The Lady Slipper Archives - Page 25 of 39 - Kentucky Native Plant Society

Botanical Stories: Overlooked Areas, Dr. Mary Wharton, and Winged Loosestrife

By Nick Koenig

As summer is coming to a close, I have tried to be in the field botanizing around as much as possible. One of my favorite places to look around for plant life is the Miller-Welch Central Kentucky Wildlife Management Area located between Richmond and Berea. The area has been of great interest to me for the past three field seasons. Wildlife management areas are not the first place a botanist would venture to look for unexpected plant life. The purpose is for managing wildlife and the land managers do such a fantastic job at doing such. However, a favorable consequence to managing wildlife is often managing the plant life equally.

(Left) Location of the Central Kentucky Wildlife Management Area, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife.

(Right) Picture from Central in powerline way, August 2021, Nick Koenig.

As I was trekking through a wet, mesic field following the powerlines, kept open by the managers, I was finding native plants left and right. Anglepod milkvine, butterfly milkweed, moonseed, asters, sedges galore, trumpet vine… the list could go on and on. But what caught my eye was the pink flower below. I had not ever encountered a species like this in Madison County before or ever. After some keying, I was perplexed, a native loosestrife. Whenever I hear loosestrife, I am usually in “plant-yanking” mode, ready to grab any invasive purple loosestrife insight. But this was not the case.

Winged Loosestrife (Lythrum alatum) from Central KY Wildlife Management Area, August 2021, Nick Koenig.

Winged Loosestrife or Lythrum alatum (alate translating to wings in Latin, similarly to how “escalate” means to raise) is a plant species in the Loosestrife family with strong wings on the stem and lacking hairs. The flowers are light pink with one or two from one axil and the leaves ranging from ovate to lanceolate, with the entire plant not going over three feet tall (Illinois Wildflowers). What was most unexpected about the find was its occurrence in Madison County, Kentucky. By using the website SERNEC (Southeast Regional Network of Expertise and Collections https://sernecportal.org/portal/), one can call on collections of a plant species to see when a plant was documented, where, and by who, along with many other details. Some species are kept disclosed for protecting the integrity of the population/species.

By making a query of all Lythrum alatum in Madison County, Kentucky, the results give rise to only one collection. On July 10, 1937, Mary Wharton (botanist-extraordinaire and in the Kentucky Native Plant Society’s Kentucky Botantist Hall of Fame) found the same species in an “open oak-hickory woods.”

Dr. Mary Wharton, Kentucky Native Plant Society Kentucky Botany Hall of Fame Profile.

University of Michigan Herbarium specimen label written by Dr. Mary Wharton, SERNEC Portal.

The specimen is stored in a herbarium (plant specimen repository) at the University of Michigan herbarium and pictured below.

Winged Loosestrife (Lythrum alatum) specimen from the University of Michigan Herbarium collected by Dr. Mary Wharton, SERNEC Portal.

Not only does the specimen hold the story of a wonderful Kentucky native plant, it holds the story of a botanist. Knowing roughly one month ago, 84 years ago, Dr. Wharton (founder of Floracliff Nature Sanctuary and author of multiple field guides) when she was at the age of 24, was too intrigued by a species of flowering plant enough to collect it and document its occurrence. The stories of plant species and plant collectors alike are stored in the specimens housed in herbaria.

Citations

Illinois Wildflowers

https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/wetland/plants/wng_loosestrife.htm

Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife

Click to access MillerWelch-CentralKentuckyWMA_ALL.pdf

SERNEC Portal

https://sernecportal.org/portal/

Field Trip to the Ballard Wildlife Management Area – July 31, 2021

On Saturday, July 31, 2021, for the first time since July of 2019, KNPS members were able to get out into the field as a group and explore our Commonwealth’s botanical diversity. Traveling to the Ballard Wildlife Management Area in Ballard Co., nine of us spent an enjoyable morning visiting a variety of wetland ecosystems that many Kentuckians never see.

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 that many Kentuckians have not had the opportunity to experience. The Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves lists cypress (tupelo) swamp as a state endangered ecosystem. The forested parts of the WMA are mostly bottomland hardwood forest, another ecosystem that is somewhat uncommon in Kentucky.

_{^{Pale Indian plantain}}
_{^{(Arnoglossum atriplicifolium)}}

The nine participants headed out in a three-vehicle caravan to visit several spots around the WMA. We were led by longtime WMA employees, Gerald Burnett and Richard Campbell. At each stop we got out and walked and found many native plants. At our first stop we spotted several nice stands of an uncommon native, pale Indian plantain (Arnoglossum atriplicifolium). We also saw several species of St. John’s wort (Hypericum spp.), downy skullcap (Scuttelaria incana), meadow beauty (Rhexia spp.), starry campion (Silene stellata), and several species of aquatic and semi-aquatic plants, including American bur-reed (Sparganium americanum), arrow arum (Peltandra virginica), and broadleaf arrowhead (Sagittaria latifolia). Lots of buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) and both species of native Hibiscus, halberd-leaf rosemallow (H. laevis) and swamp rosemallow (H. moscheutos), were in abundance along the shores of the area’s lakes and sloughs.

^{Oneflower false fiddleleaf (Hydrolea uniflora)}

At the second stop we explored both a wetland community and a bottomland forest. We saw several natives, a couple that are rare in Kentucky. In the wetland, we saw a nice patch of oneflower false fiddleleaf (Hydrolea uniflora) in full bloom. This genus, Hydrolea, has two species in Kentucky, this one and ovate false fiddleleaf (Hydrolea ovata). Both species are only found in a couple of counties in far western Kentucky, and were believed to be extirpated until 2006 when both were observed again. Read the post “From the Lady Slipper Archives: Hydroleas (the genus False Fiddleleaf) in Kentucky – Lost and Found” to learn more about these beautiful and rare species.

We also encountered several stands of snow squarestem (Melanthera nivea) just beginning to flower. This is another species that is rare in Kentucky, reported only from four counties along the Ohio and Mississippi rivers; McCracken, Ballard, Carlisle, and Hickman.

Other species that were found in bloom in these habitats included sharpwing monkey flower (Mimulus alatus), butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa), swamp milkweed (A. incarnata), aquatic milkweed (A. perennis), hairy mountian mint (Pycnanthemum verticillatum var. pilosum), cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum), cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis), creeping burhead (Echinodorus cordifolius), and water parsnip (Sium suave).

Most of us are familiar with the non-native Asiatic dayflower (C. communis), that grows in gardens and along roadsides. However, many are not aware that Kentucky has three native dayflowers. We saw all three species of Kentucky’s native dayflowers in bloom during the field trip; white-mouth dayflower (C. erecta), Virginia dayflower (C. virginiana), and climbing dayflower (C. diffusa).

White-mouth dayflower
(*Commelina erecta*)

The day was a great start to getting back to in-person field trips. This exploration of an area of Kentucky that many people are unfamiliar with was a great example of the value of KNPS field trips for learning about our native plant communities.

From the Lady Slipper Archives: Hydroleas (the genus False Fiddleleaf) in Kentucky – Lost and Found

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 rarest genera, Hydrolea, first appeared in the fall of 2006, Vol. 21, No. 3. 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.

As a current update to this article, Hydrolea uniflora, the one-flower false fiddleleaf, was observed in full flower at Ballard Wildlife Management Area during the field trip there on July 31, 2021. Read about the field trip and see an image of H. uniflora at the article about the trip; Field Trip to Ballard WMA.

Hydroleas (the genus False Fiddleleaf) in Kentucky – Lost and Found

by Deb White

^{Hydrolea uniflora
photo from www.biosurvey.ou.edu}

The two species of Hydrolea in the state have both been lost and found within the last few years! Both the ovate false fiddleleaf (Hydrolea ovata) and the one-flower false fiddleleaf (H. uniflora) were reported in the 1960’s to 80’s from several western counties. We had checked all the sites where these wetland plants were reported, and the sites appeared to be extirpated – for instance one had turned into a church. As soon as their ranks¹ were changed to “Historic,” meaning they had not been reported for 20 years, they were both found in new places in western Kentucky. Robert Dunlap, a budding botanist and all-around naturalist, found a nice population of H. uniflora in Winford Wildlife Management Area. Julian Campbell reported that H. ovata is found at a wetland site within the Paducah city limits.

^{Hydrolea ovata
photo from www.biosurvey.ou.edu}

These are both wetland herbs with blue flowers. H.uniflora forms a rooted mat of creeping decumbent (laying close to the ground rather than erect) stems in shallow open pools in wetlands. The plants are usually less than a foot tall if that and generally bloom in the late summer. H.ovata is much taller,up to 3-4 feet, when it blooms and hard to miss if in flower. It has little spines at the leaf axils and has many branches.

Both of these species occur along the edges of bottomland hardwood swamps and marshy openings in western Kentucky. They are distributed in the southeast United States and into Texas and Missouri. Kentucky is at the northern limit of their ranges, not surprising since this is generally a genus of warm climates.

The number of species that become historic and ultimately extinct in the state give us some insight into the rate of loss of our native flora. To date, Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission lists 61 historic plants for the state. It is thrilling to find a plant that has not been seen for 20 years and re-assuring to know that the species continues to find its way in our changing world. In fact I am sure there is more Hydrolea out there to be found. If you are interested in knowing what rare plants, including those that are historic, occur in your area please visit our web site, Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves, and visit the Rare Plant Database for the listing for your county or to our rare plant website.

¹ Each plant in the Kentucky flora receives a rank expressing its status in the state, from rare to common, historic or even extinct.

Update to the article:
As was mentioned in the introduction above, H. uniflora was observed during the KNPS field trip to Ballard WMA on July 31, 2021. Here are a few images of H. uniflora from that trip.

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.

Heavenly bamboo (Nandina domestica)

By Heather Doolin, Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves

Heavenly bamboo (Nandina domestica), also commonly called sacred bamboo, is an evergreen shrub, vaguely resembling bamboo. Heavenly bamboo began its journey in North America as an ornamental plant, escaping cultivation and invading forests of ten southern states, Kentucky being included in those affected.

Continue reading →

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.

From the editor

Last month, The Lady Slipper introduced a new column, Kentucky Yard Restoration. In that premiere article, Karen Cairns describes her restoration project as a labor of love. I think most of us can identify with that statement.

Years ago, I planted natives for the birds and butterflies, without realizing that I was providing habitat for many other Kentucky creatures. I lived in an ordinary neighborhood with a few old trees, a small back yard, and houses in every direction but up. The birds came. The butterflies came. But so did the frogs, box turtles, rabbits, raccoons, and bees. I still get goosebumps when I remember finding that first bullfrog.

One morning, I found a neighbor in my backyard wandering around looking at it all. He asked how we installed the small pond–and when I say small, I mean it. But it was cozy enough for the green frog who took up residence there.

Each August, the hummingbirds were so numerous and bold, they would fly between our heads while sitting in our bench swing. I once had one check me out by hovering about a foot from my face and squeaking at me for a bit. What she was telling me, I don’t know, but I cried. I just stood there and cried because the interaction was so amazing.

Over the years, I noticed that some species were more abundant than others, and we began referring to things that happened during “titmouse summer,” “red-winged blackbird summer,” and so on. We had a pair of rose-breasted grosbeaks that stopped by Mother’s Day weekend without fail for many years. A red-winged blackbird flew in at the same time every day to chat with our dog. After a hard storm, a pair of bluebirds took refuge until they were strong enough to rebuild. They returned often to feed their offspring.

When we moved, I started over. Our new home had a Bradford pear tree and some holly bushes. If you think I despaired, you are wrong. I was excited, and I started all over again. After ten years, my home is surrounded by trees, shrubs, flowers and grasses–almost all native. The backyard bumps up to a field that connects with a wild and protected area. My backyard blends right into that field. Some might call it ugly; I think it’s beautiful. It is habitat, and now I take stewardship seriously–so seriously, that my mantra has become “Every yard matters.”

This small area is winter habitat and to some people, ugly.
In early spring, it’s mowed. Throughout the spring, summer, and fall, native blooms fill it.

If we can convince a few of our neighbors to return just a small section of their yards to the wild, we can reconnect to the wild in a way most of us think impossible. Imagine the corridors of habitat we could create. Many will be slow to adopt to this idea, but we must try. We have no choice if we are to become the stewards we are meant to be. I want my children, my grandchildren, and my great-grandchildren to know the joy of discovering a frog in their small pond. We don’t all start out with stewardship as our end goal, but that’s where a restoration project takes us.

We want to share your yard reclamation stories. You don’t have to be a great writer–we only need your passion and your story. Please consider sharing your Kentucky Yard Restoration story. You can contact us at LadySlipper@knps.org.