Kentucky Botanical Symposium 2020 (Virtual)

Kentucky Botanical Symposium and Membership Meeting

KNPS is having a virtual botanical symposium on Thursday, December 10th from 10am-2pm EST. For several years, KNPS has organized a botanical symposium in the fall 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. Despite the pandemic year, we thought it was important to continue this event, so please navigate this virtual world and join us to learn about all things botanical in Kentucky.

Topics that will be covered will include, but will not be limited to, KNPS updates, an overview of plant conservation in Kentucky, Kentucky’s roadside grassland and pollinator habitat program, conservation horticulture and native plant propagation, monitoring and managing rare plants and communities on State Nature Preserves, and exciting new Kentucky botanical discoveries.

Agenda

  • 10:00-10:10 Welcome & Introduction
  • 10:10-10:40 State of KY Plant Conservation and KNPS updates
    Jen Koslow, Tara Littlefield, Jeff Nelson, Susan Harkins and David Taylor
  • 10:40-11:05 Inventory, Monitoring and Management of rare plants and communities in State Nature preserves and Natural areas
    Devin Rodgers (Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves)
  • 11:05-11:10 Break
  • 11:10-11:35 Roadside Native Plants Project
    Tony Romano (Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves) and panel
  • 11:35-12:00 Native Plant Propagation Projects
    Emily Ellingson (UK Arboretum), Heidi Braunreiter (Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves)
  • 12:00-12:30 Lunch Break
  • 12:30-1:30 Keynote Speaker, Dr. Alan Weakley
  • 1:30-1:55 Exciting Kentucky Botanical Discoveries
    Mason Brock (Southeastern Grasslands Initiative/Austin Peay State University), Tara Littlefield (Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves)
  • 1:55-2:00 Wrap-up

Keynote Speaker

We could not be more excited about our Keynote speaker Dr. Alan Weakley!   Alan is a plant taxonomist and ecologist whose work in taxonomy and plant conservation has sparked a renaissance of botany in the southeast.  Just after lunch, Alan will address Kentucky’s Botanical Community on interesting topics ranging from plant evolution and biogeography, to conservation, taxonomy and citizen science. 

Alan Weakley, plant taxonomist, community ecologist and conservationist.

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 author of the Flora of the Southeastern United States, and co-author (with Chris Ludwig and Johnny Townsend) of the Flora of Virginia, which has received five awards, including the Thomas Jefferson Award for Conservation. He is also co-author (along with Laura Cotterman and Damon Waitt) of Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast.

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. He has authored over 100 journal articles and book chapters, and is in high demand as a speaker on plant taxonomy, community classification and mapping, biogeography, and biodiversity conservation. He is active with the Flora of North America project and the United States National Vegetation Classification, serves as an advisor to the N.C. Natural Heritage Program and N.C. Plant Conservation Program, and is a co-founder of the Carolina Vegetation Survey. As a trustee and board member of public and private conservation granting agencies and foundations, he has helped oversee $400,000,000 of land conservation grants in the Southeastern United States.

2020 Wildflower Weekend Cancelled

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and in line with the advice of health officials to minimize exposure by limiting gatherings, KNPS has decided to cancel our annual Wildflower Weekend event at Natural Bridge State Resort Park that was to be held April 3rd & 4th. Please note that this step was not taken lightly. The Kentucky Native Plant Society board made this decision out of a desire to protect the health and welfare of our members and the community.

As an alternative to this cancelled event, we encourage our members to join iNaturalist if you haven’t already. It is a smartphone app and online platform for recording observations of plants or any kind of organism you see outdoors, and connects you to a community of over 750,000 naturalists worldwide. Many of your fellow native plant enthusiasts here in Kentucky have already been posting spring ephemerals in bloom this year. Join our project Kentucky Botanists Big Year 2020 to see all the plants observed in Kentucky in 2020. We will award prizes at the end of the year to the people with the most observations, most observed species, and most identifications. 

Not great at identifying plants? No worries! One of the best benefits of iNaturalist for a ‘budding botanist’ is the aid of identifying what you see in the field by suggesting species based on photographs already posted, as well as connecting you with experts who you can identify the organisms for you. 

By interacting with your fellow native plant enthusiasts through iNaturalist, you can maintain social distancing, while still being able to get outdoors, clear your head, and enjoy the beauties our Kentucky flora has to offer you! We will be posting highlights of your exciting iNaturalist observations on our Facebook and Instagram pages as a way to stay connected with our members during this time of social isolation.

If you have questions about iNaturalist, check out their instructional page or reach out to us!

2020 Wildflower Weekend Schedule of Activities

WILDFLOWER WEEKEND 2020 HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

The schedule of activities for this year’s Wildflower Weekend has been released. Click on this link to see it in PDF format.

KNPS’ 2020 Wildflower Weekend is scheduled for April 3 & 4. Presented each year in partnership with Natural Bridge State Resort Park. This event offers wildflower hikes Friday and Saturday, led by some of the best botanists in the state. These hikes will explore the region’s rich natural history and resources in the state park and the Red River Gorge. Hikes topics include wildflowers, ferns, woody plants, bryophytes, fire ecology, plant identification 101, and more.

Friday evening, there will be a social to meet your fellow native plant enthusiasts. Saturday morning, we will have a book signing for a recently published children’s book, Wake Up, Woods, with author Mike Homoya present for signing. Directly after the booking signing will be a kid’s creek walk. We are also offering an outdoor yoga class Saturday afternoon and Saturday evening, talks will be given in the Woodland Center. See PDF for a full schedule.

Our keynote speaker Saturday evening is Mike Homoya. Mike is a recently retired botanist and plant ecologist who worked for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Natural Heritage Program since 1982. He discovered, inventoried, and assessed natural communities and surveyed for rare species. He shared his knowledge, experience, and enthusiasm about plants by authoring several books, teaching at the collegiate level, and serving as president of professional science associations.

His most recent publication is a children’s book titled Wake Up, Woods. Mike will give a presentation Saturday evening on the rare plants and natural communities along the Ohio River, from Cincinnati to the Mississippi River. You will also hear from three of our student grant recipients who will present on their graduate research projects.

This event is open to the public and kid-friendly. Registration is on-site at the Hemlock Lodge in the lobby. Admission is $10.00 for adults, $3.00 for ages 12-17, free for ages 12 & under. Discounted KNPS memberships will be available.

If you would like to volunteer and help out with the registration desk, please sign-up here: Volunteer Signup Sheets for the 2020 Wildflower Weekend.

2020 Wildflower Weekend

Join us for this year’s Wildflower Weekend, April 3 & 4 in partnership with Natural Bridge State Resort Park. This event offers wildflower hikes Friday and Saturday, led by some of the best botanists in the state. These hikes will explore the region’s rich natural history and resources in the state park and the Red River Gorge. Hikes topics include wildflowers, ferns, woody plants, bryophytes, fire ecology, plant identification 101, and more.

Friday evening, there will be a social to meet your fellow native plant enthusiasts. Saturday morning, we will have a book signing for a recently published children’s book, Wake Up, Woods, with author Mike Homoya present for signing. Directly after the booking signing will be a kid’s creek walk. We are also offering an outdoor yoga class Saturday afternoon and Saturday evening, talks will be given in the Woodland Center. Click on the link below to see the full schedule.

Our keynote speaker Saturday evening is Mike Homoya. Mike is a recently retired botanist and plant ecologist who worked for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Natural Heritage Program since 1982. He discovered, inventoried, and assessed natural communities and surveyed for rare species. He shared his knowledge, experience, and enthusiasm about plants by authoring several books, teaching at the collegiate level, and serving as president of professional science associations.

His most recent publication is a children’s book titled Wake Up, Woods. Mike will give a presentation Saturday evening on the rare plants and natural communities along the Ohio River, from Cincinnati to the Mississippi River. You will also hear from three of our student grant recipients who will present on their graduate research projects.

This event is open to the public and kid-friendly. Registration is on-site at the Hemlock Lodge in the lobby. Admission is $10.00 for adults, $3.00 for ages 12-17, free for ages 12 & under. Discounted KNPS memberships will be available.

If you would like to volunteer and help out with the registration desk, please sign-up here: Volunteer Signup Sheets for the 2020 Wildflower Weekend.

To see full schedule: https://www.knps.org/2020/02/24/2020-wildflower-weekend-agenda/

KNPS and West Sixth Brewing Present Native Plant Day at West Sixth Farm in Frankfort, KY

When: Saturday, Oct. 12, 11:00AM to 3:30PM

Where: West 6th Farm, 4495 Shadrick Ferry Rd. Frankfort, Kentucky

For this year’s fall meeting, KNPS and West Sixth Brewing invite you to Native Plant Day at the West Sixth Farm in Frankfort, KY. Join other native plant enthusiasts to hear updates about the society, partake in a native plant and seed exchange, and join us on a hike to see a globally rare plant.

Event Schedule (subject to change):

  • 11:00AM to 11:30AM – Register for Native Plant/Seed Exchange; meet other native plant enthusiasts.
  • 11:30AM to 12:30PM – Lunch and review of KNPS 2019 activities and plans for 2020. West 6th Farm has food trucks and beverages on site. You can also bring your own lunch.
  • 12:30PM to 1:00PM – Break
  • 1:00PM to 2:30PM – Native Plant & Seed Exchange
    Bring native plants and/or seeds you can exchange for other plants or seeds.
    Guidelines:
    • Must be native and pest-free.
    • Please label plants (label tags and markers will be available at event).
    • No endangered species.
    • Keep seed packets at roughly 15 seeds/packet.
    • Maximum 5 entries.
  • 2:30PM to 3:30PM – Native Plant Hike
    West 6th Farm is one of the few locations in the world where Braun’s rock cress (Arabis perstellata) is found. We will take a short (optional) hike to view this species. The hike will be led by Heather Housman of the Woods and Waters Land Trust.

This should be a great event. It is open to KNPS members and non-members alike. If you are a member, you can renew your membership for 2020 at a discounted rate. If you are not a member, you can join at the discounted rate. We will be also selling KNPS T-shirts, stickers, and native orchid posters.

There is no cost for the event, but in order to plan effectively, we are requesting pre-registration. If you are likely to attend, please fill out this REGISTRATION FORM. Thanks, hope to see you there!

Wildflower Weekend 2019 – Final Agenda

When: April 12, 2019, 1PM to 7PM & April 13, 2019, 8:30AM to 9PM
Where: Natural Bridge State Resort Park, Slade, Powell Co., KY

Everything is coming together for another great Wildflower Weekend. Take a look below at the final agenda. This year’s event offers outdoor hikes, a membership social, a book-signing, presentations, a panel forum, and raffle prizes. Professionally guided hikes and indoor presentations by regional experts explore the region’s rich natural history and resources. Click on either page to open the agenda in PDF format to download. Hope you can make it.

Wildflower Weekend 2019

When: April 12, 2019, 1PM to 8PM & April 13, 2019, 9AM to 9PM
Where: Natural Bridge State Resort Park, Slade, Powell Co., KY
Cost: $10 for adults, $3 for ages 12-17, free for ages 12 & under

Join us as we explore Natural Bridge State Park and the Red River Gorge in search of spring wildflowers with some of the best botanists in the state. Event will include wildflower hikes on Friday and Saturday, and a Friday night social with a short membership meeting and the opportunity to meet other KNPS members. Saturday evening will include educational talks, a book-signing, live music by the Forest Fiddleheads, and a panel discussion on recreational uses and impacts of the RRG and how they play a role in conservation. Door prizes and raffles will be included in Saturday evening festivities, including a wood carving by Bob VanHoff, as well as plants donated by KY Division of Forestry and UK Arboretum. Book-signing by Dan and Judy Dourson, authors of the new book Wildflowers and Ferns of Red River Gorge and the Greater Red River Basin.

Discounted KNPS memberships, $10 for paid registrants.
Registration on site prior to hikes and programs. Hikes start at Natural Bridge Lodge, programs are in Woodland Activities Center.