CLAYTONIA Volume 34, No 1 Spring 2014 Newsletter of the Arkansas Native Plant Society Special Book Review: Steyermark's Flora of Missouri Vol. 3 Feature by George Yatskievych C \ New Members and Life Members Page 13 2014 Fall Treasurer's Report Page 12 2014 Spring Meeting Minutes Page 11 Membership Application Page 14 Fall Meeting Details Texarkana Page 10 Upcoming Field Trips Page 6 President's Message Page 15 S J Missouri Botanical Garden Press in cooperation with the Missouri Department of Conservation / $65 / www.mbgpress.info At last! Students of the regional flora can grab their hand lenses and rejoice! The third and final volume of the monumental Flora of Missouri Pro- ject is now available. Its release marks the end of more than 25 years of work completely revising, updating, and expanding what has been widely (and justifiably) regarded as one of the best state floristic manuals of all time: Julian Steyermark's 1963 Flora of Missouri (Iowa State University Press). To give you an idea of the extent of this update and expansion, the original work (which took 30 years to com- plete) contained 1,728 pages in a single three inch thick volume. The revision comes in at a total of 3,554 pages over three volumes, occupying a whopping 8 34 inches of shelf space. The three volumes combined treat 3,166 taxa (including 2,839 species as well as various subspecies, varie- ties, and hybrids) and include 2,726 species distri- bution maps as well as more than 580 plates of all new illustrations (with several species per plate). Simply put, this was a Herculean undertaking and Yatskievych has more than risen to the challenge. Volume 3 treats all the dicots not treated in vol- ume 2, starting with the family Fabaceae, subfam- ily Faboideae (subfamilies Caesalpinioideae and Mimosoideae are treated in volume 2), and going through the Zygophyllaceae. It treats 1,031 spe- cies, 65 subspecies and varieties, and 134 hybrids in its 1,382 pages. There are 194 plates of illustra- tions. What really sets the new Flora of Missouri vol- umes apart from other floristic manuals used in the region are the outstanding species accounts. No other reference comes close in the level of detail in the family, genus, and species descrip- tions. Every part of the plant is described in ex- haustive detail followed by information on range (both within Missouri and range wide), economic use, native status, inva- siveness, and (for many species) other interesting aspects of natural history, use by humans and other animals, suitability for the garden, chemistry, and more. A county level Mis- souri range map (based on specimens) is given for each species. Nearly all of the species are illus- trated with high quality black and white line drawings showing features needed for identifica- tion. The preparation and compilation of these drawings is in and of itself a tremendous contribu- tion and represents the talents often outstanding illustrators including ANPS's own Linda Ellis. The keys to the genera and species are straightfor- ward and the more-or-less random sampling that I tested with herbarium specimens worked well. Technical terms, while necessary in a manual like this, are kept under control and not used gratui- tously, and a glos- (Continued on next page) 1 Book Review (continued) sary defines those that are used. This volume includes a number of taxonom- ically difficult (and thus controversial) gene- ra not the least of which are the hawthorns ( Crataegus ) and the blackberries ( Rubus ). Anyone preparing a floristic manual with these genera included is bound to catch criticism from the splitters and/or the lum- pers. Yatskievych handles these groups admirably, splitting the difference between the extremes and enlisting the help of rec- ognized experts in each genus to contribute treatments based on the latest knowledge and concepts. Those of you who have had the good for- tune to get out in the field with George dur- ing joint ANPS/Missouri Native Plant Society functions know that he has quite a sense of humor. This seeps through even in a schol- arly work such as this. Who else would in- clude the fact (with a reference cited of course) that "poplar wood also was a popu- lar material for stakes to strike through a vampire's heart"? And I have to mention the wonderful likeness of the author includ- ed for scale in one of the species illustra- tions (but I'll let the readers hunt for this themselves once they buy the book). The biggest disappointment with volume 3 is the missing key to the dicot families. While it wouldn't have made sense to in- clude this key in volume 1 (which was all monocots) and an argument could be made that it wasn't time yet in volume 2 (many families have been split up or merged into others as taxonomic philosophies and knowledge have changed since it came out in 2006), it should have been included in volume 3. Indeed, in volume 2 we were told "a key to families will appear in volume 3 of the present work" but unfortunately we find only a nearly blank page with a note that the missing family key will now be forthcoming as a separate publication. No word about when, where, or how much. Whatever the reason(s) that it was deemed better to publish sooner without the fami- ly key than later with it, this decision will seem short-sighted to the user holding an unknown dicot in their hand but not know- ing which family to turn to. Even students well versed in the traditional families may pine for an updated family key given the taxonomic upheaval wrought in recent years. For example, most of the species traditionally placed in the Scrophularia- ceae (figwort family) are now moved to the Plantaginaceae (plantain family) with many others to the Orobanchaceae (broomrape family), not to mention sever- al other smaller families. Hell, only the genera Buddleja, Scrophulario, and Ver- bascum are still in the Scrophulariaceae! Hopefully this critical component (especially for the beginner trying to key out plants) will be available online to users at no additional cost. Another unfortunate, though less griev- ous, inconvenience is that two of the three subfamilies of the Fabaceae (the bean and pea family) appear in volume 2 while the final (and largest) subfamily appears in vol- ume 3, requiring both volumes to complete- ly key species in this easily recognizable fam- ily. And the key to subfamilies appears only in volume 2, rather than being repeated in volume 3 as it should have been. But these shortcomings, along with a few minor typographical errors inevitable in a work of this size and scope, are minor in light of its many strengths. Without ques- tion this is the best reference available for anyone studying the flora of Missouri, but is also the best for the flora of northern Arkan- sas, and one that also provides pretty good coverage for the species in the rest of the state. Promotional material for Steyer- mork's Flora of Missouri claims that the work "is intended to serve as an encyclope- dic reference tool for both professionals in biology and related fields and for the large group of dedicated amateur botanists and naturalists who have created the unique environment in which conservation, natural history, and other outdoor activities thrive and are supported in the state". I'd say it does just that and more as it is excellent for students of the flora well beyond the bor- ders of Missouri. The introduction hints at the future of the Flora of Missouri Project. It talks about a condensed manual covering the entire flora of Missouri in a single volume (much better for the field). It also states that there are plans for expansion of the project's elec- tronic offerings. Specifically mentioned are e-books and more content being made avail- able on the internet. The latter is already being developed and those interested are encouraged to visit www.tropicos.org/ Proiect/MO to explore what is available. The cost for volume 3 is $65, or get all three volumes for $120.80 (20% discount over ordering each volume separately). Review by Theo Witsell 2 The Arkansas Vascular Flora Committee is pleased to announce the release of Atlas of the Vascular Plants of Arkansas This 709-page paperback publication features distribution maps for each of THE 2,892 NATIVE AND NATURALIZED VASCULAR PLANTS IN ARKANSAS, REPRESENTING 2,7 1 5 SPECIES, 936 GENERA, AND 187 FAMILIES Introductory chapters, featuring full-color maps and plates, provide information on the FOLLOWING SUBJECTS: . General Introduction . History of Botanical Exploration in Arkansas . An Overview of the Geology of Arkansas . Effects of Physical Factors on the Distribution of Native Flora and Vegetation in the Natural Divisions of Arkansas Additional sections include: • Floristic Summary » Arkansas Endemic Taxa • Additional Taxa Reported for Arkansas » Arkansas Vascular Plants of Conservation Concern Atlas of the Vascular Plants of Arkansas ORDER FORM SHIP TO: QUANTITY PRICE -$43.90 per book (Current ANPS members receive a 10% dis- count - $39.51 per book) $ EMAIL: SHIPPING -$7.15 per book $ TOTAL $ phone: Make check or money order payable to University of Arkansas Herbarium and mail with this form to: University of Arkansas Herbarium ATTN: Jennifer Ogle Biomass Research Center 141 University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR 72701 phone: 479-575-4372 email: herb@uark.edu website: uark.edu/~arkflora 3 Winter Tree Identification Workshops Identifying deciduous trees in winter is an acquired skill. Or as the chemistry prof once told me about his own study, "It's hard, but fun There's not much evidence to go on. Leaves and flowers of course have fled the scene. (There are leaves and leaflets on the ground, but which ones go with which trees?) A few spe- cies cooperate by leaving their dis- tinctive fruits be- hind— catalpa pods on the branches, for example, or hickory nut husks on the ground. A few species are armed with characteristic thorns or spines, like honey locust, black locust, and the abominable Callery pear. And a few species have distinctive bark, at least when they come of age, from bark as forthcoming as that of sycamore or sugarberry or even black cherry to the less dramatic barks of groups like ash and elm. But there are certain clues that every deciduous tree leaves behind on its twigs during the dormant season: buds, leaf scars, and bundle scars. And just like learning a foreign language, we can study those marks until they be- come familiar enough to spell out the words we're after— like oak or black gum or possum haw or persimmon. Twenty-one people attended one or both of the Little Rock workshops on January 18 & 25, the first at Rebsamen Golf Course, the second at Allsop Park, and both luckily on fair weather days (the 25 th was downright balmy). We were field testing a "Key to Trees in Winter" that I had modified, at the re- quest of the Arkansas Forestry Commis- sion, for a new edition of their hand- book, Dwight Moore's Trees of Arkan- sas. With our hand lenses and rulers, like a band of Egyptologists reading hieroglyphics, we were able to work through the key and crack the code of about a dozen species, including green ash, red buckeye, pawpaw, sugarberry, persimmon, black cherry, devil's walk- ing stick, and honey locust. And I should admit that my com- panion field testers turned up several rough spots in the key that I do hope to smooth out. For anyone who wants more infor- mation on how to know the winter trees, help is out there. Several states have nicely illustrat- ed handbooks on the subject, if not in print, at least availa- ble on line: Winter Twigs of Arkansas by G. Thomas Clark, Winter Key to De- ciduous Plants of East Texas by Mi- chael S. Fountain & Lance C. Jones, A Key to Missouri Trees in Winter by Jer- ry Cliburn & Ginny Klomps, Identifica- tion of Southeastern Trees in Winter by Richard J. Preston, Jr. & Valerie G. Wright, and Woody Plants of the Southeastern United States: A Winter Guide by Ron Lance. My thanks to Barbara Baker for refor- matting the key to a booklet form, to Susan Hardin and Don Ford for their photographs, and to Don again for sev- eral bundles of twigs for the group to examine. Thanks also to Beth Phelps of the Pulaski County Master Gardeners for announcing the workshops; we had several Master Gardeners sign on and later become members of ANPS. Submitted by Eric Sundell Struggling Natives Need Our Help! Check Your Local Green Space John Perrin Have you been to your local green space lately? How did it look? Are there na- tives growing there? If you are lucky enough to have native plants still in your local green space, they may need your help. Experience with my local park has convinced me that Doug Tallamy is ab- solutely right. There is an environmen- tal war going on and the enemy is win- ning. Chinese privet and English ivy and Japanese honeysuckle, among other invasive plants, are rapidly turning many of our remaining areas of green into hostile environments for native plants. ANPS members wouldn't be surprised, but to the public at large, it would be news. Or it should be news, but it isn't, because our society is not informed. Books like Doug Tallamy's Bringing Na- ture Home have helped to bring atten- tion to the situation. Organizations like ANPS have worked to shed a light on our natives through education and support of conservation efforts. Unfortunately, getting people's attention over the din of television, twitter, facebook, pinter- est, etc... is no easy task. As my young- est daughter says, "Plants are boring." Well, they aren't boring to me and I am sick of letting the bad actors win all the time. It might take years of work, but some of us in our neighborhood plan to trans- form our local park into an oasis for na- tive plants and wildlife. How are we doing that? First things first, we evalu- ated what was still there. Oaks, hickory, sumac, some pine, that's good. Golden- rod, woodland sunflower, asters, and beautyberry were also good to see. The bad news consisted mostly of mimosa and privet, privet, privet. The manager of the park sought grants for park im- provement including invasive plant re- moval and planting of natives. She used (continued on next page) 4 (Natives Need Your Help— Continued from previous page) the improvement funds to hire labor to attack the most infested areas of the park. She asked for volunteers to cut, remove and poison the privet. fallen privet screams stumps exposed glistening with glycophosphate lotion Some of the native gardeners in the area collected seeds from their buck- eyes, columbines, asters and golden- rod, strawberry bush and dogwood to distribute in the shady areas of the park. Others gathered sunflowers, coneflowers and bee balm for the sun- ny areas. Later this year, we plan on visiting Pine Ridge and using some of the remaining funds to buy some choice plants. Our continuing plan is to keep killing the invasives and seed and plant natives that we can buy and/ or propagate. Being in an urban area, we cannot use prescribed burns, but we certainly would if we could. The park has lots of potential and could support tons of native plants. I envision native honeysuckle, passion vine and milkweed vine on every fence, fields of flowers under the pow- er lines and the wooded areas being more diverse and dotted with wild flowers. One day when I was cutting and poi- soning, a neighbor noticed and asked what I was doing. When I told him, he said "Why don't you let the park peo- ple do that?" I replied that "We are the park people." I'm not sure he un- derstood what I meant, but maybe he will understand at some point. It struck a note with me though. It made me chuckle and think about the folks I've met in the ANPS. They are all "park people" and I am proud to be among them. I hope that our numbers grow. Our green spaces need us. ADOFI-A-HIGH\W Sid & Jeanette Vogelpohl's (ANPS) Highway Cleanup Report Hwy 309 Litter, including butts, collected each week-end. Quarterly reports to ASHTD • Jun 1: 8 bags collected (3 recycled) • Oct 1: 5 bags collected (2 recycled) • Feb 1: 4 bags collected (2 recycled) Total of 17 bags litter and 7 recycled. Sweden Creek Falls Natural Area Yellow Morel, Morchella esculenta Sweden Creek Falls Trail Wood Betony, Pedicularis canadensis Spotlight on Martha Bowden Did you ever wonder who was responsi- ble for creating and managing the ANPS Facebook page? Likewise, who manages the http://anps.org/ website? Well, the same person does both and that person is none other than our own Martha Bowden! Martha is an active Pulaski County Mas- ter Gardener, extremely active Arkansas Master Naturalist, grandmother, foster mother of rescue dogs, geocacher, ama- teur photographer, and many other things too numerous to mention. In her spare time, she manages the online im- age of ANPS. Let's give a loud shout-out to ANPS member, Martha Bowden! 5 Tip for the Gardener Growing Perennials from Seed John Perrin As a kid, planting com and beans and squash in the family garden, the procedure was to loosen the ground, toss in some seeds and cover with soil. When you got rain or irrigat- ed, the seeds would sprout and spring to life with incredible vigor. Not every seed germinated, but you compensated for that by using 3 or 4 seed per "hill". Tried and true, it worked well, if the crows and cutworms didn't attack. When I first tried to grow native perennials from seed, I found out that the lessons in gardening from my grandfather and father didn't apply especially well. Some of the seeds were so tiny they were practically invisible. I'd plant them and they would never sprout. Bigger seeds too, sometimes they just wouldn't grow. I did not understand why I had so many failures. Help came in the form of education and observation. Bota- nists and hobbyists in the ANPS and professional nursery op- erators like Mary Ann King (of Pine Ridge Gardens) gave me excellent advice concerning their experiences with various species of natives. Here are a few of the details I've learned that helped me get better results. Some species' seeds required this mysterious process called cold stratification. Cold stratification turned out to be a very logical process of exposing the seeds to conditions similar to those of their natural environments. In nature, the seeds get randomly distributed on the ground and some are lucky enough to be covered by soil or other organic material and kept moist through the cold of the winter months. When spring comes, some of the seeds germinate and produce tiny perennials. Several species, especially those with medium to large seeds should not be allowed to dry out. If they dry, they die. Buck- eyes and passion flowers are a couple examples. In nature June 21st 9:30 a.m. Woolsey Prairie Ginny Masullo and Steve Smith will lead a walk. Directions— Take Wedington Drive (AR 16W) and 1-540 in Fayetteville west 1.2 miles to Rupple Road. Turn right (north) onto Rupple Road to 1837 N Rupple Road (Ginny and Steve's house). Carpool to the site— there are very few parking spac- es at the Wastewater Facility. After the hike, we will have lunch at Ginny and Steve's and watch the DVD on Woolsey Prairie, "After the Burn" , released last fall, http:// ecoarkansas.com/WoolsevMain.html they are quickly grabbed up and hidden by wildlife or run through a digestive tract and deposited with a supply of rich compost. Seeds that have very hard exteriors frequently need to be roughed up a bit before they can absorb enough water to germinate. Various methods of seed scarification, like acid baths, hot water baths, mechanical means like tumblers, file scrapes, sandpaper or small cuts are used to provide a simu- lation of the freezing, thawing, chewing or partial digestion of the seeds that happen in nature. In some extreme cases, like walnuts and pecans, a hammer can be used as the scarifica- tion tool Other species of plants bear seeds that are what I would call stubborn and contrary. They germinate infrequently, even in the wild, and can lie dormant for many, many months before showing signs of life. A study of the effects of scarification on the Bush's poppy mallow ( Collirhoe bushii) by Gosejohan, M.C. and K.A. McCue of the Department of Biology at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and the Missouri Botanical Garden is a good example. It showed that it did not matter what you did to the seeds, they seemed to germinate at ran- dom times of up to 307 days. Knowledge gained, I am no longer afraid to plant those tiny perennial seeds that just a few years ago seemed so daunting. My favorite technique is to start by planting some annuals in a pot. The annuals need to have similar sun and moisture requirements as the perennial I intend to grow. Sprinkle those tiny seeds on top of the soil in the pot and for- get them. Through the growing season, you simply care for the annuals. Eventually, Mother Nature will provide you with a nice surprise. It may be late summer, early fall, or even the following spring, but odds are you will get the perennials you are wanting. Sometimes you'll get a ridiculous number of them and be able to share. Editor's note: Always search for "seed scarification", search- ing for "scarification" alone leads to scary results. October 11—12 Texarkana Arkansas We will set up the hikes shortly before the Fall Meeting. As usual, there will be Saturday morning hikes followed by a lunch opportunity and hikes in the afternoon. Sun- day morning will offer another opportunity to hike be- fore attendees head back home. For those that have not attended a weekend meeting, the hikes and the company are always fantastic! ANPS Upcoming Field Trips— Save the Date! 6 Ozarks Chapter Arkansas Native Plant Society Burnetta Hinterthur November 2013, Harmony Mountain Retreat All year long, I look forward to the an- nual meeting of OCANPS at Harmony Mountain. It is truly a welcome retreat to get away from the city and into the natural environment of Newton County. Friday night, we had a very successful auction making over $400 in auction items and dues following a wonderful potluck. It is interesting how we have changed menus in the past ten years, with more vegetarian, vegan, and glu- ten-free options being added this year. On Saturday, members hiked Pedestal Rocks. At the business meeting, Rick Hinterthuer agreed to remain President for the coming year along with Ginny Masullo remaining as Vice-President, and Mary Reuter very graciously agree- ing to remain Treasurer as well as Bur- netta, Newsletter Editor and unofficial activities organizer. We also voted to donate $100 each to the Halberg Ecolo- gy Camp sponsored by Arkansas Audu- bon Society and the Ozark Natural Sci- ence Center at Huntsville. We sent in a deposit to reserve Harmony Mountain for next year. It has certainly been an interesting win- ter so far and today, it looks as if we are a long way off from spring. Since "Hope springs eternal", here are the hikes planned for this coming spring and sum- mer. I appreciate those who have agreed to lead hikes and look forward to exploring the flora and fauna with you this year. June 21st Woolsey Prairie Woolsey Prairie, Fayetteville. Seethe details on Page 6 (opposite). Please send OCANPS dues ($5 per year) to: Mary Reuter 121 CR 432 Berryville, AR 72616 You will receive a Spring Newsletter announcing hikes and activities planned for the coming spring and summer and I will also send out a Fall list of planned hikes and information about the annual meeting at Harmony Mountain. We also donate money to other Arkansas groups that support educating young people about the nat- ural resources of the state. If you have joined, paid dues and are not receiving the Newsletter via email, please email meatbur.hint@gmail.com or call (479)-430-0260; if you need to receive a hard copy of the newsletter, please include your address with the e-mail or voice mail. Check ANPS state activi- ties by going online at http://anps.org/ Theo Witsell honored as one of 25 Arkansas visionary thinkers Max Brantley Theo Witsell stood in a thicket at Lo- rance Creek Natural Area just south of Little Rock and started naming off the plants encircling him. Southern high bush blueberry. Muscadine. Sweet gum. Willow oak. Yellow passion flow- er. Cinnamon fern, bracken fern, Southern lady fern, netted chain fern, Virginia chain fern, royal fern. Edible ground nut. Hardhack Spirea. Wood- oats, plume grass, rough-leaved gold- enrod. Sessile bell-wort. White flat- topped aster; that's a rare one, he said. Over there, elephant's foot, par- tridge berry, lots of crane-fly orchid. St. John's wort. Grape fern. Sphagnum moss, spongy in the sandy soil beneath 7 our feet. He was just getting going naming the 471 species of native plants that grow in Lorance Creek; the greatest diversity lies in a boggy area where, thanks to the power line mowing, sun- light has made its way in and allowed dormant seeds to sprout to life. He was there on this particular day collecting a sedge — Carex bullata — to send to a colleague in North Carolina who be- lieves it's a little different from its east- ern family. It looked like any old grass to the uneducated eye, but Witsell could distinguish it —even without its fruit. The 38-year-old botanist for the Natural Heritage Commission and Little Rock native can identify about 5,000 plants, a skill he says he works on constantly to maintain. (He started out in wildlife bi- ology, he said, but found plants easier to catch.) In 2001 he identified a new species endemic to Arkansas, Pelton's rose gentian, which he named for the amateur botanist who found it in Saline County and showed it to him. Witsell and others are now working on identify- ing eight or nine plants not previously described, many from the shale glades in the Ouachita Mountains. They are working to add to the state's knowledge of its natural history, helping write the story of how the Arkansas landscape has changed by reading its seeds. You can't know what's out there unless you look, and that's something fewer and fewer people are doing. Spring Beauty, Claytonia virginica Yellow Monkey Flower "Hanging In There" Monkey Flower, Mimulus floribundus On Sunday, May 4 th , we set out from the Quality Inn parking lot in Harrison for Gilbert, Arkansas. The weather was sunny and warm already. Arriving at Gilbert, we found parking spaces with- out ''No Parking" signs. Eric and Mike were able to negotiate with the Post Office and Store owner for parking spac- es. We set off on the old railroad right of way trail that lies between the river to the south and a bluff line to the north. We had not gone very far before we spotted Valerianella ozorkono. I had not seen this species on the trail before, so it was a real treat. We found a grove of hackberry trees and debated the spe- cies composition for several minutes before moving on down the trail. Spe- cies encountered included Ohio spider- wort, Tradescantia ohiensis; meadow parsnip, Thaspium barbinode ; alumroot, Heuchera omericana var. hirsuticoulis; lyre-leaved sag e, Salvio lyrata. There appear to have been two Penstemon species, Penste- mon orkonsanus and Penste- mon pallidus. This seems to be a great year for Urtica chamaedryoides as we saw it in abundance on the Smith Creek trail on Saturday as well. Introduced invasive species included garlic mus- tard, Alii aria petiolata in great abundance and early fruiting stage; Japanese hon- eysuckle, Lonicerajaponica; burning bush, Euonymus alatus. We attempted to pull up Alliaria petiolata and were able to do so at one location, but gave up when the number became too large to keep up with. In a crack in the bluff above the trail, we finally spotted Mim- ulus floribundus in a small population of possibly 50 individuals; farther down the trail, we found another population slightly larger. These grow on the lime- stone bluff where they receive water that is seeping through the rocks. This has been located in nine northern Ar- kansas counties, and has been found at Alum Cove and Devil's Den State Park; but, the closest populations of it other- wise are west in Colorado. Though di- minutive in size, it has a beautiful, slightly irregular floral tube and it is a bright yellow color. Also growing on the east-facing bluff was a large popu- lation of what we debated was either Camassia or Zigadenus (now Toxico- scordion nuttallii). I think I was hoping for the latter; but, upon checking once home, it looks as if it was Camassia scil- loides with globular fruits and spread- ing, narrow basal leaves. We had hoped to refind Arab is shortii , now Boechera shortii, but it was not to be. The last time I visited the Gilbert trail, I found a few plants clinging to an erod- ing bank near the old railroad trestle rock work. This time, the bank was further eroded and we did not spot any plants, Meadow Parsnip, Thaspium barbinode Burnetta Hinterthuer, OCANPS newsletter Editor and plant lover extraordinaire! although we did take a while to check. These may have been washed com- pletely out of the drain and carried far- ther downstream. Someone said that finding 2/3 of the species that we were looking for was a pretty good ratio; but it sure would have been nice to find all of them. The following members took the Gilbert Trail and most of us enjoyed eating lunch at the end of the trek at the Gil- bert Restaurant: Mike and Peggy Burns, Pat Cromwell, Mary Hogle, Mary Ann King and Gene Ford, John Lamey, James and Michael McKinnie, Ty Murdoch, Eric and Milanne Sundell, John Sutherland, and Mike and Nancy Weatherford. It was a delightful day, being with fellow plant enthusiasts. Be sure and check out news of Ar- kansas flora at the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission web site: http://www.naturalheritage.com/ to stay current with the latest news from Theo Witsell and Brent Baker and other people working to recognize and pre- serve biodiversity in the state. 8 One of Arkansas' two species of mock or- ange, probably Phila- delphus pubescens, was in bud on the ledges near Cob Cave. The particular species is a mystery, but we hope to see it in full bloom later. The di- versity of wildflow- ers— herbaceous per- ennials— suggested that somewhere be- yond the parking lot, we stepped through the looking glass into the Smoky Mountains. Here are some of the wildflower highlights: Hard-to-find golden seal and ginseng, both in early fruit. Abundant dwarf larkspur, almost thick enough for a ground cover, in bloom in its white phase. Two species of nosebleed trilliums (the purple ones) in flower, the statewide Tril- lium recurvatum and the more secretive T. sessile of the Interior Highlands. An Ozark wake robin [T. pusillum var. ozarkensis) was seen in early fruit. Waterleaf was in bloom all along the trail, and not just one species— two! Both restricted in Arkansas to the Ozarks: Hydrophyllum virginianum and H. appendicula- tum (the fuzzy species that goes by the name of "woolen breeches"). Wild geraniums. Phlox of course, probably Phlox pilosa, possibly P. divaricata. On the rocks and ledges above the pool, rooted in what looked like less than an inch of mossy soil, picture-perfect wild columbines had their flowers hanging out, patiently waiting for hummingbirds. Joe and Rita Cotham no- ticed some large cabbage-looking leaves well off the trail that turned out to be false hellebore, a neat, rare find, though the flowers won't appear till July or August One of the most memorable moments for both morning and af- ternoon groups was the discovery of a thornless, herbaceous greenbrier by the name of carrion flower. Dainty, yellow-green flowers, gently nodding in the breeze, are pollinated by a variety of insects, including flesh flies and blow flies. To attract those car- rion flies, the little flowers blast out a stench of rotting flesh strong enough to attract a turkey vulture! Mike Weatherford took this don't miss photo of Virginia McDaniel sampling the carrion flower perfume— Thoreau would approve: she's living deep and sucking out all the marrow of life. On that beautiful Saturday, two ANPS groups walked the trail, morning and afternoon, through Lost Valley, one of the richest hardwood forests in Arkansas. There are oaks aplenty, of course, but walnut is more common than the hickories, beech (with last fall's beechdrops skeletons still standing) and sugar maple are abundant, and bass- wood, yellow wood, and cucumber magnolia are not un- common. Numerous blue ash saplings— the ash with mint-square stems— were present, but we couldn't find a big one that might be the seed source. Also phlox's charming first cousin, Jacob's ladder. Jack-in-the- pulpits common and fertile, but only with the pulpits green, not quite as striking as pulpits maroon. One Jack near the waterfall pool was waist high. Burnetta noticed three species of violets, Viola pubescens, V. sororia, and V. striata. And not uncommon, that bizarre "violet" of northwest Arkansas' rich woods, Hyban- thus concolor , so-called green violet, because it is indeed a mem- ber of the violet family. If you don't believe it's a violet (because it looks absolutely nothing like a violet), you make a cross section of the fruit, where you find the same uncommon structure— seeds attached to the outer wall in three bunches— as in true Viola. Lic- orice root, Osmorhiza longistylis, occurred throughout: the crushed leaves have a mild anise aroma; the roots are deliciously fragrant if you like lico- rice. Lost Valley Trail ANPS Spring Meeting Harrison, May 3, 2014 Leaders: EricSundell, Linda Ellis, Burnetta Hinterthuer Linda and I found American gromwell, Lithospermum latifoli- um, with unimpressive, pale yellow, axillary flowers— neither of us had ever seen it before. The lithospermums or puccoons can be showy in bloom— for example, L. caroliniense— but they get even more interesting in fruit with seeds that are mostly a stony, shiny, porcelain white. 9 ARKANSAS NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY FALL 2014 MEETING October 10-12, 2014 Texarkana, Arkansas HOTEL AND MEETING: Holiday Inn Express and Suites Hotel Texarkana East, 5210 Crossroads Pkwy, Texarkana, AR 71854 Phone: (870) 216-0083 Thirty rooms (25 double queens and 5 kings) have been reserved at the reduced rate of $89.00 plus tax per night. Reservations must be received by September 26, 2014 to guarantee the reduced rate. Be sure to mention that you are with the Arkansas Native Plant Society when making your reservation. FRIDAY EVENING: Registration, 5:30-7:00 p.m. Auction, 7:00 p.m. SATURDAY EVENING: Presentation, 7:00 p.m. Theo Witsell, Botanist with the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, will speak on the subject, "Habitats and Rare Plants of Southwest Arkansas". SATURDAY AND SUNDAY FIELD TRIPS Field trips will be held all day Saturday and Sunday morning. Locations to be announced. Harry Phacelia, Phacelia hirsute/, Gilbert Trail Spring Field Trip Hikes Photos Jack-in-the-Pulpit, Arisoemo triphyllum , Lost Valley Sessile Trillium, Toad Trillium, Toadshade, Trillium sessile , Lost Valley 10 ANPS Spring 2014 Membership Business Meeting Minutes, May 2-4, Harrison Spring Meeting Agenda Friday, May 2, 2014 The Friday evening program was a presen- tation by Dr. Tamara Walkingstick, Associ- ate Director of the Arkansas Forest Re- sources Center with the University Of Ar- kansas Division Of Agriculture. She spoke on Ethnobotany, an informative and en- tertaining look at how botany is related to the culture of civilizations. The program was very well received by the member- ship. Saturday, May 3, 2014 Morning and afternoon walks to Sweden Creek, Lost Valley and Buffalo River Trail at Smith Creek. The Saturday evening program was presentations by the two University of Arkansas, Fayetteville graduate students who received scholarships/grants from ANPS in 2013. Eric Hearth, recipient of the Del- zie Demaree Research Grant, is pursuing a Ph.D. in invasive botany under the super- vision of Dr. Stephen L. Stephenson and Dr. Johnnie L. Gentry. Eric's research ex- amines the habitats of five target invasive species in Arkansas and West Virginia, and allopathic effects they may have in the habitats they invade. He presented his research on "Examining the Habitat of Target Invasive Plants." Ty Murdoch, recipient of the Aileen McWilliam Scholarship, is pursuing a Master of Science degree under the di- rection of Dr. Cindy L. Sagers. Ty present- ed his research, "Transgene escape in Can- ola and hybridization with a naturalized species, Brassica rapa." Sunday, May 4, 2014 Morning walks to Sweden Creek and the Gilbert Railroad Trail and a few members visited Baker Prairie. Minutes Business Meeting. May 3, 2014 Betty Owen called the meeting to order at 8:10pm. She thanked Jennifer Ogle for arranging the 2014 Spring Meeting in Har- rison. Secretary: The minutes of the Fall 2013 meeting were distributed by email and copies were available at the meeting. Linda Ellis moved to dispense with the reading of the minutes. The motion was seconded by Richard Emmel and the mo- tion was approved by the membership. Treasurer: The treasurer's report, accept- ed by the board, was presented by Don Ford. Don reported an end of year 2013 balance of $24,213.42 and a May 3, 2014 balance of $25,903.42. Membership: Membership reported that those Charter Members who are not life- time members have been awarded Life- time memberships by the board. There were nine memberships awarded (each has been a member since 1981): Peggy Ackerman, Lana (Cook) Ewing, Rose Ho- gan, David Johnson, Edwina Walls Mann, Mina Marsh, Gary Tucker, Ellen Turner (Neaville), and Robert D. Wright. Mina Marsh was present at the meeting and thanked the membership for the award to Charter Members. Newsletter: Betty Owen reported that due to technical issues, the Claytonio newsletter has been delayed. An abbrevi- ated version will hopefully be published soon. Nominating Committee: Chairman Eric Sundell reported that a slate of officers for 2014 will be presented at the fall meeting. Old Business Update on Grant for Nature Walk at Logan County Old Jailhouse Museum Sandy Davies reported that some planting has been completed and the project is moving forward. Volunteers are sched- uled in June to help finish the project. Don Crank's Garvan Gardens fern booklet A fern survey must be completed prior to reprinting the fern booklet. New Business Washington County Junior Master Gar- dener Grant Request. The board recom- mended that ANPS grant $500 in response to this request. The membership voted to approve this grant (motion by Mike McKinney and seconded by Richard Em- mel). The requirements for receipt of the grant will be worked out between Eric Sundell and Mina Marsh. These include reimbursement for purchases of native plants, locating the plants in an identifia- ble site, and a sign recognizing the ANPS contribution (sign to be provided by ANPS). By-laws Amendment. Betty Owen report- ed that the board recommends an amend- ment to the bylaws which provides for board approval of grants, with certain limitations, without the formal approval of the membership. These limitations are a maximum of $500 per grant and an annual limit of $2000 total. This amendment will allow ANPS to respond more quickly to grant requests. This proposal was accept- ed by the members (motion by Linda Ellis and second by Richard Emmel) and the final wording of the amendment will be voted on at the Fall Meeting. A proposal for a Plant Rescue Team was discussed. The board recommendation that ANPS respond to plant rescue as the need arises was accepted by the member- ship. It was agreed that local events war- ranting plant rescue shall be referred to the membership for response by interest- ed members. The disposition of rescued plants will be determined by those in- volved in the response. 2014 ANPS Fall Meeting The 2014 Fall Meeting is scheduled for October 10-12 in Texarkana, Arkansas. Linda Ellis moved to adjourn the meeting and Richard Emmel seconded. The meeting was adjourned at 8:50pm. 11 Treasurer Report FY 2013 Treasurer’s Report January 1 - 31 December 2013 Start FY 2013 -► $20,222.68| ANTICIPATED INCOME Membership Dues (+ Membership Donations) Meeting Registration (265 + 305) Plant Auction Interest T-Shirt Sales Contributions/Donations TOTAL ANTICIPATED EXPENDITURES ANPS.Org Claytonia (Print & Distribute 2 Issues) Directory (Print and Distribute) Memorial Awards (Awards/Scholarships) Support to Public Gardens Meeting expenses Ecology Camp Environthon Bulk Mail Supplies/postage/Misc Buy T-shirts TOTAL Budget $4,000 $500 $1,800 $100 $0 $0 Actual FY 2013 $5,120.00 $570.00 $1,778.00 $660.00 $325.00 $6,400 $8,453.00 $0 -$43.00 -$1,200 -$815.44 -$700 -$620.08 -$2,000 -$2,000.00 -$1,000 -$500 -$116.86 -$500 -$500.00 -$500 -$200 -$190.00 -$300 -$176.88 $0 -$6,900 -$4,462.26 | Balance as of Dec 2013 — ► $24,213.42| * 26.88Postage MaryAnn, $100 throughput donation, $50 Deposit Spring Meeting Respectfully submitted by Don Ford, Treasurer 12 Membership Report New Members Shena Ball (Hot Springs, AR) Jeff Cantrell (Neosho, MO) Ellen Chagnon (Mountain Home, AR) John Chapman (Fayetteville, AR) Jennie and Charles Cole (Little Rock, AR) Lida Coyne (Mount Vernon, AR) Linda Doherty (Hot Springs, AR) Mary Evans (Little Rock, AR) Rick Farrar (Franklin, AR) John and Kaye Harris (Rogers, AR) Eric Hearth (Rogers, AR) Mary Ann Hicks (Ponca, AR) Michael and Kayla House (Batesville, AR) Martha Hurst (Hot Springs Village, AR) CR and Aliena Jones (Boerne, TX) Robert Lambert (Sherwood, AR) Beth Keck and Ken Leonard (Benton, AR) Sarah King (Fayetteville, AR) Simmons Kirkpatrick (Romance, AR) Robert Lambert (Sherwood, AR) Katherine Lincourt (Little Rock, AR) New Lifetime Members Linda Boulton (Calico Rock, AR) John Buck (Cotter, AR) Sharon Fergusson (Conway, AR) Darrell Geisler (Wheatley, AR) Norma Patterson (Little Rock, AR) Steve Patterson (Poteau, OK) Dr. Henry Robison (Sherwood, AR) Darcia Routh (North Little Rock, AR) Susan Toone (Little Rock, AR) Vic Prislipsky (Hot Springs Village, AR) George Yatskievych (St. Louis, MO) Malcolm LeVois (Fayetteville, AR) Bernie and Sue Madison (Fayetteville, AR) Blair and Caitlin Madison (Philadelphia, PA) Emily McCoy (Hatfield, AR) Terry McKay (Mt. Ida, AR) Jane and James, Michael, Ellen, and Daniel McKin- nie (Cabot, AR) Suzanne Meek (Bella Vista, AR) June Murdock (Redfield, AR) Dave Pieper and Eva Madison (Fayetteville, AR) Linda Moore (Clarkridge, AR) Ty Murdoch (Fayetteville, AR) Adam Schaffer (Bentonville, AR) Lea Stroud (Haughton, LA) Ryan Townsend (West Fork, AR) Lorna Trigg (Eureka Springs, AR) Joe Wankum (Conway, AR) Jim and Cynde Watson (Valley Springs, AR) Heather Williams (Springdale, AR) Joe Wright (Alexander, AR) Claire Whiteside (Harrison, AR) Charter Members Awarded Life Member- ship in November 2013 Peggy Ackerman (Little Rock, AR) Lana Ewing (Mena, AR) Rose Hogan (Little Rock, AR) David Johnson (Delaware, OH) Edwina Walls Mann (Little Rock, AR) Mina Marsh (Fayetteville, AR) Gary Tucker (Cabot, AR) Ellen Turner (Neaville) (Rogers, AR) Robert D. Wright (North Little Rock, AR) 13 ANPS Membership Application and Renewal Form New Member Renewal Address Change Name (s) Address Membership Type Student $10 Individual $15 Supporting $20 Family Membership $25 Contributing $30 Lifetime (age 55+) $150 Lifetime (under age 55) $300 City State Zip Phone ( ) - E-mail Please send this form and your dues directly to the ANPS treasurer. Don Ford 4017 Bluebird Lane Little Rock, AR 72210 For other membership questions, please contact the membership chair Mike Burns at anps.membership@gmail.com or (479) 229-2185 Arkansas Native Plant Society is a non-profit organization 14 Spring 2014 Newsletter Your dues status is on your mailing label. On the mailing label there will be a number, for example, "14" , and this indicates that your dues are paid through 2014. (Life members will have an "LF" on their label.) To renew your membership, please fill in the appli- cation for membership, changes of name, address, e-mail or telephone number and mail your dues to the Treasurer: Don Ford 4017 Bluebird Lane Little Rock, AR 72210 President Betty Owen pjmbowen@gmail.com (501) 472-6920 Secretary Karen Fawley fawley@uamont.edu (870) 460-9452 President-Elect Jennifer Ogle ranunculus73@gmail.com Awards & Scholarships Mary Ann King office@pineridgegardens.com Vice President Mike Weatherford weatherfordm@sbcglobal.net (870) 820-8300 Membership Chair Mike Burns anps.membership@gmail.com (479) 229-2185 Treasurer Don Ford anps.treasurer@gmail.com (501) 821-9353 Editor John Perrin jperri@acxiom.com (501) 831-0970 Nominations Chair Eric Sundell esundell42@gmail.com (870) 723-1089 WebMaster Martha Bowden anps.web@gmail.com (501) 803-9545 President's Message Betty Owen What a wonderful spring we've had after the most awful winter many of us can remember! Some of the plants in our gardens protested mightily and gave up the ghost. Some loved the cold weather and came back prettier than ever. The shaded trails of Ponca, AR put on a show of early spring bloomers this year, I have never seen Jack-in-the -Pulpits in such abundance. Our woods suffered from the droughts of the last few years followed by ice storms and windstorms. It is hard to watch a beloved tree die. I once lamented that I had lost several rather large red oaks due to disease and drought when a wise man (Theo Witsell) said to me, "That will just open up the forest for something else to rise and shine." Since then I look at dead trees in a new light: a sad but necessary part of the adventure of living among trees. The other day, I was reading some plant related materials when I came across another gem of wisdom pertaining to turnover of the forest , "We are the only species in the world that considers a dead tree a bad thing." So, cut your firewood for next winter and leave the rest of the dead trees for the bugs, birds, squirrels, etc. When summer comes and forces us to stay inside, don't forget to check out the website and facebook pages to see what's new. One feature of the facebook page that I find particularly intriguing is the "Know Your Natives" articles. The information and the photos are terrific— keep up the great work contributors and Martha! See you guys in Texarkana! 15 CLAYTONIA Newsletter of the Arkansas Native Plant Society Volume 34, No 2 Fall/Winter 2014 In the Field Highlights from White Cliffs Natural Area with Brent Baker by Eric Hunt New Members and Life Members page 2 Fall Meeting Details Page 7 V J J A ^ Auction Info Page 8 - 4 Recommended Reading Page 9 J Membership Application Page 13 President's Message Page 14 Leading the May 17 hike through the wonderfully diverse woods at White Cliffs Natural Area was Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission Botanist Brent Baker. Taking part in the hike were Eric Sundell, Eric Hunt, Jay Justice, John Simpson and Meredith York. Brent led the group through the 1.75 mile long nature trail. The trail winds a large circle through the northwestern corner of the main part of the natural area, passing through several different habitats. We stopped frequently, mak- ing note of the flowers, mushrooms, trees and shrubs along the way. High- lights included a discussion of how to tell Ashe's juniper (Juniperus ashei) from eastern red-cedar (Juniperus virginiana); finding many trees and herbs that prefer moist sites in what seemed to be a drier, upland site; finding so many blooming flowers in the Apocynaceae (dogbane/milkweed family); and the bonus of having Arkansas fungus expert Jay Justice along for the walk. Jay pro- vided an excellent running commentary regarding any mushroom we found. The area had been burned in the winter of 2011/2012 and American beauty-berry (Callicorpo omericona) had come back strong, domi- nating the understory, along with toothache-tree (Zonthoxylum clovo-herculis), coral-berry ( Symphoricorpos orbiculotus), and fragrant sumac (Rhus aromatico var. serotina). Flowering herbs included large patches of Russell's beebalm (Monarda russeli- ona), the vines climbing-milkweed (Motelea baldwyniono) and anglepod (Gonolobus suberosus), and wherever a little more light reached the forest floor, butterfly milkweed (Asclepios tuberoso ssp. interior), white milkweed (Asclepias variegata), marbleseed (Onosmodium bejariense), eastern prickly- pear (Opuntia humifuso var. humifuso), sensitive-brier (Mimosa quadrivalvis var. nuttallii), stalked wild petunia (Ruellia pedunculata ssp. pedunculata), yel- (Continued on page 2) white milkweed (Asclepias variegata) photo by Eric Hunt [i] (White Cliffs , continued from page 1) low pimpernel (Taenidia integerri- ma), Drummond's wild onion [Allium drummondii), Carolina rose (Rosa Carolina), round-fruit St. John's-wort (Hypericum sphaerocarpum), heart-leaf nose- burn (Tragi a cordata), and a few patches of death-camas (Toxicoscordion nuttallii) gone to seed. In the highest light areas, along the roadside and near the cliffs were beardtongue (Penstemon laxiflorus), pale purple coneflower (Echinacea pallida), showy beardtongue (Penstemon co- baea), plains larkspur (Delphinium carolinianum ssp. virescens), Indi- an-pink (Spigelia marilandica), wild four-o'clock ( Mirabilis nyctaginea), purple prairie-clover (Dalea pur- purea var. purpurea ), big-head rab- Osage-orange, Madura pomifera photo by Eric Hunt bit-tobacco (Diape ria prolifera var. prolifera), and few-flower false dandelion (Pyrrhopappus pauciflo- rus). showy beardtongue, Penstemon cobaea by Eric Hunt Trees and shrubs included large stands of Ashe's juniper (Juniperus ashei), rare in Arkansas, more commonly found on the Edwards Plateau of central Texas), nutmeg hickory (Carya myristiciformis), native stands of Osage-orange (Madura pomifera), with the fruits in pistillate stage, some of the larg- est, tallest, most mature winged elm (Ulmus alata) some of us had seen, Durand's white oak (Quercus sinuata), another rare species for Arkansas, cherrybark oak (Quercus pagoda), rusty blackhaw (Viburnum rufidulum), red mulberry (Morus rubra), the trunkless palm, dwarf palmetto (Sabal minor), rough-leaf dogwood (Cornus drummondii), and fa rkle berry (Vaccinium a r bo- re um). Fungi encountered on the walk in- cluded common funnel mushroom (Infundibulicybe gibba), gelati nous- pored polypore (Gloeoporus di- chrous), American jelly ear (Auricularia americana), violet toothed polypore (Trichaptum bi- forme), a variety that apparently has no common name (Antrodia aff. juniperina), pale brittlestem mushroom (Psathyrella candolle- ana) and spring polypore (Polyporus arcularius). common funnel mushroom, Infundibulicybe gibba by Eric Hunt New Members Welcome! New Life Members Thank You & Congratulations Aimee Colmery (Little Rock, AR) Bobbie and Keith Hackler (Fayetteville, AR) Barbara Smith (Smackover, AR) Nancy B. Cunningham (Rogers, AR) Susie Dunn (Hot Springs, AR) Karen Kimrey (Fayetteville, AR) Tom Neale and Eileen Oldag (Little Rock, AR) David 0. Shepherd (Fayetteville, AR) [ 2 ] In the Field OCANPS Trip to Ninestone, May 24, 2014 by Burnetta Hinterthuer I am always excited about a trip to Ninestone because of a chance to visit with Judith Griffith and Don Matt. For one to know a place, one must walk over it and explore its nooks and crannies. They do this regularly and have become patient observers learning much about the natural systems with which they share the land. On their back porch, sitting in a comfortable chair, looking across at the water- fall, I am struck by the peace of this place. According to Judith, they are encouraged by the return of more native plant species and fewer invasive species after starting restoration of the two largest glades at Ninestone. Also, Adjoining areas of glade/savannah type habitat have been seed- ed with a donated mixture of native grasses, legumes and forbs. Many volunteers have contributed many, many hours toward the effort. Today OCANPS members and other interested people have come to- gether to walk over the glades and witness the changes. Steven Fos- ter, Bill Thurman, Amanda and Ryan Bancroft, Don and Jane Stein- kraus, Dorothy Mangold, Denise Greathouse, and Danny Barron are already there, sitting on the porch enjoying the scenery and the na- tive plant gardens around the house. Laura Villejas and I arrive from Fayetteville and are soon joined by Jackie Leatherman and Carol McCorkle, Mary Hogue, Mary and Frank Reuter, Pat and Ken French, Joan Reynolds and Joe Neal. As we started the tour of the glades the photographers were ex- cited about the lighting due to the overcast day. The biggest attrac- tion, of course, was Marshallia caespitosa va r. caespitoso (Barbara's buttons), a member of the Asteraceae that has been found in only three Arkansas coun- ties and is of special conservation concern in the state. Other glade species such as Min- uortia patulo (sandwort), Coreopsis lonceoloto (lance-leaf tickseed), Oenothera linifolia (thread-leaf sundrops), Sedum pulchellum (widow's cross), Opuntia humifusa var. humifusa (eastern prickly pear), Orbexilon pedunculatum var. pedunculatum (Sampson's snakeroot), Houstonia longifolia (long leaved bluet) were in full bloom. Hairy blazing star (Liatris hirsuta), poppy mallow ( Callihroe digitata ), widow's-cross (Sedum pulchellum), big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), and little Marshallia caespitosa, Barbara's buttons photo by Joan Reynolds Leonorus cardiac, motherwort photo by Joan Reynolds bluestem (Schizacyrium scoparium) would not be far behind. Crotons, caric sedges (of the genus Carex), and grasses such as three-flower melic ( Melica nitens) were noted. Steven Foster, co-author of A Pe- terson Field Guide to Medicinal Plants and Herbs of Eastern and Central North America photo- graphed the medicinal plants along the way: Leonorus cardiaca (motherwort), Polygonatum biflo- rum (Solomon's seal), Galium apa- rine (cleavers), along with many other species. The star of the show, the fame flower, Phemeranthus calycinus a.k.a. Talinum calycinum was closed up tight in its bud dur- ing the morning hike; but, Judith, Joe and Joan assured us that we could catch it in full bloom around 2:00 p.m. During the break, we took time to eat lunch and admire the populations of wildflowers around the house. We then set off in vehicles to cross the creek and visit the waterfalls. In flower in the field across from the creek were (Continued on page 4) [ 3 ] In the Field OCANPS Hike: Woolsey Prairie, Fayetteville by Dr. David Chapman The Ozarks Chapter of the Arkansas Native Plant Society field trip to Woolsey Wet Prairie on June 21 was an excellent opportunity for beginners like me to gain skills in plant identification. Led by Bur- netta Hinterthuer, about a dozen folk turned up in fine weather to walk the trails that cross this amaz- ing place. Woolsey Wet Prairie photo by Dr. David Chapman Surrounded by urban develop- ment, Woolsey is a certified wild- life habitat that comprises wet are- as separated by recently created earth berms and islands of slightly higher ground that were once prai- rie mounds. Woolsey was estab- lished a few years ago as a mitiga- tion site to offset construction of the city of Fayetteville's Wastewater Improvement Systems and the result is one of the most outstanding habitats for plants and other wildlife in Northwest Arkan- sas. The flora comprises species typical of seasonal wetlands associ- ated with tall grass prairie rem- nants and so far more than 450 flowering plant species have been identified with more being added every year. At least eight plants found at Woolsey have been desig- nated rare by the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission and had nev- er before been identified in Wash- ington County. Physostegia angustifolia, false dragonhead aka Obedient plant by Dr. David Chapman On this visit False Dragonhead were most in evident but most in- triguing were the many rushes and sedges growing in the wet depres- sions. There are so many plants to identify here that we took several hours covering just a few hundred yards or so. My favorite of the day, a small buttercup identified by Bur- netta as Ranunculus laxiculmis easi- ly missed in one of the ponds now drying out after the heavy rains we had this spring. Ranunculus laxiculmis, buttercup photo by Dr. David Chapman Note by Burnetta: Dr. Chapman has been studying the Lake Fayetteville Prairie area for the past few years and has put together a plant list for the area. Thank you, Dr. Chapman for sharing your thoughts and pho- tographs. (Ninestone, continued from page 3) Ptelea trifoliata (wafer-ash or hop- tree), Echium vulgare (viper's bu- gloss), and Asclepias viridis (green or spider milkweed, also green antelopehorn). Something inter- esting to note is that the milk- weeds once placed under family name Asclepiadaceae are now considered in the Apocynaceae. The new edition of The Atlas of the Vascular Plants of Arkansas comes in handy when checking some of these latest changes. In the floodplains below the bluffs, Crataegus crus-gal Hi (cocks pur hawthorn) and Yucca arkansana (Arkansas yucca or soapweed) were in full bloom. Once back on the glades, the photographers Phemeranthus calycinus aka Talinum calynum, or fame flower by Joan Reynolds took great pains to get striking photographs of this bright, beauti- ful fame flower. Some members of the group walked below the bluff line to photograph a beauti- ful clump of Aquilegia canadensis (columbine) that Joe Neal had spotted from the overlook. Thanks to Judith and Don for hosting the Arkansas Native Plant Society at Ninestone this spring. We look forward to returning. [ 4 ] In the Moro Big Pine Field Trip Field by Mike Weatherford If you head south from Hampton, Calhoun County, on Highway 167 you will pass through an area that is considered to be one of the best and largest remaining examples of pine flatwoods habitat in Arkansas. The pine flatwoods is among the most at-risk ecosystems in the state. Looking out the car window at 60 miles per hour, it may appear to be nothing but pine trees in a flat, poorly-drained and seemingly endless terrain. But those who choose to slow down and take the side roads (or even get out and take a walk beneath the canopy of pines) will find a very high level of plant diversity. The Arkansas Natu- ral Heritage Commission (ANHC) has identified several rare plant communities in this area, such as the pine flatwoods savannah, sa- line soil barrens and sandy seeps. Since 2007 about 16,000 acres of this area have been protected in the Moro Big Pine Natural Area- Wildlife Management Area (Moro Big Pine) by a long-term manage- ment lease with the private land- owner. Moro Big Pine is jointly managed by the landowner, ANHC and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission as a working forest producing timber and providing hunting opportunities while pro- tecting the unique characteristics of the pine flatwoods environment. This includes one of its most threatened residents, the Red cockaded Woodpecker. A group of Arkansas Native Plant Society members, plus two guests, met on May 15 to explore the rare plant communities of Moro Big Pine. The group met at the "five- points" road intersection located near the east side of the property. The area around five-points is bo- tanically rich because the Dew- eyville geologic terrace (low) and the Prairie terrace (higher) meet, resulting in an abundance of groundwater-fed seepage wet- lands. In this area you can find the unlikely juxtaposition of dry-site and wet-site plants. For example, the group found bracken fern (dry- site) and royal fern (wet-site) just a few feet apart. Theo Witsell, ANHC botanist, led the group on a walk of less than one mile through diverse habitats including a marsh, a sandy seep, saline barrens, and pine woodlands (recently burned and coming alive with a rich diversity of herbaceous plants). Plants of particular interest identi- fied by the group included very beautiful rough skullcap (Scutellaria integrifolia) in full bloom; possumhaw viburnum ( Viburnum nudum); may berry (Vaccinium elliottii) and black high- bush blueberry (V. fuscatum) grow- ing side-by-side; both netted and Virginia chain ferns; coral greenbri- er (Smilax walteri) thornless with red leaf petioles (and red fruit to come!); tall swamp rosette grass ( Dichanthelium scabriusculum) only found at two places in Arkansas; and sundew ( Droseria brevifolia). After lunch the group moved to a different site along a power line west of Highway 167. Additional plants of particular interest found there include maleberry ( Lyonia ligustrina var. foliosiflora); meadow spike-moss (Selaginella apoda); candy root (Poly gala nan a). [ 5 ] Spring Survey Spring Burn Promotes Germination of Ouachita Twistflower By Virginia McDaniel In early June I accompanied Arkan- sas Natural Heritage Commission (ANHC) Botanist Brent Baker on several trips in the Ouachita Na- tional Forest in search of Ouachita twistflower ( Streptonthus squami- formis), a member of the mustard family. Ouachita twistflower is an annual species endemic to the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas. It is named, scientifically, for the prominent pubescence of squa- mous (covered in scales) hairs found on its sepals, pedicels, and often fruits; a diagnostic character that distinguishes it from other twistflowers found in the Ouachita Mountains. It grows on southeast, south, and southwest facing, steep, rocky slopes and ravines in open woodlands. This year was an all-around bad year for Ouachita twistflower. Brent was coming up empty hand- ed in locations he had seen it in previous years. The first day I joined him, we were deep in twistflower habitat on a beautiful south facing pine-oak woodland with all the usual suspects: little bluestem (Schizachyrium scopari- um), Ouachita blazing-star ( Liotris compacta), butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberoso ssp. interior), goat's-rue (Tephrosio virginiono), rough goldenrod (Solidago rodulo), slender bush-clover ( Lespedeza vir- ginico), and slim-leaf panic grass (Dichonthelium lineorifolium). After a four hour search we had two puny plants in our tally, each about 6 inches tall. Even in a good year Ouachita twistflower is found sporadically with an individual here and another there, but populations this year were unusually small. The long, cold winter had set flowering behind, but the individuals he was finding this week were past their flowering prime. Without flowers, it is difficult to spot the scattered twistflower. too hot. This knowledge led Adam to ignite the burn by hand and to just light the top of the mountain and let the fire back gradually down the mountain. I, unfortu- nately, had to get back to Hot Springs and left the mystery to Brent. Streptanthus squamiformis Ouachita twistflower by Brent Baker We decided to get some insight from National Forest District per- sonnel and stopped by the Mena Ranger District Office. The District Fire Management Officer, Adam Strothers, mentioned they had conducted a prescribed burn this spring (March 26) on Fodderstack Mountain, which was prime Ouachita twistflower habitat. Rhonda Watson, District Wildlife Biologist, verified there was a known population from there. Ad- am mentioned that burning to the south of Mena is tricky because the terrain is steep, the rocky slopes have very little duff to protect tree roots, and it is very easy to burn it Anxious to see the effects of a spring burn on Ouachita twistflow- er, Brent set out for Fodderstack Moun- tain with doubts, thinking the spring burn may have killed germinating seed- lings. However, as he climbed the mountain he began to see the beautiful pinkish purple of Ouachita twistflower. As he climbed higher, the numbers in- creased and the plants got bigger. Hundreds of individuals were scattered across the mountain side! It seems the backing fire cre- ated just the right conditions to key the seeds to germinate. The plants on Fodderstack were about three weeks behind the blooming of oth- er populations Brent observed this year, but he found more plants in this area than he had seen in any area this year. I was thrilled when he told me the news and the next week got the Forest Botanist, Su- san Hooks, Adam, and Fire Techni- cian Stan Wagner to head out for a look. What an amazing site it was indeed! A nice conclusion to the twistflower survey season! [ 6 ] Fall 2014 Meeting Fall Meeting Agenda October 10-12 The plant auction will be held Friday evening October 10 and we have scheduled Saturday and Sunday with field trips to surrounding parks and natural areas. Please plan to join us as we tour some of the unique habitats of the West Gulf Coastal Plain, including chalk woodlands, blackland prairies, and sandhills. Some of the prospective field trips are located in are- as that have very few restaurant options. You may want to come prepared with lunch supplies in case we aren't able to find a place to eat between the morning and afternoon walks on Saturday. AGENDA HOTEL AND MEETING LOCATION Holiday Inn Express and Suites Hotel Texarkana East 5210 Crossroads Pkwy Texarkana, AR 71854 Phone: (870) 216-0083 http://www.texarkanaeasthotel.com ANPS has reserved a block of 30 rooms (25 double queens and 5 kings) at the reduced rate of $89.00 plus tax per night. This rate includes high-speed wire- less internet and a hot breakfast each morning. Res- ervations must be received by September 26, 2014 to guarantee the reduced rate. Be sure to mention that you are attending the Arkansas Native Plant Society meeting when making your reservation. Several other hotels are located in the immediate ar- ea, including: Comfort Suites - (870) 216-8084 Hampton Inn - (870) 774-4267 Best Western Plus - (870) 774-1534 FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10 5:30-7:00 pm: REGISTRATION Registration costs $5.00 per person and occurs in the Newcrest Meeting Room of the Holiday Inn and Suites. You need not be a member to attend the plant auction, or to join us on the field trips. Everyone is welcome. Meetings are also the only time ANPS T- shirts are available. Sign-up sheets for Saturday and Sunday field trips will also be available, along with descriptions of each trip. 7:00 pm: NATIVE PLANT AUCTION The fall meeting begins with the annual native plant auction, which raises funds for our scholarships and grants program. This informal and fun auction fea- tures native plants grown by our members. Items such as books, seeds, plant presses, jams and jellies, and crafts are also often included in the auction. If you have something to donate, please bring it with you and give it to one of the meeting organizers to add to the auction. Meals: Potluck snacks will be offered on Friday and Saturday evenings. Drinks will be provided by ANPS. Please feel free to bring a dish or snack to share. All other meals are up to you. Texarkana has many op- tions, including well-known local spots such as Bryce's Cafeteria and Cattleman's Steakhouse, and a couple large grocery stores near the hotel. SOME NOTES ABOUT THE FIELD TRIPS We will provide full information about field trip loca- tions on Friday evening. If you would like to lead a field trip, or if you have suggestions for an interesting place for a field trip in the area, please contact Jen- nifer Ogle. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 11-8:30 A.M. Field trips depart from the hotel parking lot. 7:00 P.M: EVENING PROGRAM Theo Witsell, botanist with the Arkansas Natural Her- itage Commission, will talk on the subject, "Habitats and Rare Plants of Southwest Arkansas". Business Meeting will follow the evening presenta- tion. SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12—8:30 A.M. Field trips depart from the hotel parking lot. [ 7 ] AUCTION 2014 Annual ANPS Native Plant Auction Here are a few things our members had to say about the auction: Society President - Betty Owens - "The world famous ANPS Plant Auction starts Friday evening, October 10, at 7 p.m. Bring your native plants, bulbs, seeds, as well as books, jellies, wines, leatherwood bracelets, and all other things botanical for sale at our annual auction. Proceeds build our Aileen McWilliam and Delzie De- maree grants and scholarships." Vice-President - Mike Weatherford - "If you are looking for native plants that are hard to find, this is the place for you! " The Native Plant Auction was my first exposure to ANPS. I was not a member then, but had such a good time that I had defi- nitely started down the path to membership. Friendly competi- tion was the name of the game. Bidding wars were allowed and sometimes encouraged by the other participants. Several plants in the auction were species that I had never heard of. Three plants I remember buying that year are a four-leaf milk- weed (Asclepias quodrifolia), a milkweed vine of some flavor and a "nodding" yucca whose species has yet to be determined. Four years on, all three of these plants are still doing well. Feel free to invite any of your friends who might be interested. You can't beat the $5 registration fee, and I guarantee you will enjoy yourself, as long as you stay within budget. Asclepias quadrifolia, June 2, 2014 photo by John Perrin Showy Native Scarlet Rose Mallow by Mike Weatherford Scarlet rose-mallow ( Hibiscus coccineus) is an Arkansas native plant that would be a worthy addition to any of your sites with plenty of year- round moisture and light shade or full sun. This showy plant has been found in three counties - Hempstead, Saline and Union. The five-petal flowers, shown here, are bright red and huge - 6-8 inches in diameter. The petals are more separated than other hibiscus species giving the center of the flower a star-shaped appearance. Like other hibiscus, a single flower lasts for only a day. The plant grows to eight feet in height on the best sites. The large bold leaves, along with the huge bright flow- ers make this plant a real standout. Scarlet rose-mallow is especially well suited for use around ponds or in boggy areas. In Texas, they are frequently referred to as the Texas Star. The flower pictured is from a plant purchased last fall at the Arkansas Native Plant Society (ANPS) Native Plant Auction. If you are looking for native plants that are hard to find, this is the place for you! [ 8 ] Hibiscus coccineus, scarlet rose-mallow by Mike Weatherford Bylaw Change for Membership Approval update to Article VII - FINANCE, Section 5. Solicited Grants Treasurer Don Ford has proposed and the Board has approved and recommend membership approval of the following ANPS Bylaws change. Specifically, we would replace the existing Article VII - FINANCE, Sec- tion 5. Solicited Grants with the following revised Sec- tion 5: Section 5. Solicited Grants Solicited Grants are one-time grants to an entity which has approached the Board for funds for a pro- ject consistent with the Objectives of the Socie- ty. The Board may approve a small grant request up to $500 from any single entity without receiving membership approval. Requests in excess of $500 will be evaluated by the Board, and if approved, will be submitted to the membership at the next meeting for approval. The Board may approve several small grant requests provided the total of the grants does not exceed $2000 in a single calendar year. a) Approval Procedures: Upon receipt of a one-time grant request, the President normally ap- points a society member (board member or other re- sponsible person) to review the request and make a recommendation to the Board. If the one-time grant request involves planting native plants in a garden area, the following conditions should be met: The lo- cation of the project should be in a public place. The project area should have recognizable boundaries to be able to distinguish it from its surroundings. The project should be planned to include only Arkansas Native Plants within the boundaries. The completed project will be required to display a small ANPS- provided sign recognizing the ANPS donation. (Note that the cost of the sign is not included in the grant request.) b) Disbursement Procedures: Upon approval of a one-time grant request, the President advises the requestor of the decision. If the approved one-time grant involves donating money to some project (such as purchasing a tract of land), the President will direct the Treasurer to send the approved funds to the re- questor. If the approved one-time grant involves pur- chasing plants and materials for a physical project, the President will advise the grant requestor that the grant has been approved. The requestor will then purchase the approved items, and forward the re- ceipts to the President, who verifies both the receipts and completion of the project and forwards the re- ceipts to the Treasurer to reimburse the reques- tor. The President at the time a grant is approved, is the President of Record for that grant, and will be the person responsible for verifying receipts and comple- tion of that project. Disbursement authority for any one-time grant expires one year from Board approval (or membership approval for grants exceeding the $500 threshold), and requires Board approval for ex- tension. At Auction Bradley County Red -WeedeHaven Estate Jellery by Mike Weathorford The WeedeHaven Estate Jellery is pleased to announce the release of 2014 Bradley County Red native plum jelly, an event eagerly awaited by jelly connoisseurs. Estate-grown American plums ( Prunus omeri- cana) and Chickasaw plums ( Prunus angustifolia), carefully selected and blended by our jellymaster, are used to produce a jelly that is assertive, bold and rich with a long smooth finish. This jelly will please your nose with a bouquet strongly reminiscent of... uh... plums. See a complete review in next month's edition of Jelly Spectator. A LIMITED QUANTITY of Bradley County Red will be offered at the Arkansas Native Plant Society's Native Plant Auction. Bradley County Red is made by the Jelly Queen in our own Jellarium located on the WeedeHaven Estate property in Bradley County, Arkansas, using expert techniques to bring out the full fruit flavor. [ 9 ] Recommended Reading Eric Rutkow's: American Canopy by Eric Sundell Art and Martha Johnson, Art a charter member of Arkansas Native Plant Society, recommended a ter- rific book on the history of American forests and their trees: American Canopy: Trees , Forests , and the Making of a Nation, by Eric Rutkow. I am passing along their recommendation to ANPS folks looking for a good reason to linger in the air conditioning for one more month until it's absolutely safe to go out plant hunting. What a delightful and informative book! The scope is impressive, with balanced treat- ment given to industrial forestry and environmental- ism, to Frederick Weyerhaeuser, Johnny Appleseed, and John Muir, and omitting little if anything that has happened to the trees and forests of North America between the colonial period and the present. This table of contents with chapter sections gives you an idea of the diversity of the author's topics: 1. FROM DISCOVERY TO REVOLUTION: "Wooddes of All Sortes," "Here Is Good Living for Those Who Love Good Fires," The King's Broad Arrow [to mark the great white pines to be used as masts for the Royal Navy], The Tree of Liberty [the first one a massive American elm]. 2. FRUITS OF UNION: Seeds of American Science and Exploration [with sketches of John Bartram and Andre Michaux, among others], The Found- ing Gardener [none other than George Washing- ton], Johnny Appleseed and the Old Northwest, The Backwoodsman [Daniel Boone, our first su- perhero], Wooden Technology. 3. THE UNRIVALED NATURE OF AMERICA: The Big Trees of California, Thoreau's Life in the Woods of Concord, A Democratic Development of the Highest Significance [Frederick Law Olmstead's Central Park in New York City]. 4. FORESTS OF COMMERCE: An Iron Horse Built of Wood, The Lumber Baron and Industrial Logging [Frederick Weyerhaeuser], The Great Peshtigo Fire, From Rags to Riches [the wood pulp revolu- tion and cheap paper]. 5. A CHANGING CONSCIOUSNESS: Shading the Prai- rie [J. Sterling Morton's Arbor Day], A Central Park for the World [the Adirondacks and forest recreation], "God's First Temples" [John Muir, Yosemite Valley, birth of environmentalism], "How Would You Like to Be a Forester?" [Gifford Pinchot and Theodore Roosevelt: conservation by sustainable forestry]. 6. NEW FRONTIERS: Orange Empires, Big Mill at Bo- galusa, A Shrewd Deal [logging the Pacific North- west], Forest Products Laboratory [innovation through research]. 7. UNDER ATTACK: The Saga of Sakura [Japanese cherry trees of Washington, D.C. and the dangers of alien insects], "The Most Deadly Plant Parasite Known" [chestnut blight], The Most Magnificent Vegetable of the Temperate Zone" [Dutch elm disease]. 8. TREES AS GOOD SOLDIERS AND CITIZENS: The Wooden Wings of War [Pacific Northwest spruce for World War I], Roosevelt's Tree Army [the New Deal's CCC], Shelterbelt [Dust Bowl wind- breaks on the Great Plains], Careless Matches Aid the Axis [Smokey the Bear]. 9. POSTWAR PROSPERITY: Wooden Boxes with Pic- ture Window [Levittown and the suburbs], Tim- ber Is a Crop [tree farms from private forests], A Nation of Vagabonds [Henry Ford launches recre- ation on public lands], The End of the Road [Aldo Leopold's idea of wilderness]. 10. THE ENVIRONMENTAL ERA: Nelson's New Day [Gaylord Nelson's Earth Day], The Forest or the Trees [old growth and the Northern spotted owl], Save the Rainforest, Carbon Copies [global warming]. A fascinating history of North American forests, The American Canopy is also a goldmine of anecdotes and tidbits. My vote for the most irresistible tidbit is this: By 1964, with the advent of TV, Smokey the Bear had become such a universally popular national spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service's campaign against forest fire that the U.S. Post Office had to create a special Zip Code to handle his fan mail. I hope you'll find Eric Rutkow's book as entertaining and informative as I did. [ 10 ] Feature Butterflies, Wherefore art thou? by John Perrin l ; ve almost always grown flowering plants. The best reason for grow- ing them is that they can attract hummingbirds and butterflies to my gar- den. When my wife and I joined ANPS, I hadn't thought about the butterfly life cycle since 2 nd grade. Find- ing out that there were methods of attracting butterflies, besides just planting nectar bearers, was wonderful news. If I planted the right host plants, I might have herds of butterflies flitting around. That was all the incentive I needed to get started. Now, between my neighbor's yard and mine, we have tons of yummy plants for caterpillars; various milk- weed, sassafras, lead plant, alexan- Some years it has worked beauti- fully, with three or four species of butterflies in the area on any given monarch on tropical milkweed, 2012 by John Perrin ders, passion flower vine, Dutch- man's pipe, pawpaws and more. A butterfly buffet, just waiting for them to come and dig in. 2014 visitor by John Perrin day. Some are passing through and some are so enamored with this half acre that they live their entire lives here. Everything they do is fascinating. Watching for hours becomes a habit that isn't broken until the first frost. Other years have not been so great. 2014 has been one of "those" years. Where are my little flying, scaled buddies? Did the cold spring temper- atures prevent them from getting this far north? I asked the ultimate expert on the topic here in Arkansas, Lori Spencer, who is the author of Arkansas Butterflies and Moths. She told me that she had also no- ticed fewer butterflies this year. As I got more curious and started searching the web, I found tons of information. Easiest to find were concerns about the plight of the monarch butterfly, which has gotten lots of sad press this year. Visit MonarchWatch.org for details and info on how to help. Also found were reports that butterflies, in general, were in short supply this year. Reports from all over the country note the shrinking num- bers. "Butterflies don't like to mate or lay eggs when it's cold and/or rainy, I'm hoping that this is just an odd year." - Karen McCurdy, vice president of the Butterfly Society of Virginia. In Europe, some species have had dramatic declines in numbers over 2014 UFI, unidentified flying insect by John Perrin the last few decades. Even places as far away as Sweden, New Zea- land and Hawaii have noticed prob- lems. There is even a short film touring the award circuit titled Dreams of the Last Butterflies that is winning numerous awards. Obvi- ously, I am not the first to notice. The theories for the cause of the problem are many, as was pointed out by our own MaryAnn King in (Continued on page 12) [ 11 ] ( Butterflies , continued from page 11) her Fall 2014 email. Habitat loss is an obvious contribu- tor to butterfly loss. It isn't just milkweed that is struggling to hang on. Industrial agriculture has be- come so efficient that there just isn't enough space left for the host plants that the butterfly caterpillars must have to survive. Herbicides also contribute to this problem. I have not read that Roundup kills butterflies directly, but it certainly does kill milkweed and thistles and clover and almost any plant that hasn't been genetically modified to tolerate it. Pesticides (insecticides) are anoth- er likely contributor. A relatively new type of insecticide called neo- nicotinoids or neo-nics has been called into question for possibly causing bees' Colony Collapse Dis- order. It isn't even allowed in most parts of Europe because of its long- lasting effects and longevity in the food chain. "The latest research findings show that neonicotinoid pesticides could be having a very serious effect on bees and other pollinators. - Butterfly Conservation Chief Executive Dr Martin Warren Climate change might be a factor. We do not understand the intrica- cies of the relationship between butterflies and the weather. They are literally at the mercy of the wind. Most likely there are many other factors that we have not even started to understand. To para- phrase one former U.S. Secretary of Defense, there are known un- knowns and there are also un- known unknowns. ""I would implore them to develop a Roundup-resistant milkweed." - Chip Taylor of Monarch Watch as quoted by Andrew Pollack of the New York Times July 12, 2015 edition Agricultural companies have deep pockets and it takes big dollars to get government's attention. Evi- dence doesn't solve problems on its own: someone has to shine a spotlight on it and defend it from those who argue in the face of rea- son. Most of all, when you see a butter- fly, be happy. When you see two or more at the same time, rejoice. buckeye butterfly, 2012 by John Perrin What can we do to help our flutter- ing friends? Being an ANPS mem- ber, you are probably already help- ing out by providing pesticide free plants they can tap for nectar and can use as host plants to feed their young. Keep up the good work and evangelize. If more people know about the benefits of our native plants, we should be able to create, reclaim and maintain more habitat. Contribute to the groups who gen- erate the science that can help us be better stewards. Researchers are studying the problems, but without accelerated focus, it might be too late for some species. Contribute to the organizations that try to defend the environ- ment. Big Pharmaceutical- EXECUTIVE BOARD NOMINATIONS for 2015 Based on recommenda- tions of the Nominations Committee, the Executive Board places in nomina- tion before the Member- ship the following individ- uals for positions coming open in 2015: Vice President Virginia McDaniel Treasurer Don Ford Membership Chairman Mike Burns Editor Betty Owen Awards & Scholarships Chairman MaryAnn King Election of officers will occur at the business meeting on October 12th in Texarkana. [ 12 ] ANPS Membership Application Membership Categories - Select One — Application Purpose O New Member O Renewal O Address Change Name (s) Address City State Zip Phone ( ) - E-mail Please send this form and your dues directly to the ANPS treasurer. Don Ford, 4017 Bluebird Lane, Little Rock, AR 72210 For other membership questions, please contact the membership chair Mike Burns at anps.membership(5)gmail.com or (479) 229-2185 Arkansas Native Plant Society is a non-profit organization 0 Student $10 PI Individual $15 Pi Supporting $20 Pi Family $25 0 Contributing $30 0 Lifetime Membership (age 55+) $150 PI Lifetime Membership (under age 55) $300 Small Grants Available Does a school or park in your community need help with a native plant garden? Is there a project on your wish list that in- volves protecting or conserving Arkansas' native plants or educating folks about them? If you could use some modest financial sup- port for such an effort, contact the ANPS President with a description of your project and a proposed budget. See the officers' box on the last page for contact information. Research Donald J. Nelson Grant recipient The Scholarship & Awards committee has approved Donald J. Nelsen, a graduate student at the Universi- ty of Arkansas - Fayetteville, to receive the Delzie Demaree Research Grant award in the amount of $ 1 , 000 . 00 . Mr. Nelsen is interested in the ecology & evolution of plant-fungal interactions. His project will exam- ine the symbiotic fungi associated with oak, hickory, beech & musclewood in the Ozark National Forest & Devil's Den State park. [ 13 ] Claytomia Fall 2014 Newsletter Please check your mailing label! The calendar year is the membership year. If your mailing label says "13" or earlier, it is time to renew (Life members should have a "LF" on their label. To renew your membership, please fill in the information form on the opposite side of this page and send it with your renewals, applica- tions for membership, changes of name, ad- dress, e-mail or telephone number to the ad- dress on the form [Not to the editor]. Thank you. ANPS Officers President Secretary Betty Owen Karen Fawley pjmbowen@gmail.com fawley@uamont.edu (501) 472-6920 (870) 460-9452 President Elect Awards & Scholarships Jennifer Ogle Mary Ann King ranunculus73@gmail.com office@pineridgegardens.com (479) 957-6859 (479) 293-4359 Vice President Membership Chair Mike Weatherford Mike Burns weatherfordm@sbcglobal.net anps.membership@gmail.com (870) 820-8300 (479) 229-2185 Treasurer Editor Don Ford John Perrin anps.treasurer@gmail.com jperri@acxiom.com (501) 821-9353 (501) 831-0970 Web Master Martha Bowden anps.web@gmail.com (501) 803-9545 Fall 2014 President's Message by Betty Owen What a blessing this spring and summer have been for Arkansas residents. We experienced the mildest summer that many of us can remember, high temperatures in the 70's during July - wow! Spring and sum- mer rains allowed for an abundance of greenery where a typical September landscape of recent years would have basically been brown. I am a gardener, so I really enjoyed the milder temperatures and the rain. I dragged very few water hoses this summer and my gardens flourished. The bee balm balmed and the spiderworts worted. The buckeyes attracted the hummers and the giant hyssop called to the butterflies. The oak trees supported the insect population that fed the baby phoebes, three batches from the same parents! Life was good at "Southern Exposure." Now that summer has turned to fall, we can relax a bit from summer chores. But, don't forget that fall is a great time to plant trees and shrubs. After the air temperatures cool and we get a frost or two, plants go dormant and are less active. But because the soil temperature is still warm enough throughout much of the winter, significant root growth still occurs. So by planting in the fall, you get root growth that will be ready to take up water and nutrients when spring temperatures arrive, and the stress of transplanting is drastical- ly reduced. So, make your purchases at the Plant Auction and get those babies in the ground. Let them establish those roots and watch them jump when warm weather returns. Happy native plant gardening! [ 14 ]