As we begin a new year it can be fun and informative to look back and reflect on the Society’s activities in 2023. Beginning in January 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 2023 activities and that you will be able to join us in the field in 2024.
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Robert “Bob” Dunlap
Feb. 5, 1955 – Oct. 13, 2023
On Friday, October 13, 2023, our friend Robert “Bob” Dunlap died, a terrible loss to the Kentucky botanical community. Bob loved nature and his love for the natural world was evident in how he spent his time. Bob liked to say of himself that he was “an amateur naturalist living near Paducah who owns every Peterson Field Guide that was ever published”.
In 2005, Bob was awarded the Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission Volunteer Steward of the Year. He was a longtime member of the Kentucky Native Plant Society. He wrote several articles on native plants that were published in scientific journals and the KNPS Lady Slipper newsletter (see a list of his Lady Slipper articles at the end of this memorial). Bob was a wonderful nature photographer and you can see some of his photographs at his iNaturalist Observations page. Bob was also a certified Master Naturalist. He loved to share his knowledge by giving presentations on native plants and leading nature walks in the area. He was a self-taught botanist who found new locations for rare plants and assisted in plant surveys (with state nature preserves botanists beginning over 20 years ago). Recently he was researching management strategies for a rare lily species, re-visiting the populations to determine whether light, competition or other factors are causing decline, to determine the best long term conservation strategy.
(more…)If you are an artist or graphic designer we would love for you to consider entering the Wildflower Weekend 2024 Logo Design Contest. This is an open design contest to come up with a logo for Wildflower Weekend 2024 (April 12-14 at Natural Bridge SRP). The logo will be used on t-shirts, hoodies, and coffee cups, as well as on all publicity about the event. The submitted designs will be presented to the KNPS membership for voting and the winner will be awarded $200 and be recognized on the KNPS website.
In June of 2022, a KNPS member posted the image on the right on the KNPS Facebook group page of a t-shirt she had found in a thrift store. Asking among several longtime members, it turns out that in the 1990s, and into the early 2000’s, KNPS produced t-shirts for each Wildflower Weekend. Last year the KNPS Board decided to bring back this great tradition for Wildflower Weekend 2023.
In early 2023, we began the process of creating a logo by presenting our members and friends with a slideshow of 13 native species and asking them to select their top three choices. The yellow trout lily (Erythronium americanum) was the narrow winner. The Board then asked KNPS member Kendall MacDonald to design a logo for the 2023 Wildflower Weekend. The beautiful image she created featured the yellow trout lily with Cumberland Falls as the background. The image was used in all publicity for the event and was also featured on an adult t-shirt, a coffee mug, a kid’s t-shirt, and an adult hoodie that were available for sale in our KNPS Gear Shop.
The star of the logo will be the native plant. Although the yellow trout lily was the plant that was first choice by a majority of those voting last year, the Trillium genus received almost as many votes and will be the flower to be featured on this year’s logo. Two species of Trillium received the same number of votes; the great white trillium (T. grandiflorum) and stinking Benjamin, a.k.a. red trillium (T. erectum). Both species are commonly found in the Natural Bridge/Red River Gorge area. Artists can choose to use either species or both in their design.
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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
The Lady Slipper newsletter of the Kentucky Native Plant Society has been published since the Society’s founding in 1986. We occasionally feature an article from a past issue. This one, about the parasitic plants known as “mistletoes”, which first appeared in the winter of 2004, Vol. 19, No. 4, seemed appropriate for the season. If you would like to see other past issues, visit the Lady Slipper Archives, where all issues from Vol. 1, No. 1, February 1986 to Vol. 34, No. 1, Winter/Spring 2019 (after which we moved to this blog format) can be found.
by David Taylor, US Forest Service
As autumn fades into winter, dark green clumps perched in trees along roads and fencerows, stand out once again. Some trees, especially black cherry, now exhibit gnarled or stub branches, the telltale sign of a current or past infestation, even if the plant is unseen. Birds may be seen plucking white berries from the clumps, and occasionally a person may be seen scouting trees from which to gather some at a later date. The object of attention?— mistletoe.
In Kentucky and neighboring states, we think of the thick-leaved, usually dark green plant we see growing in hardwood trees in towns and along country roads. This is only one of many species of plants known as mistletoe. Before returning to the mistletoe familiar to us, we will take a survey of the mistletoes.
The plants commonly known as mistletoes belong to one of two families, the Loranthaceae and the Viscaceae. Two other less familiar families of ‘mistletoes’ are the Eremolepidaceae and the Misodendraceae. All have in common a hemiparasitic relationship with a host plant, almost always a woody plant. Hemiparasites derive water, minerals, and occasionally food (sugars) from the host plant, but are photosynthetic and produce at least part of their own food. The lesser known families are briefly mentioned first.
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On Saturday, October 28, 2023, KNPS members and friends came together for a day of botanical education and exploration at John James Audubon SP, in Henderson, KY. The forests and wetlands around Audubon State Park was the home of the famed naturalist, ornithologist, and painter, John James Audubon, and the park museum features the largest collection of original Audubon art in the world in addition to personal artifacts about his life.
The surrounding forest along the bluffs of the Ohio River is mature, almost old growth in nature with some trees more than 200 years old. Approximately half of the property has been dedicated as a State Nature Preserve. At least 61 species of trees and more than 200 wildflowers have been documented from the site. The north facing, mesic forests are dominated by American Beech, sugar maple, and American basswood whereas the more south facing slopes are dominated by sugar maple, various oaks, and tulip tree. At least 169 bird species have been observed in the park.
The day began in the the Audubon Theater located in the John James Audubon Museum and Nature Center with updates from KNPS leadership on the Society’s activities in 2023 and plans for 2024. Following the updates the group enjoyed two talks; a presentation about Lea’s bog lichen (Phaeophyscia leana) by KNPS Vice President, Kendall McDonald and a talk about the native pollinators found in forests by KNPS member and an Invertebrate Biologist at the Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves, Katie Cody.
Lea’s bog lichen is a unique bottomland lichen that utilizes habitats often considered less than suitable for lichen colonization; the bark of trees along major rivers, oxbow lakes, and backwater sloughs that are frequently inundated by surges of river floodwaters. In 2017, a new population of the lichen was found at the JJA wetlands, making the state park an important conservation site for this species.
Our native pollinators are vital to the success of our native plants. With pollinators on the decline worldwide, it is more important than ever to understand their life history traits and how they interact with the landscape. Although we typically think of pollinators in open grasslands and prairies, recent research is shedding light on how the forest can be a valuable part of their life cycle as well. Katie gave an overview of how pollinators are utilizing the forest and some common forest associates you can find in Kentucky.
After the presentations, the group came together in one of the park’s picnic shelters for fellowship and a picnic lunch. Discussions about our native plants and their insect associates were wide ranging and quite enjoyable and educational.
Following lunch the group separated to go on a series of walks in the wetlands and forest at Audubon Park and Sloughs WMA. Unfortunately just as the walks began, the skies opened up and it began pouring and the walks had to be canceled. This was bittersweet as the area was in severe drought and the rain was greatly needed but we were looking forward to exploring the unique habitats in the area.
Although the Fall Meeting was cut short by the rain, participants all agreed that the presentations and the chance to meet and socialize with other KNPS members made this an enjoyable and educational experience.
Mark your calendars and plan to meet up with other KNPS members and friends as we head to western Kentucky for the Society’s 2023 Fall Meeting, on Oct 28th, at John James Audubon State Park, in Henderson. We will learn about and explore the old growth forests and wetland plant and animal communities in and around John James Audubon State Park and the nearby Sloughs Wildlife Management Area.
Audubon State Park was the home of the famed naturalist, ornithologist, and painter and the park museum features the largest collection of original Audubon art in the world in addition to personal artifacts about his life. The surrounding forest along the bluffs of the Ohio River is mature, almost old growth in nature with some trees more than 200 years old. Approximately half of the property has been dedicated as a State Nature Preserve. At least 61 species of trees and more than 200 wildflowers have been documented from the site. The north facing, mesic forests are dominated by American Beech, sugar maple, and American basswood whereas the more south facing slopes are dominated by sugar maple, various oaks, and tulip tree. At least 169 bird species have been observed in the park.
The 650-acre Audubon Wetlands was added to the park by the Kentucky Heritage Land Conservation Fund in 2016. The highlight is a bald eagle nest and heron rookery, as well as habitat for waterfowl and amphibians. The Friends of Audubon, a local nonprofit, has installed a wheelchair accessible boardwalk through the wetlands with plans to install more.
Sloughs WMA consists of a diverse mix of seasonally flooded grain crops and natural “moist soil” vegetation, natural marsh, seasonally flooded bottomland forest, and natural depressions or “sloughs,” that contain flooded stands of bald cypress lined with buttonbush thickets.
We will meet in the Audubon Theater which is located in the John James Audubon Museum and Nature Center. The session will begin with an update from KNPS leadership on the Society’s activities in 2023 and plans for 2024. After the update, we will have two talks about the flora and fauna of the JJA wetlands and old growth forest.
10 a.m. – 11 a.m. – Welcome and KNPS Updates
11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. – Lea’s Bog Lichen – Kendall McDonald
Lea’s Bog lichen is a unique bottomland lichen that utilizes habitats often considered less than suitable for lichen colonization; the bark of trees along major rivers, oxbow lakes, and backwater sloughs that are frequently inundated by surges of river floodwaters. In 2017, a new population of the lichen was found at the JJA wetlands, making the state park an important conservation site for this species. Kendall McDonald, Botanist and Lichenologist at Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves, will give a presentation on the rare Lea’s Bog lichen and the unique natural communities on which it relies.
11:30 a.m. – 12:00 noon – Pollinators and Forests – Katie Cody
Our native pollinators are vital to the success of our native plants. With pollinators on the decline worldwide, it is more important than ever to understand their life history traits and how they interact with the landscape. Although we typically think of pollinators in open grasslands and prairies, recent research is shedding light on how the forest can be a valuable part of their life cycle as well. Katie Cody, Invertebrate Biologist at Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves, will give an overview of how pollinators are utilizing the forest and some common forest associates you can find in Kentucky.
12:00 noon – 1:00 p.m. – Lunch is on your own. There is no food available in the Park, though there are several restaurants outside the park boundaries. We have reserved a picnic shelter in the park for lunch so we hope that folks will bring their lunch and join the group at the shelter for a picnic lunch and fellowship with their fellow native plant enthusiasts. The shelter that we have reserved is the Sycamore Shelter, located at 37.880556, -87.556993, within walking distance of the main state park building. The picnic shelter area provides parking, covered and non-covered picnic tables, and a playground.
After lunch we will have 3 walks to explore the native plants and plant communities in and around the Park. The first listed walk is at Sloughs WMA, which is about a 25 minute drive from John James Audubon. Because of the travel time, participants should plan on participating in just the Sloughs walk or the two walks at JJA.
Sloughs WMA – Park and Pop-in Botanical Tour – 1.5 hrs – Less than 0.25 miles (easy)
1 p.m. – 3 p.m. CDT
Join Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves botanist Vanessa Voelker on a roadside botanical tour of the wetland communities and flora of Sloughs Wildlife Management Area.
Sloughs WMA consists of a diverse mix of marsh, seasonally flooded bottomland forest, and natural depressions or “sloughs,” that contain flooded stands of bald cypress lined with buttonbush thickets. The hike will consist of “park and pop-ins” to enjoy the charming fall wetland flora. While this hike has minimal walking within the wetlands, we are advising participants to bring footwear appropriate for potential muddy and wet conditions.
Parking at Sloughs WMA is limited, so participants are encouraged to carpool the short distance from the state park to the WMA.
JJA Wetlands – Birding and Botany on the Boardwalk – 1.5 hrs – 1.5 miles (easy, ADA accessible)
1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Get into birding and botany with Nour Salam, Frankfort Audubon Society President, at the John James Audubon State Park wetlands. A rocked pathway from the parking lot leads through floodplain forest to a 750-ft. boardwalk over the cypress swamp, immersing visitors into prime habitat for spotting a variety of wetland flora and fauna. Continue from the boardwalk into more forested area along the earthen path of Island Loop Trail. Flat, easy terrain of this 1.5-mile round-trip wetland walk is ADA accessible. Participants are advised to bring their own binoculars to aid in viewing wetland flora and the charismatic late fall migrant and winter resident birds of the wetland.
JJA State Park Forest – Old Growth Coastal Plain Loess Bluff Forest – 1.5 hrs – approx. 1 mile (easy-moderate)
2:45 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.
Join JJA Park Naturalist Lisa Hoffman to learn about woody plant ID in an Old Growth Coastal Plain Loess Bluff Forest within the state park. Recorded by Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves botanists in the early 2000s, this old growth mesic forest occurs in ravines and ridges on the slopes above the Ohio River Floodplain. The soil is deep loess which supports a diverse flora and trees up to 4 foot in diameter. Participants are encouraged to wear appropriate footwear for forested hiking and potential muddy conditions.
This event is open to KNPS members and friends alike. There is no cost for the event, but in order to plan effectively, we are requesting that folks pre-register for this event. If you are likely to attend, please fill out this form. Thanks, hope to see you there!
