by Heidi Braunreiter, KNPS Vice President & Jeff Nelson, KNPS President
From April 8th through the 10th, over 100 native plant enthusiasts came together to enjoy KNPS’ first, in-person, Wildflower Weekend since 2019. 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.
Wildflower Walks
Beginning at noon on Friday and ending Sunday morning, fourteen wildflower walks, led by some of the best botanists in the country, explored the amazing diversity of the plant communities in Natural Bridge SRP and the Red River Gorge. Here’s some shots from the walks.
Carolina Vetch (Vicia carolina) 
Red trillium (Trillium erectum) 
Search for sweet pinesap. 
Sweet pinesap (Monotropsis odorata) 
Striped wintergreen (Chimaphila maculata) 
Virginia pennywort (Obolaria virginica) 
Bishop’s cap (Mitella diphylla) 
Members & Friends Friday Evening Campfire 
Woodland phlox (Phlox divaricata) 
Trailing arbutus (Epigaea repens) 
Downy serviceberry(Amelanchier arborea) 
Lichen walk 
Cranefly orchid (Tipularia discolor) 
Long-spurred violet (Viola rostrata) 
Rock Bridge Trail
Discussions about next year’s Wildflower Weekend 2023 are already happening. Dates and the location are not set yet, but be thinking about the first half of April as the general time-frame. If you have any thoughts about how the event could be made better, we would love to hear from you. If you would like to lead or co-lead a walk next year, let us know. KYPlants@knps.org.