and Dr. Jennifer Koslow (Eastern Kentucky University Department of Biological Sciences) as we explore Hi Lewis Pine Barrens State Nature Preserve, which is normally closed to the public. During this approximately three hour hike, we will learn about prescribed fire, and other land management practices to sustain and enhance a globally rare natural community, the pitch pine barrens. Hi Lewis Pine Barrens SNP is the best example of this community type on Pine Mountain, and hosts numerous rare and endangered species. The preserve is also home to American chestnuts, which flower in response to the canopy opening created by fires. Following a 2020 prescribed fire and clearing, the trees responded by growing an average of 24 stems per tree, several of which flowered at a height of six to eight feet (it is difficult to predict the exact timing of flowering). The hike will be capped off at 20 participants.
Special Considerations: Hiking conditions are strenuous on Pine Mountain due to steep terrain, please wear shoes with good ankle support. Please bring lots of water, and lunch/snacks. Venomous snakes, ticks, and chiggers occur in the area so please plan accordingly- no open toed shoes, and long pants are recommended. All participants will need to sign the liability waiver below while registering for the hike. We will be hiking along the perimeter of a prescribed burn and management unit that has been recently cleared, although tripping hazards are still present and participants will need to watch their footing.
Lodging options in the area for participants wanting to stay nearby:
Benham Schoolhouse Inn, Benham, KY (Approx. 15 min to site)
Quality Inn, Harlan, KY (Approx. 25 min to site)
Pine Mountain State Resort Park (Approx. 1 hr. 10 min to site)
Registration is Required
Please fill out the form below to register for this field trip. This trip will be limited to 20 people.
Hello fellow native plant enthusiasts. I hope everyone’s spring is going well and that you have been able to get out into Kentucky’s natural areas to enjoy our native plant communities. Last week I went down to the Ballard WMA in Ballard, Co. and saw one of my favorite spring natives, American wisteria (Wisteria frutescens) in full bloom. Note the long racemes. Wisteria frutescens is generally described as having racemes 2″-6″ long and many of the ones on this plant were longer than that. This likely means that this specimen is W. frutescens var. macrostachya. Some taxonomists consider this variety a separate species, Kentucky wisteria (Wisteria macrostachya). American wisteria has been sold in the nursery trade for many years and many cultivars are available. One of the most common of these cultivars is sold as Kentucky wisteria ‘Blue Moon’. Regardless of its taxonomic uncertainty, I hope you too get an opportunity to see this beautiful native growing wild in Kentucky.
Everything is set for KNPS’s 35th Wildflower Weekend, on Friday, April 12th and Saturday, April 13, at Natural Bridge SRP! With more hikes, workshops and kid’s activities than we have ever had, many of the best botanists in Kentucky in attendance, and with beautiful weather forecast, Wildflower Weekend 2024 would be a great destination for everyone this weekend.
In addition to our usual “all things botanical” hikes, we have a hikes concentrating on birds, reptiles and amphibians, geology, fire ecology, pollinators and butterflies. There will also be a couple of workshops, “Non-Native Invasive Species Management” and an art workshop, “Reflecting on Nature through Artmaking”.
We have always tried to make Wildflower Weekend a family friendly event (kids 12 and under attend free). This year we are offering two kid centered activities, a “Junior Botanist Adventure for Kids!” on Saturday morning and then, on Saturday afternoon, the “Kids Activities Table“, a drop-in activity (no registration required), with fun botanical and nature activities designed for the young naturalist. See details in the schedule below.
Each orange square is a location where Botany Blitz observations have been made
The KNPS Wildflower Week 2024 Botany Blitz began on Saturday, April 6th with six Kick-Off Hikes across the Commonwealth; from Hematite Lake in Trigg County in the west, to Lower Howard’s Creek in Clark County in the east. Running through Sunday, April 14th, the Botany Blitz is an effort to document as many plant species as possible within Kentucky during the week preceding Wildflower Weekend. Observers have already recorded more than 1,000 observations of over 300 species of plants in the state.
This is the fourth year for our spring wildflower-focused Botany Blitz, which is hosted on the community science website iNaturalist. Using either the iNaturalist mobile app or website, participants upload photos of budding and blooming plants they observe in local parks, state parks, wildlife sanctuaries, and nature preserves across the state. Like many other plant identification apps, iNaturalist analyzes the visual information in photos and offers identification suggestions. But unlike other AI-based apps, the iNaturalist website is also a robust community of people, from new nature enthusiasts to experienced naturalists and expert biologists. The observations you make can be reviewed by the community, and the identifications you select can be confirmed or corrected by other members.
We encourage anyone interested to sign up for an iNaturalist account if you’re not already a user, and to make sure your observations get counted in this year’s blitz, join the Botany Blitz 2024 project (just click “Join” in the top right corner of the project page), and download the mobile app for iPhone or Android. Then get out and look for native plants in parks and other natural areas in your part of KY and make your observations. If you’re new to the platform, check out this helpful Getting Started guide, and browse the observations made by Botany Blitz 2024 participants (or the view the results from 2021, 2022, and 2023).
Kentucky Native Plant Society’s Wildflower Weekend 2024 Natural Bridge State Resort Park Friday, April 12th & Saturday, April 13th, 2024
The schedule is set and registration is now open for Wildflower Weekend 2024, April 12th-13th, at Natural Bridge State Resort Park. Join nature lovers, families, community scientists, amateur naturalists, and professional botanists from across the Commonwealth, as we explore the beauty and diversity of Kentucky’s natural history. Wildflower Weekend is open to the public and family-friendly.
This year we are celebrating 35 years of Wildflower Weekend! That’s right! Naturalists and nature lovers from all across Kentucky have been gathering in the spirit of botanical appreciation, fellowship and education at Wildflower Weekend since May 1989! We are proud to host this year’s event at Natural Bridge SRP, the original location of the very first KNPS Wildflower Weekend.
We are offering over 20 different hikes this year, the most we have ever had at any Wildflower Weekend! In addition to our usual “all things botanical” hikes, we have a couple of hikes concentrating on birds, a couple of hikes concentrating on reptiles and amphibians, and one featuring butterflies. There will also be a couple of workshops, “Non-Native Invasive Species Management” and an art workshop, “Reflecting on Nature through Artmaking”.
