Kentucky Botanical Symposium (Virtual)

Thursday, January 26, 2023, 9:00AM-11:30AM EST, Virtual & Free

“Coming together to discuss current botanical projects, conservation, and collaboration in Kentucky and beyond”

The Kentucky Native Plant Society (KNPS) and Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves (OKNP) is co-hosting the annual Kentucky Botanical Symposium on Thursday, January 26th from 9:00AM-11:30AM EST. For several years, KNPS has organized a botanical symposium with a goal of bringing together professionals, community scientists, academics, researchers, gardeners, and students to learn about what is going on in the world of Kentucky botany and beyond. This year, speakers and facilitators include Tara Littlefield (OKNP/KYPCA) discussing the current state of Kentucky plant conservation, Jeff Nelson providing KNPS updates, Dr. Alan Weakley (NCBG) providing an update on the SE flora project, Justin Thomas (NatureCITE) providing an overview of management effects on grasslands in Missouri, Nour Salam (OKNP) discussing modernizing data collection for field botanists and land managers, and Dr. Bridgette Williams discussing conservation genetics and the recent Kentucky Glade Cress (Leavenworthia exigua var. leavenworthia) project. 

We are accepting updates from our plant partners to be featured in the botanical stakeholders highlights portion of the meeting. You can submit a PowerPoint slide including information about news or events to be featured during the symposium break. If you want to update Kentucky’s botanical community about recent native plant related news, projects, or upcoming events, please contact us at BotanicalSymposium@knps.org to be added to the stakeholders update section.

Starting in 2021, the Kentucky Native Plant Society began formally recognizing individuals with the KNPS Conservation Award. Individuals are recognized for their outstanding contributions in advancing KNPS’s mission: to promote education about, appreciation for, and conservation of Kentucky’s native plants and native plant communities. If you know of someone deserving of this award, please send us an email to BotanicalSymposium@knps.org with the individual’s name (and contact info) and a description of what this person has done to qualify for this recognition.

Agenda

Welcome & General Symposium Rules Overview, Heidi Braunreiter, KNPS Vice-President

Kentucky Native Plant Society Updates, Jeff Nelson, KNPS President

State of Kentucky Plant Conservation, Tara Littlefield, OKNP State Botanist, Plant Conservation & Biological Assessment Branch Manager & KPCA Coordinator

Update on the Southeastern Flora Project, Dr. Alan Weakley, North Carolina Botanical Garden & Southeast Botanist

Modernizing Data Collection for Field Botany and Management, Nour Salam, OKNP Database Analyst

Break with stakeholder and upcoming events slideshow updates

Species Level Vegetation Monitoring – Letting the Trees, Forbs, Grasses, and Communities Speak for Themselves, Justin Thomas, NatureCITE Co-director

Advancing Plant Conservation with Genetic and Epigenetic Tools: A case study of the federally threatened “Kentucky glade cress,” Leavenworthia exigua var. laciniata, Dr. Bridgette Williams & Dr. Christie Edwards, Missouri Botanical Garden

Questions and Discussions Section, Moderator: Ted Brancheau, KNPS Board Member

Kentucky Botanical Symposium Speakers:

Kentucky Native Plant Society Updates, Jeff Nelson, KNPS President

Jeff Nelson has a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of California at Santa Barbara. Jeff worked as the IT Director of the Paducah Independent School District for 15 years, retiring in 2008. A native of California, Jeff, his wife Liz, and his son Aaron, moved to McCracken Co., Kentucky, in 1987. After building their house on their 10 acres, the family has spent the last 30 years restoring the property from farmland to a native woodland. As a lifelong amateur naturalist, Jeff loves exploring Kentucky and learning about the rich diversity of the Commonwealth’s many ecosystems. He has been a member of the KNPS since the early 1990s and on the Board since 2017, and is the current KNPS president (2022-2024)

Jeff Nelson

State of Kentucky Plant Conservation, Tara Littlefield, OKNP State Botanist, Plant Conservation & Biological Assessment Branch Manager & KPCA Coordinator

Tara Littlefield is the state botanist and manager of the Plant Conservation and Biological Assessment Branch at the Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves.  She has over 17 years’ experience as a heritage biologist (botany and ecology) and natural area conservation leadership.    She also coordinates the states Plant Conservation Alliance, a public private partnership working on rare plant and community conservation, and is the past president of the KNPS (2016-2022).  Tara has a B.S. in Biochemistry from University of Louisville, M.S. in Forestry/Plant Ecology from the University of Kentucky and is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Kentucky in Forest/Natural Resource Conservation.  Much of her work involves rare species surveys, general floristic inventories, natural areas inventory, biological research, acquisition/protection of natural areas, rare plant/community restoration and recovery, and biological/conservation program development and management.

Tara Littlefield

Update on the Southeastern Flora Project, Dr. Alan Weakley, Plant Taxonomist, Community Ecologist, UNC herbarium director and professor

Alan Weakley is a plant taxonomist, community ecologist, and conservationist specializing in the Southeastern United States. He holds a B.A. from UNC-Chapel Hill and a Ph.D. from Duke University.  He has worked as botanist and ecologist for the N.C. Natural Heritage Program, and as regional and chief ecologist for The Nature Conservancy and NatureServe. He is currently Director of the UNC Herbarium, a department of the N.C. Botanical Garden, and teaches as adjunct faculty at UNC-Chapel Hill and at the Highlands Biological Station. Alan is the author and coordinator of The Flora of the Southeastern United States is an open access, downloadable flora with over 10,000 species. See the article about this important research here: Flora of the Southeastern United States – 2020 Edition. He has also released an app, FloraQuest, co-developed with Michael Lee and Rudy Nash, covering the Southeastern United States flora. Alan focuses on systematics and biogeography of the Southeastern United States, community classification developing the U.S. National Vegetation Classification, and land management, conservation planning, and environmental policy involving the conservation of Southeastern United States ecosystems and species.

Dr. Alan Weakley

Modernizing Data Collection for Field Botany and Management, Nour Salam, OKNP Database Analyst

Nour Salam is a database analyst at the Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves. She is passionate about using her SQL and GIS skills to guide data-driven conservation decisions. Nour earned a bachelor’s degree in Biology from the American University of Beirut and a master’s degree in marine biodiversity and conservation from the University of Pierre and Marie Curie, and got the opportunity to live in five different countries as part of that path. For the last 3 years, she has been focusing on managing Kentucky’s natural heritage database and making sure that staff botanists, zoologists, and land managers have the GIS tools they need to operate efficiently in the field. During her off time, she’s currently pursuing her mission to birdwatch in every Kentucky county, and to hike the state’s most beautiful preserves and trails.

Nour Salam

Species Level Vegetation Monitoring – Letting the Trees, Forbs, Grasses, and Communities Speak for Themselves, Justin Thomas, Co-Director of NatureCITE, Director of the Institute of Botanical Training

Justin Thomas is the co-founder and Science Director of NatureCITE and the co-founder and Director of the Institute of Botanical Training. He conducts ecological and taxonomic research, instructs plant identification workshops, and serves as a scientific advisor to several conservation organizations in the central and eastern United States. 

Justin Thomas

Advancing Plant Conservation with Genetic and Epigenetic Tools: A case study of the federally threatened “Kentucky glade cress,” Leavenworthia exigua var. laciniata, Dr. Bridgette Williams & Dr. Christie Edwards, Missouri Botanical Garden

Brigette Williams is a Postdoctoral Fellow in Plant Conservation Genetics in the Center for Conservation and Sustainable Development at the Missouri Botanical Garden. Her primary research interests focus on understanding how plants with limited or fixed genetic diversity, such as rare and endangered species, respond to and survive changing environmental conditions in order to better conserve and protect native plants. She uses a range of approaches, including field-based and greenhouse experiments, in combination with genetic tools to identify important variation that can promote rare plants’ capacity to adapt and survive, and to enable their conservation.

Dr. Bridgette Williams

Native Plant Suppliers & Service Providers Listing

Many KNPS members and friends are passionate native plant gardeners and are always on the look out for sources of native plants and seeds. Beginning native plant gardeners also often are looking for help with landscape design and similar services. For several years the KNPS website has featured a listing of Native Plant Suppliers & Service Providers in our region who grow and sell native plants and who work with native plants in other ways. Service providers include landscape designers and installers, invasive species removal specialists, habitat restoration specialists, and other businesses that have a focus on native plants.

If you are a native plant related business or know of such as business, and would like to have that business featured, we invite you to fill out this form on our website: https://www.knps.org/native-plant-supplier-form/.

If you have any questions, please contact KYPlants@knps.org.

President’s Message

American Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis)

A new calendar year has begun and as each day becomes a bit longer it is a good time to reflect on the past and look forward to the future. 2022 was my first year as President of our Society and was also our first chance to come together for in-person events after 2 years of the COVID pandemic.

KNPS activities for the year began with Wildflower Week 2022, a week of native plant activities, culminating in our first, in-person, Wildflower Weekend since 2019. We began the week with around a dozen wildflower walks in locations across the Commonwealth, from McCracken Co. in the west to Letcher Co. in the east. These walks were billed as “iNaturalist Tutorial Hikes” and had two goals. To help people utilize the iNaturalist app for plant identification and to get folks participating in our second, week-long BotanyBlitz. A BotanyBlitz is an event where participants try to document as many plant species as possible within a certain geographical location during a set period of time. The KNPS Wildflower Week 2022 Botany Blitz began on April 2, 2022 and ran through April 9, 2022. During that week, participants made over 4,500 observations of 537 different species of Kentucky plants, including 6 species that are listed as rare in KY.

Planning is now well on its way for our third annual BotanyBlitz on iNaturalist from April 8th-15th, 2023. As in prior years, BotanyBlitz allows us to broaden our spring wildflower scope to the entire state of Kentucky and allows us to highlight natural areas across the commonwealth! If you work/volunteer at a natural area in Kentucky and would like to partner with us to host a wildflower hike at your site to kick off the BotanyBlitz week, please send an email to: WildflowerWeekend2023@knps.org

Sweet pinesap (Monotropsis odorata), Red River Gorge

From April 8th, 2022 through April 10th, 2022, over 100 native plant enthusiasts came together to enjoy KNPS’ first, in-person, Wildflower Weekend since 2019, Wildflower Weekend 2022. Although temperatures were cool and skies were damp at Natural Bridge SRP, spirits were high as folks dressed for the weather and enjoyed 14 different native plant walks led by an incredible group of expert botanists. Saturday night, a large group of KNPS members and friends met in the Woodland Center for presentations by Ted Brancheau, Nick Koenig, and the keynote speaker, Mike Homoya.

Planning has already begun on Wildflower Weekend 2023 and the dates have been set for April 14th – 16th, 2023! For over 30 years, Kentucky Native Plant Society has partnered with Natural Bridge State Resort Park to offer guided hikes to explore Kentucky’s rich natural history and resources in the Red River Gorge. This year, Kentucky State Parks has offered to host our annual Wildflower Weekend at another of Kentucky’s beautiful state parks: Cumberland Falls State Resort Park. We are excited to hike new trails, see new wildflowers, and increase access to this event for members in a different part of the state. Save the dates and watch your email in early March for details on the hikes and registration procedures.

Swamp candles (Lysimachia terrestris), Ballard WMA

Field trips to quality natural areas in Kentucky have always been an important part of the educational mission of KNPS. Field trips in 2022 explored native plant communities that most of us have little experience with, from the Ohio River bottomland, cypress-tupelo swamps to the limestone barrens of central Kentucky. We hope to explore more of Kentucky’s rich diversity of native plant life in 2023. If there is an area in Kentucky that you think would be a good candidate site for a field trip, or if you would like to help by leading or co-leading a field trip this year, just send us an email at FieldTrips@knps.org.

We were thrilled to be able to have workshops again. In May of 2022, we were presented a workshop, Plant Family Identification Motifs: patterns for simplifying the complexity, led by Dr. J. Richard Abbott, Assistant Professor of Biology at the University of Arkansas. This workshop filled up fast when offered and was very well received, with one participant saying, “Just wanted to drop a line that this class was fantastic!” We hope to offer more workshops going forward.

KNPS Members & Friends at Blue Licks Battlefield SRP for the KNPS Fall Meeting, Oct. 15, 2022

We closed out the year’s activities with our 2022 Fall Meeting at Blue Licks Battlefield State Resort Park on Saturday, October 15th. On a beautiful fall day dozens of KNPS members and friends came together at Blue Licks Battlefield for our first in-person Fall Meeting since 2019. Blue Licks is one of the few locations in the world (three counties in KY and one county in IN) where the globally rare goldenrod, Short’s goldenrod (Solidago shortii) can be found. The day began with presentations about Short’s goldenrod by Dr. Carol Baskin and Jess Slade. In the afternoon the group, led by KNPS Vice-President Heidi Braunreiter and Immediate Past President Tara Littlefield, explored a limestone glade community in the park. The group saw Short’s goldenrod in bloom, along with two other species of native goldenrod, gray goldenrod (S. nemoralis) and tall goldenrod (S. altissima). Other native species of note that were in bloom included Great Plains lady’s tresses (Spiranthes magnicamporum), white gentian (Gentiana alba), and agueweed (Gentianella quinquefolia). It was wonderful to come together and share our love of Kentucky’s native plants. For one person’s experience, be sure to read Kristin Bailey Wilson’s post about the day, KNPS 2022 Fall Meeting Provides Information and Community.

2023 is already shaping up to be a banner year for the Kentucky Native Plant Society. We are kicking off the year with the annual Kentucky Botanical Symposium, on Thursday, January 26th from 9:00AM-11:30AM EST. This is one event that we continue to present virtually. Be sure to follow the link and register for this great event. April 8-16 will bring Wildflower Week 2023, with plant ID hikes, BotanyBlitz 2023, and Wildflower Weekend. We plan to offer several field trips throughout the year and we are hoping to set up at least one workshop.

The mission of the Kentucky Native Plant Society is to promote education about, appreciation for, and conservation of our native flora. Everything that KNPS does in support of this mission is planned, organized, and implemented by volunteers from our membership. Nothing happens without members’ willingness to help out. Regardless of whether you are a long time advocate for Kentucky’s native plants or if you are just getting started in your journey of exploration with native flora, we would love for you to become more involved with the Society. If you can help KNPS out this year, please take a minute to submit the form below.

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If you could help out KNPS in any way, please check the area(s) that you are most interested in.
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Help Pick a Design for the 2023 Wildflower Weekend T-Shirt

Photo courtesy of R. S. McCallum

In June of 2022, a KNPS member posted this image 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. Planning has already begun for Wildflower Weekend 2023 (April 14th-16th, at Cumberland Falls State Resort Park) and we have decided to bring back this great tradition.

This is where you, KNPS members and friends, come in! We want the design to be similar to the 1991 shirt, with one (or more?) native plant species as the central element. We want to use species that would likely be flowering (or showing attractive foliage) in mid-April, in the area around Cumberland Falls. The plant that we choose should be showy and lend itself to attractive graphical representation on a t-shirt. The planning committee has come up with a list of thirteen species that meet these criteria. We now need you to pick the species that will be on the t-shirt for Wildflower Weekend 2023. Go through the slideshow of the species below and then submit your top three choices using the form at the bottom of the screen.

  • Sharp-lobed hepatica (Hepatica acutiloba)
  • Bird’s foot violet (Viola pedata)
  • Great white trillium (Trillium grandiflorum)
  • Showy orchis (Galearis spectablis)
  • Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)
  • Dwarf rattlesnake plantain (Goodyear repens)
  • Yellow Trout Lily (Erythronium americanum)
  • Jacob’s ladder (Polemonium reptans) © ksfhigdon
  • Twin leaf (Jeffersonia diphylla)
  • Dutchmen’s breeches (Dicentra cucullaria) © rachelder12
  • Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica) © Dale Bonk
  • Yellow Ladyslipper (Cypripedium parviflorum) © jordanmbyrnes
  • Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)

How to convert cool-season lawn into native plantings

Peter Arnold, Virginia Tech School of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Arnold Classic Farms

David N. Bellangue, Virginia Tech School of Plant and Environmental Sciences

Jenna Beville, Virginia Tech School of Plant and Environmental Sciences

Forrest Brown, Virginia Tech School of Plant and Environmental Sciences

Dillon P. Golding, Virginia Tech School of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Hoot Owl Hollow Farm, Woodlawn, VA

Joseph D. House, Indiana Army National Guard

J. Leighton Reid, Virginia Tech School of Plant and Environmental Sciences

Jonathan O. C. Kubesch, Virginia Tech School of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Arnold Classic Farms, Country Home Farms, Pembroke, VA, Kentucky Native Plant Society

The majority of turf and pasture species in Kentucky are cool-season species from the Old World. In suburban yards, these species might include Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis), orchard grass (Dactylis glomerata), and tall fescue (Schedonorus arundinaceus). These grasses rose to prominence because they tolerate the mowing, fertilization, and usage regimes of most pastures and yards. Weekend games and parties in the backyard are hard on the soil surface, and thick sods can reduce soil erosion.

Cool-season lawns have limitations. In many yards, the amount of foot traffic doesn’t justify maintaining a thick green lawn. Fertilizer, gas, and mower repair might be money better spent on other activities around the house. Additionally, intensively managed lawns can add pollutants into the wider environment. Finally, while all grasses produce wind-pollinated flowers, these flowers do not necessarily support the pollinators in decline across eastern North America.

More people are eager to convert lawns and pastures to native species, primarily wildflowers, grasses, and small woody plants. These native plantings can replace traditional garden beds, take up dedicated areas, or even replace the entire backyard lawn. Native plantings reintroduce native species back into suburban areas. These native plantings provide a great introduction to our natural heritage for young children as well as a proving ground for restoration of natural plant communities at larger scales.

How do we convert cool-season lawn and pasture into native plantings? Cool-season grasses tolerate a fair deal of abuse, which can make them challenging to kill. A stepwise planning and planting process can help with killing lawns as well as planting native species. A fair deal of technical and popular literature is available to help guide interested homeowners and landowners to make the switch, but here’s a quick guide to help frame your conversion.

Step 1. Assess the site and set your goals for the planting

Site assessment should precede any action. Without an idea of the resources, site condition, or a plan, a native planting is less likely to succeed in meeting your goals. This assessment should consist of a soil test and a composition assessment. Soil testing should be in accordance with guidelines from the University of Kentucky soil testing lab. The routine soil test can determine basic soil fertility, and the organic matter test can decide whether additional amendments, such as compost or straw or wood mulch, are required.

Jonathan Kubesch soil sampling at the Shenandoah Valley Agricultural Research and Extension Center (Steeles Tavern, VA) on March 27, 2021. Photo credit: David Bellangue.

If such amendments are added, please consider the Carbon to Nitrogen (C:N) ratio. Carbon will tie up nitrogen making it unavailable to the plants, meaning additional nitrogen will be necessary to ensure proper microbial breakdown of amendments and proper growth for the plants. Plant species need to be selected based on soil acidity.

Most American lawns are a mixture of cool-season grasses, introduced legumes, and native as well as non-native broadleaf forbs. Getting an idea of the yard composition can be as simple as walking the yard and at 100 points determining the plants nearest to a boot tip. This step point method is quick and effective. This assessment does not need to be overly formal: grass, clover, and broadleaf weeds. This initial composition can determine the efficacy of different conversion strategies.

Homeowners Associations and other regulatory bodies may not like how these stands look, especially considering that most native plants are not subject to regular, short mowing. Be as pragmatic as possible, not fanciful. Evaluate your situation and act in the most effective way to meet your goals. These organizations could be persuaded to be more supportive of these actions if the yard can advance conservation, environmentalism, and biodiversity protection. After confirming approval, native plantings should be planned appropriately.

Goals for native plants depend on what you expect from your site. Producing native blooms for pollinators might favor a semi-natural wildflower bed, whereas a meadow mix might be more appropriate for wildlife. A native lawn may not be a possibility right away, but native areas with walking paths or native beds might be a great way to move toward a wilder yard.

A general plant community is a great way to frame a native bed or area in the yard, and here are a few questions to help you get started:

  • Will this plant community be grassy, flowery, or woody?
  • Are there any priority species for your area?
  • Will the area be a series of managed beds, or a semi-natural meadow with walking paths?
  • Are trees and woody plants part of the native planting?
  • Is shade a factor of the area?
  • Will you need to consider how much light is needed for desired native plants?

Increasing the diversity of species in the planting can improve plant growth and competition against weeds, as well as reduce pest pressure. Native plants come with different management requirements than cool-season grasses and limitations. These species grow from March to November and then go dormant, leaving brown stubble. Native turfs are being evaluated in the eastern USA, but low-growing western natives are not necessarily native to Kentucky nor do these species compete well with weeds when water isn’t limited.

If you’re seeking to create a landscape similar to what existed pre-settlement, consider using regional plant and seed suppliers, and ask Kentucky Native Plant Society officers about what might work in your geography. Consider building a plant community that might resist extreme climatic events.

Continue reading How to convert cool-season lawn into native plantings →

Clarks Rivers NWR Buffalo Clover (Trifolium reflexum) evaluation and conservation

Jonathan O.C. Kubesch*, Kelly Winklelpleck*, Connor Doyle*, Lindsey Barbini*, John H. Fike*, and Michael Johnson**

*Virginia Tech School of Plant and Environmental Sciences

**Clarks River National Wildlife Refuge

Summary

Buffalo clover (Trifolium reflexum) is a true native clover of eastern U.S. provenance. Previous research suggests that buffalo clover has seed yields and weights similar to introduced clover species (making it suitable for increase). However, such research is limited, with little comparison of plant material from across the northern range of the species. In fact, there is overrepresentation of southern accessions from Georgia, Texas, Mississippi, and Florida. This overrepresentation stems from historical seed collections coming from Coastal Plain collections. In order to better represent accessions from the northern range of the species (both in current research and for future studies), this project sought to 1) conduct a comparison of buffalo clover accessions from across the range against red clover (T. pretense); and 2) bank seed from the Clarks River population for use in conservation and research. Plants were grown from seed to seed and studied in a common garden experiment with efforts taken to maintain genetic purity. Seed was then banked with the Southeastern Grasslands Initiative. Variability in phenotypes across the lifecycle were observed among northern and southern buffalo clover accessions, which suggests that the species complex has further structural variance. Southern accessions required less time to bloom and flowered without vernalization. Clarks River plant material has not yet flowered and appears to require vernalization.

Introduction

The native clovers of eastern North America are relics of the complex mosaic landscapes present prior to European settlement (Gillett and Taylor, 2001). Of these species, buffalo clover is an annual to biennial species with known morphological and reproductive variability (Vincent, 2001).

Kentucky clover (T. kentuckiense) is a recent addition to the flora (Chapel and Vincent, 2013). Species delimitation between Kentucky and buffalo clover has been determined using primarily floral characteristics; however, vegetative characters in a common garden experiment might further resolve the relationships within the species complex.

Previous work with Kentucky clover and running buffalo clover in greenhouse and field research suggest that these native species face fewer propagation challenges in comparison to other rare plants (Kubesch, 2018; Kubesch 2020). Historically, Dr. Norman Taylor at the University of Kentucky maintained all 3 clovers native to Kentucky in greenhouse collections (Kubesch, 2018; Daniel Boone, personal communication).

The objectives of this project were to collect seed from the northern edge of the buffalo clover range and compare buffalo to Kentucky clover. It was hypothesized that Kentucky clover would be more morphologically similar to buffalo clover accessions from Kentucky and Ohio than to accessions from the Coastal Plain.

Continue reading Clarks Rivers NWR Buffalo Clover (Trifolium reflexum) evaluation and conservation →

KNPS 2022 Fall Meeting provides information and community

By Kristin Bailey Wilson

Everybody needs family. Biological relationships aren’t necessary, but we humans need groups who are like us. Or, if not entirely like us, then others interested or concerned with the same things we are. Community. 

Boardwalk. Photo by Kristin Bailey Wilson

In search of community

When I joined Kentucky Native Plant Society, I wasn’t sure what would come of it, but I knew I needed human relationships formed because of a common interest in native plants. I had been planting and reading about natives for several years, but humans need to chit chat. I was looking for a human community, so I signed up for the fall meeting at Blue Licks Battlefield State Resort Park with the hopes of finding some people with which to chat, and I did. 

When I left home that morning, Solidago altissima was blooming in yellow waves along a fencerow that my husband and I make a point not to mow regularly. It’s the Solidago that I think of — always. Altissima announces the beginning of fall as it starts to bloom. On our property it grows thick and tall, some as tall as I am – 5’ 7”. 

I don’t live in the bluegrass region, so when I think of Kentucky goldenrod, it’s altissima that comes to mind. For me, our native flower is the emblem of our state, the goldenrod state. I’ve taken dozens of pictures of bees and butterflies landing, napping, and feeding on Solidago altissima, but I hadn’t heard of Solidago shortii. A discussion of it was on the agenda, and I was curious to know more.

Workshop 1: Solidago shortii by Dr. Carol Baskin

Dr. Carol Baskin, a plant ecologist at the University of Kentucky, was the first speaker, and she described her many years of work on Solidago shortii. It’s shorter than altissima, but that’s not where the name derives. Rather, shortii is named for Dr. Charles Wilkins Short who found the plant on a limestone outcropping called Rock Island in the Falls of the Ohio River. 

Although it’s not known how shortii came to Blue Licks, several people in attendance speculated that it may have come as seeds on the coat and hooves of bison. Because shorty’s range is so small, it’s federally endangered. It grows on rocky and shallow soil, often near old crop fields. 

Solidago Shortii. Photo: Kristin Bailey Wilson.

You can distinguish Shortii from altissima by its smooth leaves and smaller growth habit. It doesn’t compete well with altissima because it’s shorter and has fewer leaves, but underground, it has a larger biomass than altissima, so shortii is more drought tolerant than altissima. As Dr. Baskin spoke, I whispered with my neighbors, comparing what surprised us or interested us about this Solidago that we were all looking forward to meeting in person.

Workshop 2: Controlling native areas by Jess Slade

The second presenter was Jess Slade, Native Plants Collection Manager at the UK Arboretum. Jess talked about using fire, chemical, and woman-with-loppers to eliminate invasive non-native species and encourage the growth of native species. 

She described the areas designated for improvement. After burning the existent non-native grasses, the team simply waited to see what remained in the seed bank. As non-native invasive species came up, they dug them or treated them chemically. When the natives emerged, they stepped carefully and gratefully. Protecting the natives and eliminating the invasives is the work in a nutshell. 

Finding community

After lunch, we took two plant walks. This is when community matters. The walks were the talks in action. As soon as we began, our entire group was milling around, heads-down, touching goldenrod leaves to identify shortii. When an identification was confirmed by Hedi or Jess, others would touch and discuss things such as biomass, blooms, location, and on and on. This was the chit chat I had been looking for. 

Short’s Goldenrod and Short’s Aster. Photo: Kristin Bailey Wilson.

As we walked, Dr. Baskin’s points about shortii and competition were brought to life by the many other natives and non-natives that crowded around shortii. The picture to the left shows Short’s Aster, among other natives, crowding a Solidago shortii in the foreground. It all seems so clear when you’re sitting in a hotel conference room, but in the field, the many other plants and the varying sizes of plants confuse the issues. It was great to have experts on hand to identify species and place the talking points in the field. 

In addition to shortii, the trails were full of other natives, like frost’s aster, sneezeweed, short’s aster, New England aster, thistle, and ironweed. We walked and talked plants. We also talked vocations, kids, and spouses. The weather was perfect for a fall walk, cool but not cold. 

Hedi and Jess also identified Gentiana alba and purple gentian, and we lined up to look and take pictures. These were flowers I would not have been able to identify without their help, and they were beautiful to behold. 

The education and training in botany, land management, and ecology were on display as we listened to the experts describe what we were seeing and what it means. But botany alone will not be enough to draw people to plants. Humans need family and community. As more and more Kentuckians, concerned about climate change; decreasing butterfly and insect populations; and supporting a wider diversity of plants in their yards, they’ll seek out community, a plant family, just as I did, and they’ll find it with the Kentucky Native Plant Society. 

Kristin Bailey Wilson, Ph.D., has served as a professor, an academic dean, and a chief academic officer. After nearly 30 years in higher education, she is spending her time in her garden…with her camera and her cat.