KNPS Field Trips are BACK!
Ballard Wildlife Management Area

Date of trip: 07/31/2021
Start time: 9:00 am to 12:00 pm Central Time
Location: Ballard County
Difficulty of hike: Easy – We will caravan/car pool 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.

It’s been well over a year since KNPS has been able to have field trips exploring the diverse botany of Kentucky. We are excited to get back into the field with our first field trip since the start of the pandemic. Join KNPS Board Member, Jeff Nelson, Ballard WMA employee, Gerald Burnett, and KNPS member, Bob Dunlap, 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, some in flower. 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. At the end of July, it will be hot and humid and there will mosquitos and ticks, so bring plenty of water and insect repellent.

Directions: We will meet at the WMA Office at 864 Wildlife Lodge Rd, La Center, KY 42056.

Map Coordinates for the Office are:
37.18393861563692, -89.02681588465485


Registration for this trip is closed.

From the Lady Slipper Archives: Wild Bergamot – 2001 Wildflower of the Year

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 one of Kentucky’s loveliest natives, the Wild Bergamot, first appeared in the summer of 2001, Vol. 16, No. 2. 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.

The author, Mary Carol Cooper, left a huge legacy to the native plant community when she passed in 2016. In almost every native plant gathering, her name is mentioned and a moment is given over to appreciate her knowledge, which she freely shared. Her passion led many of us to our love of natives; she was a mentor and friend to many of us.

Wild Bergamot – 2001 Wildflower of the Year

by Mary Carol Cooper, Native Plant Program Coordinator, Salato Wildlife Education Center

Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) has been selected as the Salato Wildlife Education Center’s Wildflower of the year 2001 by wildflower enthusiasts from all across the state. The Wildflower of the Year is chosen based on the number of nominations it receives and how well it fits the established criteria (must be native, common and widespread across the state, seeds must be readily available, must be easy to grow, and must have wildlife value).

Wild Bergamot is common in old fields, thickets, prairies, and borders thoughout the state. It is a member of the mint family and has spicy-aromatic leaves that are opposite and ovate-lanceolate on a square stem. It has slender two-lipped corollas about one inch long densely aggregated in terminal clusters subtended by conspicuous bracts. The corolla is a pale lavender. Wild Bergamot ranges in height from three to five feet tall depending on the habitat. It is a short-lived perennial that rapidly forms colonies in both moist and dry soil. It is very versatile, as it will tolerate clay soils and drought and will grow in full or partial sun.

Wild Bergamot is a premiere nectar source for butterflies, moths, and hummingbirds. Indigo buntings are known to build their nests in the stems of this plant. It blooms from June through August, providing food and shelter all summer long.

Historically, physicians used leaf tea to expel worms and gas. The Native Americans used the leaf tea for colic, flatulence, colds, fevers, stomachaches, nosebleeds, insomnia, heart trouble; in measles to induce sweating, and poulticed leaves were used for headaches. The pioneers made a lotion of boiled leaves for treating pimples and skin eruptions. Today, Wild Bergamot is still used for headaches and fever and it makes a great tea. Its flavor is similar to true bergamot, the oil of a Mediterranean citrus fruit that flavors Earl Gray Tea. It is also excellent cut for fresh bouquets.

Hugh Wilson, Texas A&M Vascular Plant Image Gallery

Wild Bergamot seeds and plants are available from many native plant nurseries and are fairly inexpensive. It is also very easy to propagate either by seeds, cuttings, or division. Seeds sown in January should be kept moist and cold (40° F) for 90 days to cause germination. Since the seedlings are tiny and slow growing, they should remain in the flat for 6–7 weeks after germination before being transplanted. To propagate by cutting, take stem tip cuttings, 3–4 inches long, any time from May to August. Remove the lower leaves and all flower or seed heads, dip cutting in rooting powder and insert at least one node into a sand and perlite rooting medium. Place cuttings in an enclosed chamber and mist them several times a day. In 4–5 weeks, cuttings are well rooted and can be transferred to the garden in the early fall. To propagate by division, divide mature clumps in March before they send up stems. Dig up the plant and using a pair of pruning shears or a sharp shovel, cut the clump into sections. Replant and water the division immediately.

2021 Wildflower Week BotanyBlitz Results

by Vanessa Voelker, Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves

The 2021 Wildflower Week BotanyBlitz was a huge success, and your enthusiasm for this event massively exceeded our expectations! In all, the community of 110 observers made 3,193 observations of 460 species of wildflowers, blooming woody plants, graminoids, and mosses. Of those observations, an impressive 2,680 (83.9%) reached Research Grade status.

It was a tight race in both winning categories, but our 1st place champions are @ktuttlewheeler for Most Observations (196 observations), and jabrams_foc for Most Species (108 species). In Most Observations, close behind in 2nd place was jabrams_foc with 193 observations, while sekistler and terrikoontz tied for 3rd place, both with 128 observations. For most species, sekistler was another close 2nd place with 104 species, and ktuttlewheeler in 3rd with 90 species. This was an awesome week of intensive botanizing, Kentucky!

Many thanks to the identifiers who helped elevate so many species to Research Grade: vvoelker, jabrams_foc, hbraunreiter, thomashulsey, jkoslow, rynxs, kentuckybotanist, mjpapay, williambee, laurabaird, trscavo, and ktuttlewheeler all helped to identify 50+ observations during the blitz.

A dreamy Dwarf Larkspur, observed by mtwyandell

The most observed species during Wildflower week was Dwarf Larkspur (Delphinium tricorne) with 68 observations, and filling out the rest of the top 5 were Blue Phlox (Phlox divaricata) with 66 observations, Common Blue Violet (Viola sororia) with 60, Virginia Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica) with 54, and Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum) with 53 observations.

A final note: if this was your first iNat blitz and you enjoyed your experience, we’d like to invite you to join the Kentucky Botanists Big Year 2021 project as well! This is essentially a year-long botany blitz, where you can test your botanical mettle across the seasons. It’s a fun way to learn even more new species, and become more familiar with the ones you already know!

Neat Flora of Dry Outcrops and Woodlands in the Kentucky River Valley – Length 16:29

Cedar, ash, oaks, and honeysuckle aren’t the only things inhabiting the dry, rocky, steep habitats above the Kentucky River. Join Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves botanist Devin Rodgers for a tour of some of the neat flora adapted to these sunny, erodible, rugged, beautiful places.