When: Saturday, Oct. 19, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm EDT
Where: The Sasafrass Room in the Bernheim Arboretum Visitor Center, Clermont, KY
Mark your calendars and plan to meet up with other KNPS members and friends as we head to the Bernheim Arboretum for the Society’s 2024 Fall Meeting, on Oct 19th. We will meet in the Bernheim Arboretum Visitor Center in the Sassafras Room. If you want to learn more about KNPS, meet other Kentucky native plant enthusiasts, and learn more about the native plants of Kentucky, then the KNPS Fall Meeting is for you!
Schedule of Events
All times are Eastern Daylight Time
Morning Session, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon
We will meet in the Sassafras Room which is located in the Bernheim Arboretum Visitor Center. The session will begin with an update from KNPS leadership on the Society’s activities in 2024 and plans for 2025. After the update, we will have two talks on plants native to the area and the special plant communities they are part of.
10:00 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. – Welcome and KNPS Updates – KNPS Board
10:45 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. – Open Discussion from the Group
Ask the KNPS Board questions or express thoughts and ideas you have about KNPS
11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. – Boo! Botany Goes Bump in the Night! – Kendall McDonald
Join KNPS Vice President and OKNP botanist Kendall McDonald as she shares about Kentucky’s creepiest botanical wonders. The plant world is full of fascinating adaptation, and sometimes it can make your skin crawl! There’s no need to fear, all guests will be safe from poisonous blooms, carnivorous botanicals and parasitic plants! Oh my!
11:30 a.m. – 12:00 noon – Ethical Seed Collection – Tyson Gregory
Join KNPS member Tyson Gregory as he teaches us about ethical seed collection in the world of foraging and conservation.
Lunch, 12:00 noon – 1:00 p.m.
12:00 noon – Lunch is on your own. You can get lunch at Issac’s Cafe in the Visitor Center or bring your own lunch. We will eat together in the Sassafras Room.
Afternoon Walk – 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. – Pine Creek Barrens Nature Preserve – Alan Abbott
2 miles. Easy, but rocky (possibly muddy). Participants will need to drive/carpool to site.
Join Kentucky Native Plan Society member Alan Abbott on a tour of Pine Creek Barrens Nature Preserve in Shepherdsville. The preserve is considered one of the best publicly-accessible examples of Kentucky limestone/dolomite barrens. Expect to see a number of plants that are uncommon or rare in Kentucky, including Barrens Silky Aster (Symphyotrichum pratense), Great Plains Ladies tresses Orchid (Spiranthes magnicamporum), and Stiff Gentian (Gentianella quinquefolia var. occidentalis). The hike is about 2 miles and can be rocky and muddy. However, there’s very little change in elevation. Even though it’s late in the growing year, plan for ticks and bring plenty of water. Alan Abbott is the Field Trip Coordinator for Kentucky Native Plant Society. He lives in Louisville and, if anyone asks, his favorite plant is American Columbo
If you have any questions, send an email to KYPlants@knps.org
Register for the Fall Meeting
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!