CLAYTONIA Volume 35, No 1 Spring 2015 Upcoming Field Trips Pages 6, 7 \ J 2014 Fall Meeting Minutes Page 10, 11 Fall Treasurer Report Page 11 New Members and Life Members Page 12 Spring Meeting Details Page 13 Membership Application Page 14 President's Message Page 15 Newsletter of the Arkansas Native Plant Society Special Book Review: Trees of Arkansas by Dwight Moore Feature Revised Edition edited by Eric Sundell Written by Eric Sundell— The tried and true hand- book of the Arkansas Forestry Commission, Dwight Moore's Trees of Arkansas, has been reis- sued (2014) in a smart, new, user-friendly, and full -color edition. Moore's book dates back to 1950, when the author revised Lewis M. Turner's 1937 manual of the same name. For more than 60 years, Moore's excellent handbook has been teacher and field guide to Arkansas' schoolchil- dren and outdoor enthusiasts. (Until the 1989 publication of Carl Hunter's Trees, Shrubs, & Vines of Arkansas, now regrettably out of print, it was the only field guide to our state's beautiful, majes- tic, fascinating trees.) The newly revised eighth edition of Trees of Arkansas faithfully conserves the heart of Dwight Moore's book: his thorough, accurate species descriptions as well as his comprehen- sive and very readable overview of the forest regions of Arkansas. Also retained are the fine pen-and-ink draw- ings that date back to Arkansas' original tree manual of 1924, Com- mon Forest Trees of Arkansas: How to Know Them, by John T. Buch- holz and Wilbur R. Mattoon. These detailed bo- tanical drawings had lost clarity over many years of reprinting— finer structures such as the buds and bud scales of winter twigs, once so crisp, had become too muddy to be of any representational value. The line drawings were restored by tech- nical editor Adriane Barnes using that factotum of the high tech age, the smart phone. Adriane pho- tographed the line drawings, still sharp in Turner's glossy 1937 manual, and sent them digitally to the manuscript of the new edition. Two major changes to the old handbook should make this new effort an even better field compan- ion: color photographs and rewritten identifica- tion keys. Each of the 115 pages devoted to full descriptions of the trees is now illustrated with usually 2-3 color photos of leaves, flowers, fruits, and most significantly, bark. Colored fruits and flowers and even plain old green leaves turn black -and-white pages bright and lively— and of course supplement the line drawings that supplement Moore's descriptions. The bark photos, on the other hand, give visual information brand new to this edition. Photos were provided by Forestry Commission county foresters and other agency personnel as well as by several members of the Arkansas Native Plant Soci- ety: Linda Ellis, Marvin and Karen Fawley, Norm and Cheryl Lavers, John Simp- son, Sid Vogelpohl, and Michael Weatherford. Sid Vogelpohl's gorgeous pic- ture of pawpaw flowers appears on the front cover. To spare readers the chore of picture-hunting through more than 100 pages in search of their trees, Trees of Arkansas is equipped with identification tools called keys. These keys (to trees in both summer and winter condition) have been rewritten and are now strictly dichoto- mous-meaning that at each step along the way, the user is faced with only two choices, for exam- ple, leaves either simple or compound. Keys in past editions offered as many as four and even five choices, making progress slow-going, some- thing like Robert Frost's "pathless wood, where your face burns and tickles with the cobwebs bro- ken across it..." The new keys are easier to use— and hopefully, just as accurate! A few other changes can be mentioned. Three new species are added to the roster of Arkansas' tree flora: Pignut hickory, Carya glabra, is one of the most common hickories in the Southeastern (Continued on next page) 1 Book Review (continued) forests east of the Mississippi River, and probably the most poorly understood hicko- ry species as well, with such a range of vari- ability that botanists are uncertain whether the taxon comprises a single extremely vari- able species or a number of weak, closely related segregate species. Pignut, which occurs uncommonly in Arkansas, is very close to black hickory, Carya texana, and the two species can be hard to tell apart. Two alien invasive species have unfortunately become so widespread in the state that they merit inclusion: Callery pear, Pyrus colleryano, a scourge statewide and Chinese tallow tree or popcorn tree, Triadica sebif- era, at present restricted to southern and central counties. The use of DNA as a source of taxonomic evidence has become common and has ex- posed genealogical information that mor- phology and biochemistry had been previ- ously too imprecise to reveal. This has ne- cessitated, in turn, some surprising taxo- nomic changes, especially in the circum- scription of plant families. Some familiar genera have been evicted from their long- time family homes and forced to move into unfamiliar quarters. For example, royal pau- lownia is out of the snapdragon/figwort family and into its very own princess tree family. Similarly, sweetgum is on its own now: out of the witch hazel family, into the Mexican Plum blooms, Prunus mexicana. Photo by Michael Weatherford. sweetgum family. Most "counter- intuitive," the hackberries, with their sim- ple, alternate leaves, are transferred from the elm family, where they looked so com- fortable, to the hemp family— the home of marijuana, with its palmately compound, opposite leaves. And there are one or two more. I could not quite force myself to vaporize the maple family, but if we see a new edition of Trees of Arkansas some time down the road, our maples will be no doubt submerged in the soapberry family. The arrangement of families has been changed from an outdated taxonomic se- quence to alphabetical order by common name. Books are available from the Arkansas Forestry Commission office in Little Rock and from most AFC regional offices around the state, for the price of $5 [sic] ! ANPS Members Help Out With Prairie Grass Seed Collection By Michael Weatherford In October 2014 ANPS members participat- ed in hand-harvesting native prairie grass seed on two Grand Prairie sites located near Stuttgart, Arkansas. There were two sepa- rate seed collection projects, one for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the other for Audubon Arkansas. ANPS members as- sisted Corps and White River Irrigation Dis- trict personnel in collection of Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) and Indian Grass (Sorghastrum nutans) on the Feilke Prairie, a 30-acre native prairie remnant near the Stuttgart Airport. Members also assisted Audubon Arkansas with collection of the same species on the Roth Prairie Natural Area south of Stuttgart. The objective of the seed collection programs is to increase the amount of local-genotype seed available for restoring native prairie sites to support Audubon bird habitat projects, and remedi- ation of levees and other disturbed areas associated with a Corps of Engineers irriga- tion project to draw water from the White River for agricultural purposes. This year's harvest will be used by the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and cooperating farmers to establish monoculture fields that can produce a pure and abundant future supply of seed. Tom Foti, Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission (retired), hand-harvests Big Bluestem, Andropogon gerardii, seed on the Feilke Prairie. Photo by Michael Weatherford. 2 Do you want to know the genus Carex ? This Perigynia's for you! By Virginia McDaniel Last May I took an amazing class on the genus Corex at Highlands Biological Station in Highlands, NC. It was taught by a phenomenal botanist: Dr. Dwayne Estes. He is Associate Professor and Herbarium Curator at Austin Peay State University, Botanical Explorer with Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT), and bosom buddy of our very own Theo Witsell. Dr. Estes (AKA Doctr Drop) had us key out the 90 or so fresh specimens he and his graduate stu- dent collected on a three day EKG driving journey through Tennessee and North Carolina just prior to the class. We spent 4 days (9 AM - 12 AM), keying Carex with an occasional field trip. For those interested in learning one of the more challenging botanical groups, with an expert instructor who keeps you willingly keying sedges until mid- night with his enthusiasm and goofball humor, this is the class for you. It inspired me to write this poem: 'Boy, what do you know about X-rex? I can tabkfor hours about the Thaestogbochin compbex Stigmas 2, achenes flat, spikes are gCobuCous simpCe and spike androgynous If it's corky thickened and beak serruCate Think appaCachia, rosea, or radiate [a] Xnd so began Car aco bogy boot camp 101 lYe keyed so many sedges, we never saw the sun Live action! Live action! Check out this perigyn! Cbear obtuse trigonous, what group does it fad TVooooow, check out this papidose 3 Ley, is this spike staminate or gynecandrous? This achene is o b ovoid and per igynia winged CouCd it be aCata? an ovadan? Ding Ding! Some characters mix together, but some are cbear as day Concaveby contracted is now cbear from sububay [te] The seasons to cobbed are 3 > Juby, May and March Don't forget to record if it's beneath Tine or Larch Jkndfor Qods sakepbease remember, the words of Doctr Drop Cjet those darn roots! Don't do the ob forest Service snatch top! Inflorescence For those interested, Highlands Biological Station offers many classes for the avid naturalist (not all are as intense as this Carex class). Please visit: http://highlandsbiological.org/ . The biological station is nestled on a plateau in the Southern Appalachians in the quaint, tourist town of Highlands, NC. Situated at just over 4,000 feet, it is the ideal place to escape the Arkansas summer for a week or two! 3 Millwood State Park, Fragrant Ladies'-Tresses, Spiranthes odorata. Photo by Michael Weatherford. Blazing-star, Liatris squarrulosa, White Cliffs Natural Area. Photo by Michael Weatherford. Bald Cypress, Taxodium distichum, along an oxbow of Fourche Creek in Audu- bon Arkansas's Gillam Park. Photo by Eric Hunt. Perfoliate Bellwort, Uvularia perfoliata along the Ouachita National Trail in April 2013. Photo by Eric Hunt. 4 White Cliffs Natural Area AN PS 2014 Fall Meeting By Virginia McDaniel We drove through the mist south of Brownstown to a small parking area on the west side of State Highway 317 just inside Little River County, on a cliff high above the Little River. Arkan- sas Natural Heritage Commission (ANHC) Botanist Brent Baker painted a beautiful scene of the showy beardtongue (Penstemon cobaea) and Great Plains larkspur (Delphinium corolinionum subsp. virescens) that cover the roadside in early summer. As it was October, we had to use our imaginations. Knowing there was still much to see, we crossed the road and coated our boots in chalky mud as we scrambled up a short, but steep, exposed bank into the preserve. White Cliffs Natural Area was purchased by the ANHC in 1989 to preserve the largest, and least disturbed, occurrence of chalk woodland in Arkansas. The 573- acre Natural Area is located in the Coastal Plain on a large out- crop of Annona Chalk that rises out of the Little River floodplain. As a high point in the Coastal Plain, it was a strategic place for human settlement. Caddo Indian mounds are found along the river and just south of the park- ing lot are the remains of a 19 th century settlement complete with foundations for a hotel, post office, shops, and a few houses. These most likely sup- ported the nearby quarry where chalk was mined. The ridge trail meanders through the upland terrain of the preserve and reveals an interesting mix of blackland prairie, chalk woodlands and outcrops, and even acidic pine-oak woodlands. Just beyond the chalk bank is a small patch of blackland prairie where we found the brown seedheads of Missouri coneflower ( Rudbeckia missouriensis), purple prairie- clover (Dalea purpurea), and glade bluet (Houstonio nigricans). The queen of the blackland prairie in early October, however, is the white spiral inflorescence of the fragrant Great Plains Ladies' tresses ( Spiranthes magnicomporum). This species is rare in Arkansas, having been found at only a handful of other sites in two other southwestern counties prior to this trip; this population at White Cliffs was both a Natural Area and a Little River County record! As we moved farther up the trail we came across a woodland of Durand's white oak (Quercus sinu- ato) and Ashe's juniper ( Juniperus ashei). This community is more typically found on the Edward's Plateau in Texas. As we continued on, the forest closed a bit, trees grew bigger, and the magenta berries of American beautyberry ( Callicorpa omericana) dotted the forest floor. Brent pointed out cher- rybark oak (Quercus pagoda), nutmeg hickory (Carya myristici- formis) and dwarf palmetto (Saba! minor), all lowland plants growing on this elevated chalk plateau. Nature doesn't always follow the bounds we set. relative of eastern red-cedar (Juniperus virginiana), but can be distin- guished because if forms many trunks from its base, has no red heart- wood, prefers calcareous soils, and has white splotching on its branches. Whereas eastern red-cedar is found in every county in Arkansas, Ashe's juniper is restricted to the northern counties in the Ozark Mountains and three counties in the southwest. Ashe's juniper is a relatively un- common species in the state, but with the advent of fire suppression, it is actually becoming invasive in its habitat, similarly to eastern red- cedar. Historically, fires would burn these cedar glades, prairies, and woodlands, keep tree populations in check and allow herbaceous plants to flourish. Without fire, trees invade into what were once open areas and shade out more sun-loving herbaceous species, many of which are rare and threatened. One of the ongoing projects for ANHC at White Cliffs is cutting some of these cedars and burning the area to maintain the rare habitats the Natural Area is meant to protect. Several of us on the trip became inter- ested in the white blotches on the Ashe's juniper. We noticed that the trees were covered with snails follow- ing heavy rains. Where the snails had passed, the bark was removed and where the bark was removed a whitish film grew. Was this film a fungus, slime mold, alga, or some combination? Was the whitish substance on the small branches the same as the big blotches of white on the tree trunks? Did they have any relation to the snails? Karen and Marvin Fawley of the University of Arkansas at Monticello collected some of the whitish film and found bits of algae (green algae and cyanobacteria) and what looks like fungal hyphae. I sent a snail speci- men to Ron Caldwell at Lincoln Memorial University who identified it as Oligyra orbiculata, a species that lives in glades and limestone areas. Interestingly, he and his colleagues study snail - slime mold interactions. As for the relationship between snails and the white blotches on Ashe's juniper, we don't know, but it was fun to ponder. St. Andrew's-cross (Hypericum hypericoides) comes in two variants: H. hypericoides subsp. multicaule, which is shorter in stature and sprawling, with many branches from the base, and is typically found in upland are- as of the mountainous regions of the state; and H. hypericoides subsp. hypericoides, which is taller and more erect, with branches further up the stem, and is the common variant found in the Coastal Plain (although it, too, can be found in the mountains, especially the Ouachita and Boston Mountains, but is generally absent from the Ozark Plateaus). The species epithet, hypericoides, means "looks like a hypericum". So the botanical name literally means the Hypericum that looks like a hypericum; a ra- ther redundant moniker it would seem. Here is where the lens of history can clarify. St. Andrew's-cross is different from other hypericums in that its flower has 4 instead of 5 yellow petals. This character led early bota- nists to categorize it in a different genus: Ascyrum. Thus, it used to be named Ascyrum hypericoides, or the Ascyrum that resembles a hyperi- cum, which made much more sense. It was a wonderful trek through the woods on a misty day. We thank Brent and all who braved the drizzle and mud, and we also thank the weather for holding off the tornado until the following day! I'd like to return for a minute to Ashe's juniper. It is a close Upcoming Field Trips— Save the Dates! Everyone welcome on all field trips - ANPS members and non-members! April 11, 2015 Ouachita National Trail in Perry County Eric Hunt & Virginia McDaniel will co-lead. Meet at 10:00 am at Lake Sylvia trailhead parking area (GPS 34.86320, -92.81864). Volunteers needed to carpool folks to the Hwy 9 trailhead. Ignore "Lake Sylvia/Closed" signs on Hwy 9/10 for public swimming area. We will explore the section of Ouachita National Trail that noted Arkansas outdoor writer Tim Ernst described as "one of the most scenic of the entire trail." Spring wildflower bloom should be in full swing. We hope to see the easternmost Ouachita Mountains population of rare species Uvularia per- foliota, along with large colonies of Iris cristata, numerous other flowers, trees and forbs. Bring water/lunch. Trail is narrow with moderately steep drop-offs. Wear sturdy hiking boots or shoes. There is a lovely short self-guided paved loop trail at the Lake Sylvia parking area that can be explored by interested per- sons before or after the main hike. Contact Eric Hunt ( ericinlr(a)gmail.com. 415-225-6561) or Vir- ginia McDaniel ( virginiamcd31(a)vahoo.com. 828-545-2062) for more information, reservations, or to help carpool. Partic- ipation is limited to 15 people . Note: Cell service is very spotty. Eric has no service, Virginia has intermittent service. We will start the carpool over to the Hwy 9 trailhead at 10:15 sharp. May 7, 2015 Poison Springs State Forest Sand Barren & Oak-Pine Forest Preserve, Chidester (Ouachita County), AR The preserve includes 435 acres of sandhill barrens and woodland vegetation supporting many rare species. See the following link for more information: http://www.naturalheritage.com/natural-area/poison- springs-state-forest-sand-barren oak-pine-forest-preserve/ Meet at 10:00 am at the EZ Mart near the intersection of High- ways 57 and 24. Contact Meredith York (870-786-5808) or Michael Weather- ford (870-820-8300) for more information or reservations. May 9, 2015 Audubon Arkansas's Gillam Park preserve in Little Rock Eric Hunt & Eric Sundell will co-lead. Meet at 10:00 am at swimming pool parking lot at the end of Gillam Park Road, GPS 34.702725, -92.252850. Take Exit 1 for Springer Blvd off of 1-440 and head south on Springer Blvd/AR365. Gillam Park road is first right after the Audubon Arkansas building. Pull through gate to swimming pool parking area. Audubon AR Nature Center includes bottomland hardwood forest, cypress-lined oxbow, upland white oak/hickory, post oak savannah, and ultra-rare nepheline syenite glades within its 400 acres. We will explore the upland white oak/hickory habitat on the way to see the rare glades, return to the parking area for rest/lunch break, after which we will make our way to the Fourche Creek cypress oxbow. Wear sturdy shoes, be pre- pared for wet ground in the bottomlands. Bring water, lunch and insect repellent. Contact Eric Hunt (ericinlr@gmail or 415-225-6561) for more information or reservations. June 5, 2015 Ouachita Mountain Glades Join Forest Service botanist Susan Hooks on a trip to explore glade communities on the Ouachita National Forest. The glades are sparsely covered in cedar and elm trees with ex- posed rock, which creates a unique habitat for locally rare species such as the aquatic pillwort ( Piluloria omericano), a little fern that looks like a grass with fiddle heads. The glades are near roads and the terrain is fairly flat. We should see a variety of spring wildflowers, grasses, li- chens, and mosses. We will begin at Fulton Branch glades and will visit other glades near Mt. Ida area if time permits. Meet at 10:00 am at Burl's Smoke House on US Hwy 270 west of Hot Springs on the west side of Crystal Springs. Bring lunch and plenty of water. Contact Susan Hooks, (501) 282-5365 or shooksffifs.fed.us. to sign up for this trip. 6 OCANPS Hikes, all are welcome! April 19, 2015 Buffalo Point. 11:00 a.m. Meet at Buffalo Point Ranger Sta- tion at entrance of park, about 7 miles south of Yellville on Hwy 14. Rick Hinterthuer will interpret Indian Rockhouse Trail. He writes: "Indian creek is one of my favorite hikes in Arkansas featuring both a large variety of flowering plants and a similarly large array of geological features including caves, sinkholes, glory holes, sculptured dolomite bedrock and the second largest bluff shelter in the Ozarks. It is a 3 mile National Park loop trail of medium difficulty. The hike will take approximately 4 hours." Bring lunch/water. If any- one is interested in camping that night or getting a cabin in the area for Sunday night, he will be willing to lead a hike to Bias Bend and Rush on Monday. Contact Rick for more details at 501-940-0872. April 25, 2015 Lost Valiev - 10:00 a.m. Meet at Lost Valley parking lot. Burnetta will be leading a hike with college plant biology stu- dents. All are welcome to explore this botanically rich area. Bring water/snack. Call Burnetta at 479-430-0260 for more details. May 16, 2015 Crane fly orchid expedition - 10:00 a.m. Meet at Stephen's Ironworks shop, 360B North Centennial Ave, West Fork, AR. It is east of old Hwy 71 at McKnight Emergency Wrecker Service in West Fork. We will see a population of crane fly orchids located last year. Though there are herbarium specimens of Tipulario discolor in the U of A Herbarium, no recent reports have been documented. We hope to change that! Bring a sack lunch/water/comfortable shoes. May 23, 2015 Possum Trot. Nail. AR - 10:00 a.m. Meet at parking lot of Nail Church located across from the Nail General Store on Hwy 16. We will carpool to the USFS property that is home to Possum Trot Hollow. Bring water, a sack lunch, as well as sturdy boots or shoes. This is a moderate to strenuous hike. The last time we hiked Possum Trot, it was difficult to negoti- ate the downed debris from the ice storm. We can always hike to the French's shooting star population and bypass some of the debris if still a problem. Please call Burnetta at 479-430-0260 to let her know if you plan to join us. Don Mills has agreed to be our guide and he reassures me that he does have his GPS unit up and running. May 30, 2015 ArkTex Wildlife Preserve and Tree Farm, Durham. AR - 8:00 a.m. Meet Bob Morgan (479-422-5594) and Jim Woodruff for a hike of the Woodruff property. Jim and his wife Rhonda were named "Watershed Stewards of the Year" by the Bea- ver Watershed Alliance. Take Hwy 16 to Durham, AR. The farm is located off Washington County Road 47 ( oka Hazel Valley Road), approximately 3 miles past Terra Studios. June 13-14, 2015 BioBlitz at Ninestone, Carroll County . Time TBD. Judith Grif- fith and Don Matt will host a BioBlitz at Ninestone Land Trust. BioBlitz is defined as an intense period of biological surveying to record as many living species as possible within a designat- ed area. Groups of scientists, naturalists, and volunteers con- duct an intensive field study over a continuous time period (e.g., usually 24 hours). Those interested in attending are welcome to contact Judy Griffith, 9waterfall9(a)gmail.com for more information. Closer to the event it will be important that Judy and Don know how many people to expect. June 27, 2015 Pine Ridge Gardens. London. AR 10:00 am Mary Ann King will lead a hike through the natural area sur- rounding her gardens. Afterwards, you will have an oppor- tunity to purchase plants if interested. We'll walk a field with wild goose plum, red buckeye, butternut, possumhaw, pawpaws, cucumber magnolia, bladdernut, leatherwood, spice bush, river cane, many oaks plus a huge shumard oak, black walnuts, toothache tree, redbuds, green ash, fringe trees, box elder, blue ash, sycamores, slippery elm, and an- other field near the nursery that sports a large yellowwood tree, sarvisberries, Kentucky coffee tree, sloe plum, soapber- ry, pawpaws, several kinds of gooseberries, gray dogwood & more. Alabama snowwreath is also found in both fields. Bring a lunch/water. Directions from Fayetteville area, take 49 to 40, go to exit 74, go north on Hwy 333 for 1.5 miles. Turn left on Will Baker road (by cell tower) go 2 miles - see metal shop building on left - white house with green roof on right, turn right (north) on Sycamore Road - go 0.8 mile to gate (832 Sycamore Road) Directions from Harrison/Jasper, follow Hwy 7 south to #333 which is just north of Dover. Turn right on #333 - it is about 10 to 12 miles to Will Baker Road. Turn right on Will Baker Road (by cell tower) go two miles - see metal shop building on left - white house with green roof on right, turn right (north) on Sycamore Road - go 0.8 mile to gate (832 Syca- more Road). Contact Mary Ann, 479-531-5014. for more in- formation. 7 ANPS Members Make Rare Plant Discoveries at Miller County Sandhills By Theo Witsell Miller County Sandhills Natural Area, a modest little tract just east of the Texas border, has the distinction of being home to the highest number of rare plant species of any of the 71 preserves in the state's System of Natural Areas . A total of 41 species on the Natural Heritage Commis- sion's list of Plants of State Conser- vation Concern have been found on the area! Thirty-four of these occur in dry sandhill grasslands and open woodlands, with the remaining sev- en occurring in seepage wetlands, where groundwater seeps up through the soil after draining through the surrounding sandy hills. The flora of the area is exceptional all around, with more than 450 spe- cies documented to date, several of which are found nowhere else in Ar- kansas. New species are found on nearly every visit and a number of new rare species have been found and documented by ANPS volun- teers. ANPS members Joe Stuckey and Meredith York have been espe- cially active there, making repeated visits and providing the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission (ANHC) with many additions to the species list and valuable data on populations of rare plants. Among their discoveries have been several new rare plants for the area includ- ing Texas yellow wood-sorrel (Oxolis texana), foxglove false dragonhead (Physostegio digitalis), featherbells (Stenanthium gramineum), and gi- ant ladies'-tresses ( Spiranthes prae- cox). At the Fall 2014 ANPS meeting, trips to Miller County Sandhills led by Joe and Meredith turned up two more new rare plants for the area. This first species, found on the Saturday trip, was Long's star-grass ( Hypoxis longii)*. This unusual and poorly- known species is characterized by its cleistogamous flowers (flowers that don't open but are fertilized internally without the aid of a polli- nator) which emerge right at the base of the plants. These were found, with mature fruit emerging on stalks from the bare ground, in an area that was burned in a pre- scribed fire a week earlier. Near the Long's star grass, on the Sunday trip, I discovered a small population of pitchfork crowngrass ( Paspalum bifidum), a rare grass of sandy woods that had not been docu- mented from Arkansas since 1966 and was not previously known from Miller County. Acquisition of Miller County Sandhills began with a small tract in 1992 and the area has now grown to more than 274 acres over the course of five separate purchases. Preservation and management of the site is a joint effort between the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commis- sion and the Arkansas Field Office of The Nature Conservancy. Manage- ment on the site includes thinning of existing pine plantations, regular prescribed burning, and the control of non-native invasive plant species. The ANHC greatly appreciates the help of the ANPS in expanding our knowledge of Arkansas's flora. * The status of this species is a matter of some debate among plant taxonomists , with some believing that it is best considered to be a cleistogamous form of glossy-seed star-grass (Hypoxis sessilis) and oth- ers believing it is a distinct species. More research is needed on this guestion , but for now the ANHC is considering the Arkansas plants to be H. longii. Either way, it is rare in Arkansas. Foxglove false dragonhead (Physostegia digitalis) is known in Arkansas only from a few sites in Miller County, including a popu- lation at Miller County Sandhills. Photo by Craig Fraiser. 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 preserve biodiversity in the state. 8 Miller County Sandhills in bloom. Prominent plants in flower include sandhill evening primrose (Oenothera heterophylla subsp. heterophylla ), erect day flower (Commelina erecta), and bull -nettle (Cnidoscolus texanus). Photo by Meredith York. Right: Pitchfork crowngrass (Pospolum bifidum) in sandhill woodland. Before last Fall, this species was last documented in Arkansas in 1966. Photo by Eric Hunt. Below: Fruiting specimen of Long's star-grass (Hypoxis longii) emerging from the ground in a recently burned area. Photo by Eric Hunt. 9 Spring 2014 Meeting Minutes AN PS Fall Meeting 2014 Membership Meeting Texarkana, Arkansas October 11, 2014 2014 Fall Meeting Field Trip Infor- mation SATURDAY MORNING • Miller County Sandhills Natural Area, Joe Stuckey and Meredith York • Millwood Lake State Park, Jennifer Ogle • White Cliffs Natural Area, Brent Baker SATURDAY AFTERNOON • Millwood Lake State Park, Jennifer Ogle • White Cliffs Natural Area. Brent Baker SUNDAY MORNING • Miller County Sandhills Natural Area, Theo Witsell • Terre Noire Natural Area, Brent Baker 2014 Fall Meeting Evening Program Information The Friday evening program was the Native Plant Auction. The Saturday evening program was presented by Theo Witsell, botanist with the Arkan- sas Natural Heritage Commission. His talk was entitled "Habitats and Rare Plants of Southwest Arkansas." Membership Business Meeting fol- lowed presentation Saturday, Octo- ber 11. 2014. Betty Owen called meeting to order, 8:40pm and thanked Jennifer Ogle for arranging 2014 Fall Meeting in Texar- kana. Treasurers Report Don Ford provided the 2014 Fall Treas- urer's Report, as of October 1 st , with a balance of $23,981.06 and the 2015 Proposed Budget. The Treasurer's re- port was accepted by the Board. Betty Owen made a motion to approve the Treasurer's Report and 2015 proposed budget and Eric Hunt seconded the motion. Motion was approved. Don reported a total of $2823 from the Native Plant Auction on Friday night. Minutes Ann Gordon made a motion to accept the minutes from the Spring 2014 ANPS Membership Meeting. Mary Ann King seconded the motion and all were in favor. By-Laws Revision The Board recommended approval of the by-law changes that were printed in the Fall/Winter 2014 Claytonia. Mary Ann King made a motion to ac- cept the by-law revisions and John Perrin seconded the motion. After some discussion the motion passed with one dissention. Scholarship Committee The Board had an emergency email vote on August 1, 2014 to approve $1000 in funding for "The Study of Mycorrhizal Fungi of Oaks, Hickories and Musclewood in the Ozarks of Northwest Arkansas." The recipient is Donald Nelson, a graduate student at the University of Arkansas at Fayette- ville. Old Business Update on Grant for Nature Walk at Logan County Old Jailhouse Museum Betty Owen reported that native plants valued at $200 were purchased from Mary Ann King for the Nature Walk at the Logan County Old Jail- house Museum. Sandy Davies will hopefully have pictures to share on the progress of the project at the next ANPS meeting. Washington County Junior Master Gardener Grant Request Eric Sundell is working with Mina Marsh to set the conditions for a grant of $500. Don Ford is donating native plants to the Washington County Mas- ter Gardeners for the project. UAM Herbarium Building Marvin Fawley reported that funds are in hand for the construction of the new UAM Plant Research and Herbari- um Building, but that the project is on hold pending additional funding that will enhance the project. Site prepara- tion should begin early in 2015. New Business Audubon Arkansas Workshops Dr. Dan Scheiman at Audubon Arkan- sas is interested in planning Native Plant Workshops for K-6 children in 2015 with the help of interested ANPS members. The workshops will be held at the Audubon Arkansas facility in Little Rock. Betty Owen will provide more details later and ask Mike Burns to send out an announcement to the membership. Lifetime Membership Susie Dunn: granted Lifetime Member- ship by the Board for her design of ANPS logos. 2015 ANPS Spring Meeting The 2015 Spring Meeting is scheduled for April 17-19 in Monticello. Karen Fawley reported that up to 35 rooms have been reserved at the Holiday Inn Express ($80). Some possible field trips include Warren Prairie and Longview Prairie. Small Grant Request: FireOmEarth Jennifer Ogle received a small grant request from FireOmEarth, a retreat and spiritual sanctuary in Eureka Springs. FireOmEarth includes 15 acres of trails and woods that are open to the public. They are interest- ed in restoring the natural area and removing invasive species. The board recommends funding their request for $1000 for labor to remove invasive plants and purchase native plants for uncultivated natural areas. Susan Toone moved to approve, Susan Har- 10 Fall 2014 Meeting Minutes, continued din seconded and the motion was approved. Seed Gathering Initiative Betty Owen invited members to participate in the Grand Prairie Grass Seed Harvest at Roth Prairie Natural Area near Stuttgart on October 29, 2014. The project is sponsored by Audubon Arkansas and the Arkansas Natural Herit- age Commission and strives to produce grass seed from native plants for restoring Arkansas prairies. Nominating Committee Eric Sundell, chair of the Nominating Committee, presented the Board recommendations for officers for 2014-2015. They are Don Ford (Treasurer), Mike Burns (Membership), Betty Owen ( Cloytonia Editor), Mary Ann King (Awards and Scholarships Committee Chair) and Virginia McDaniel (Vice-President). John Simpson made a motion to accept the slate of officers, Marvin Fawley seconded and all approved. Betty Owen welcomed Jennifer Ogle as the new ANPS president and thanked Joe Stuckey, Brent Baker, Meredith York, Jennifer Ogle and Theo Witsell for leading field trips. Karen Fawley moved to adjourn the meeting and Jennifer Ogle seconded. The meeting was adjourned at 9:20pm. 2014 Final Treasurer's Report 1 January - 30 December 2014 Start FY 2014 24,213.42 Budget Actual INCOME Membership Dues (+ membership donations) $4,000 $5,370.00 Meeting Registration $500 $455.00 Plant Auction $1,500 $2,823.00 Interest $0 $0.00 T-Shirt Sales $400 $820.00 Contributions/Donations $0 $875.00 TOTAL $6,400 $10,343.00 -> $10,343.00 EXPENDITURES ANPS.Org (website expenses) -$50 -$43.00 Claytonia (Print & Distribute 2 Issues) -$1,000 -$1,420.76 Directory (Print and Distribute) -$750 -$706.91 Memorial Awards (Awards/Scholarships) -$2,000 -$1,000.00 Support to Public Gardens (Fire Om Earth) -$500 -$500.00 Meeting expenses (space, copies, speaker, etc.) -$1,000 -$1,200.58 Ecology Camp -$500 -$500.00 Environthon -$500 $0.00 Bulk Mail (USPS permit) -$190 -$220.00 Supplies/postage/miscellaneous -$430 -$225.43 Buy T-shirts -$1,000 -$1,456.07 TOTAL -$7,920 -$7,272.75 -> -$7,272.75 Balance as of 31 December 2014 Respectfully submitted by Don Ford, Treasurer $27,283.67 11 New Members Ruth and John Andre (Hector, AR) Kristina Jones (Fayetteville, AR) James and Julia Gibbons (Ozark, AR) Bette Kauffman (Monroe, LA) Carolyn Eddy Griffith (West Fork, AR) Rob and Debbie and Tom King (Little Rock, AR) Susan Bolding (West Fork, AR) Sheila Kreul (Nashville, AR) Susan Orsi Davis (Little Rock, AR) Jeanne Neath and Paula Mariedaughter (Saint Paul, AR) Eric Fuselier (Fayetteville, AR) Alan Ostner and Molly Jensen, Reed, Phoebe (Fayetteville, AR) Thomas and Barbara Harger (Havana, AR) Gail Pianalto (Tontitown, AR) Alayna and Bryan Jacobs (Booneville, AR) Michael Reed (Russellville, AR) New Lifetime Members Carol Mendel (Little Rock, AR) Melody Parsley (Little Rock, AR) Long's star-grass, Hypoxis longii, Miller County Sandhills Natural Area. Desmodium - speckled native plant pioneer, Joe Stuckey, in search of botanical nirva- na! Contributed by Michael Weatherford. Miller County Sandhills Natural Area, net-leaf leather-flower, Clematis reticulata. Photo by Michael Weatherford. 2014 Field Trip Photos 12 ANPS Spring Meeting April 17-19 Monticello, Arkansas Hotel: Holiday Inn Express, 146 Dearman Drive, Monticello AR 71655, 870-460-0100. We have reserved 35 rooms (6 king, 29/2-queens) at $80/night + 15% tax, includes free breakfast. Rooms will be held until April 3. (Hampton Inn is nearby, call for rates.) Meeting Location: University of Arkansas Monticello, Science building. Dining Options: Fast food chains (McDonalds, Wendy's, etc.); Ray's Restaurant serves authentic drive-inn style food; Cowboys Seafood Buffet (great fried catfish). Field trips: Will feature unique sites such as saline prairies; other sites typical of the Arkansas Delta and West Gulf Coastal Plain. Program: Emphasis will be on saline prairies and glades and history of the UAM herbarium and arboretum. Featuring our first-ever silent auction. We invite you to participate by donating items and then bidding to your heart's content! Auction Time : Around 5:00 PM, Friday April 17, and will close Saturday night at the end of the program. To bid on an item, just enter your name on the donation sheet along with the amount of the bid. Do not plan to bid if you cannot be present or arrange for someone else to collect your item(s) and make payment. Eligibility To Bid: All registered attendees can bid. Donors: Please donate items that are related to native plants. Examples: Plants most suitable for spring (hold other plants for the big fall auction!); seeds suitable for planting in the spring; books related to botany and native plants; pictures/paintings related to native plants or scenes (feel free to donate prints of your native plant photos). ♦ Please complete the donation form prior to the meeting if possible, forms will be available at the registration desk. We encourage you to bring donations before 5:00 PM on Friday if possible. ♦ A printable pdf of the donation form is at this link: https://arkansasnativeplant.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/auction_itemdonationform-f.pdf If you have questions contact: Michael Weatherford, 870-820-8300, weatherfordm@sbcglobal.net. Save the Date! The ANPS Fall Meeting will be held in Eureka Springs October 9-11. Accommodations will be in the Best Western Eureka Inn (not to be confused with the Best Western Inn of The Ozarks). The phone number is (479) 253-9551. We have reserved a block of 30 rooms at a rate of 107.95, plus tax. Please note the early " drop date" of August 21. after which availability and rate cannot be guaran- teed. Rooms include a mix of two queen or king beds and a full breakfast. More details will be provided at a later date. 13 ANPS Membership Application and Renewal Form Address City State Zip Phone ( ) - E-mail Please send this form and your dues directly to the ANPS treasurer. Please in- clude the entire form with your payment. Don Ford 4017 Bluebird Lane Little Rock, AR For other membership questions, please contact the membership chair Mike Burns at anps.membershipffigmail.com or (479) 229-2185. 14 Claylonia Spring 2015 Newsletter Your dues status is on your mailing label. On the mailing label there will be a number, for example, "15", and this indicates that your dues are paid through 2015. (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 Jennifer Ogle ranunculus73@gmail.com (479) 957-6859 Secretary Karen Fawley fawley@uamont.edu (870) 460-9452 President-Elect Mike Weatherford weatherfordm@sbcglobal.net (870)-820-8300 Awards & Scholarships Mary Ann King office@pineridgegardens.com (479) 293-4359 Vice President Virginia McDaniel virginiamcd31@yahoo.com (828) 545-2062 Membership Chair Mike Burns anps.membership@gmail.com (479) 229-2185 Treasurer Don Ford anps.treasurer@gmail.com (501) 821-9353 Editor Betty Owen pjmbowen@gmail.com (501) 472-6920 Nominations Chair Eric Sundell esundell42@gmail.com (870) 723-1089 WebMaster Martha Bowden anps.web@gmail.com (501) 803-9545 President's Message Jennifer Ogle Dear Fellow Native Plant Lovers, First and foremost, I would like to thank our past president, Betty Owen, for her many contributions while serving as an officer of the society. She demonstrates such enthusiasm for this organization and is always ready to accept new challenges and responsibilities, as evidenced in her willingness to take on a new role with ANPS as editor of Claytonia. I'm writing this message on a sunny winter day in Northwest Arkansas, with the temperature expected to reach nearly 70 degrees. When we have this type of weather at the height of the winter season, I begin to remember what spring feels like and can look forward to the start of a warmer season. By the time we meet in Monticello in mid-April, winter will be long gone and there will be no shortage of warm weather and native plants to see! Speaking of the spring meeting, the Weatherfords and Fawleys are planning a great one for us this year, and I am looking forward to a couple things in particular. I can't wait to see Warren Prairie Natural Area for the first time. Warren Prairie is a large, unique natural area that boasts high-quality saline barrens, pine flatwoods and wood- lands, and post oak flatwoods, and is a refuge for many rare plants and animals, such as the federally listed Geo- carpon minimum and Red-cockaded Woodpecker, respectively. Brent Baker tells me that if we have a typical spring, we should be able to see Geocorpon on the field trip he will lead to the saline barrens at the natural area. During the spring meeting I also look forward to the silent auction (a first for us!) which will benefit our grants and scholarships program. I hope you are able to join me in Monticello to support the auction and to enjoy the spring flora with your fellow native plant enthusiasts! 15 paisanbay aajAjas ssajppv ££Z -ON l!UJJ0d w 'poy amn pied aSeisod 'S'fl Sjq lyojduoN 17£8£Z. UV ^liauepjea 0ue-| poo/v\§oa S17X0X siung a>|!iAl 'chi|sjaqiua|/\| A13IDOS INVId 3AI1VN SVSNV>mV CLAYTONIA Volume 35, No 2 Fall 2015 / Book Review Page 1 V f 2015 Spring Meeting Minutes Pages 14-15 V - / A Fall Treasurer 's Report Page 15 \ / \ New Members and Life Members Page 16 v ( \ Fall Meeting Details Page 17 v J r V Membership Application Page 18 f President's Message Page 19 J Newsletter of the Arkansas Native Plant Society Special Book Review: Know Your Natives a compilation of wild- Feature flower images, Sid Vogelpohl, review by Virginia McDaniel Several years ago I had the opportunity to attend an Arkansas Native Plant Society (ANPS) field trip to Sid and Jeanette Vogelpohl's property in Logan County. It is a beautiful piece of land on a ridge and valley just north of Mt. Magazine. We spent the brisk spring morning wandering the bottomland woods and fields, crossed the creek and ascended the steep bluff to his house. We'd seen a number of interesting plants and habitats, but it was when we arrived at his house that my jaw dropped. Leading off from the back porch was an endless stream of carefully constructed plant beds made of local rock and housing hundreds of native plants. It was just beautiful and made clear to me Sid and Jeanette's dedication to the conservation of native plants. It is with this same dedication that Sid and Jeanette have brought us Know Your Na- tives. Know Your Natives is a book based mainly on Sid's postings, but also those of a few other ANPS mem- bers, to the Society's website (October 2013 - De- cember 2014). In it are stunning photos of many popular native plants and descriptions of key char- acteristics. He often juxtaposes several closely re- lated species and provides tricks for telling them apart. For example, you can tell the "leaves of three" you shouldn't touch from the more benign fragrant sumac by the fact that poison ivy and poi- son oak have central leaflets with petiolules (stalks of leaflets) whereas fragrant sumac does not. The book also provides a gentle introduction to botani- cal terminology. If you have ever used a dichoto- mous key, you know it is like reading another lan- guage: decumbent, squarrose, secund, villous, etc. But Sid provides definitions of these foreign words throughout his de- scriptions. I even found a word that I have been unable to think of for years: decussate = leaves that rotate 90 de- grees from one pair to the next as exhibit- ed by water willow (Justicia americana) and meadow-beauty [Rhexia spp.). From the detail with which these descrip- tions are written, it is obvious that this knowledge was gained by meticulous observation and not merely taken from a book or Google search. Sifting through some descriptions can be challenging, but in each description there is a gem of knowledge that I was glad to discover. For example, as the fruit capsule of Indian pipe ripens, the flower moves from nodding to upright for more effective seed dispersal. And the pipevine pollination strate- gy is ingenious, but I will stop before I give any more gems away. As previously mentioned, the photos are excellent; but more than that they are educational. Sid often shows the plants in vegetative form, flowering, and fruiting. In my botanical work it is important to recognize a plant in all its forms and this book is great for teaching that information. Know Your Natives is an interesting and educational read for the lay person and professional alike! It is available from https:// knowvournatives.shutterflv.com/ . 1 Below: Many Society members paint their nails prior to attending the meetings. ANPS held its annual spring meeting in Monticello on April 17-19, with 54 members and guests in attendance. The meeting fea- tured our first silent auction where attendees had the opportunity to bid on books, photographs, art, spring plants and other items related to Arkansas native plants. Botanist Brent Baker presented an interesting program on the saline prairies which occur in areas near Monticello. Karen and Marvin Fawley, both professors at Uni- versity of Arkansas Monticello, presented fascinating information about the history, features and future plans related to the herbarium located on the UAM campus. Field trips included the Warren Prairie Natu- ral Area in Bradley and Drew Counties and the Bradley County Park nature trail just outside the town of Warren. Warren Prairie is home to many rare plants which occur on saline prairies. The Bradley County Park nature trail features a variety of native plants common to the Gulf Coastal Plain growing on a bluff and along a stream. Field trip attendees enjoyed a picnic lunch, pro- vided by ANPS, at the Bradley County Park. ANPS Spring 2015 Meeting by Michael Weatherford Right: A field trip attendee recovers after los- ing 2 pints of blood to mosquitoes on Warren Prairie. At least we think he recovered. Please check obituaries for John Perrin. Fawley discuss ii Above: Meeting attendees are encouraged to bring their children to the Society Meetings. In this photo the children are playing on the swings while the adults enjoy a picnic lunch at Bradley County Park. Virginia McDaniel and Karen finer points of plant ID. Left: Joe Wright eats lunch under the watchful eye of a Toyota Pri- us. Many ANPS members drive a Prius. If you are a Prius driver, you can join the Society for only $15 per year. Fine Print: Drivers of other vehicles can also join for the same rate. 2 Poison Springs State Forest Sand Barren and Oak-Pine Forest Preserve Field Trip Report by Michael Weatherford On Thursday, May 7, ANPS member Meredith York led a group of nine native plant enthusiasts on a trip through part of the Poison Springs State Forest Sand Barren & Oak-Pine Forest Preserve, located near Chidester, AR. This state natural area, managed jointly by the Arkansas Natural Fleritage Commission, the Arkansas Forestry Commission, and The Nature Conservancy, includes more than 400 acres of sandhill barrens and adjacent woodlands. The group in attendance included a mix of ANPS members and guests from central and southern Arkansas. Meredith, who has been faithfully monitoring and photographing native plants in the natural area for many years, knows every square inch of the visited tract and assured us that we did not miss anything of interest. The star of the show was definitely the scarlet beardtongue ( Penstemon murrayonus) which was in full bloom. Other group favorites in full bloom included nodding penstemon (Penstemon laxiflorus), woolly- white (Hymenopoppus ortemisiifolius - say that one five Wooly-White (Hymenopoppus ortemisiifolius). Photo by Michael Weatherford. times without stopping and get a free ANPS member- ship!), Carolina puccoon (Lithospermum coroliniense), hairy spiderwort (Trodescontio hirsutifloro), Soxman's milkvetch (Astragalus soxmoniorum), queen's-delight (Stillingio sylvatico), Texas bull nettle (Cnidoscolus texonus) and purple milkwort (Polygolo polygomo). We observed dense growth of jointweed (Polygonello omericono) in the barrens, along with fine specimens of bluejack oak (Quercus incono), sand post oak (Quercus morgoretto) and gum bumelia (Sideroxylon lonuginosum). Other species noted by the group included dwarf hawthorn (Crataegus uniflora), Nuttall's wild indigo (Baptisia nuttalliana), blackseed needle grass (Piptochaetium avenaceum), and worm- seed (Dysphania sp.). A fine spring morning well spent! Carolina Puccoon (Lithospermum coroliniense). Photo by Michael Weatherford. 3 Bayou Bartholomew Trail Article and photos by Bette Kauffman We were intrepid few: four followers with Brent Baker as our guide. After waiting out a brief drizzle in the park- ing lot, we headed down the bayou side of the 2-mile loop of the Bill Layher Bayou Bartholomew Nature Trail between Bayou Bartholomew and 1-530 on the south side of Pine Bluff, Arkansas. It is an easy trail to walk, about 3 feet wide, flat and gravel all the way. It was low enough in some areas that we walked through a couple of inch- es of standing water, but the several wood bridges were actually the greater danger, being slick with mois- ture and algae. The trail also features several benches and standing wildlife observation blinds with elbow high shelves for stabilizing a camera or just standing comfortably. This habitat is known for its birds. I heard many more birds than I saw! Members of our group more skilled in bird watching than I spotted a pro- thonotary warbler and a vireo. We saw a couple of Canada geese on the water and at least one great egret flying. Highlights for me included a fabulous stand of blooming red buckeye. I have never seen such an extensive patch of healthy buckeye bushes, all blooming madly. Not realizing what was ahead, I stopped at the first one and made a number of photographs. Upon finally moving along the path so as to not get left completely be- hind, I found myself in the middle of the mother lode of blooming buck- eye. I fired away, but each bush I came to seemed bigger and more beautiful than the one before. We passed two possumhaws in full bloom. I was charmed by the Ma- yapple colonies, some of them quite | Cross Vine (Bignonia capreolata) big. Flowering was all but finished; I found one plant with a nice bloom. Most of the plants sported tiny green apples. But best of all for me was the blooming cross vine. And we would not have seen it but for looking down! We were walking through a part of the path that was under a few inches of water, and in looking where to place our feet, we noticed that fallen cross vine blooms were floating in the water. We began to look around and Brent spotted a standing snag with a vine going up the trunk. The ground under that snag was covered with fallen blooms. Sure enough, there at the top of the snag in the sunlight of the canopy was the foliage and many, many lovely salmon trum- pets with their open yellow mouths. I have always loved seeing the leaf pattern of a cross vine going up a trunk, but had never seen one in bloom. What a treat! So... I'm old enough to have read Tom Wolfe, and when I look at my cross vine blossom photos, all I can think is kandy-kolored tangerine-flake ba- by"! Google it. The trail closer to 1-530 is much more open, and we returned to the park- ing lot in warm sunlight. Between the edge of the woods and the high- way, we passed a variety of flower- ing plants— wild berry vines of vari- ous kinds, corn salad galore, skull- caps, false dandelion and more. And to cap a good time, I also got my first dragonfly shot of the season. It's not a good enough shot to share. The dragon insisted on perching on the gravel of the path and blended in well. It might have been a slaty skim- mer, but my shot is probably not good enough for a sure identifica- tion. A couple of hours well spent! 4 A Master Naturalist's Trip to Pine Ridge Gardens by Carey Chaney I am not a gardener. I'd much rather be walking in the woods than work- ing in the yard; but, I have to admit that a nicely planned yard certainly cultivates a pleasant frame of mind. So I am working on improving my home landscape. After reading Bringing Nature Home by Douglas Tallamy, I became a convert to the importance of landscaping with na- tive plants. It is appealing to me to know that by incorporating native plants into my yard, I could help re- verse the ecological sterility of con- ventional horticulture and reduce the threat of invasive foreign spe- cies. It is a plus to mow less too. But because I am such a novice gardener and landscaping with natives is for- eign to most nurseries, going native is doubly difficult. Since Pine Ridge Gardens has the reputation of being the premier source for native plants in Arkansas, I was excited about the opportunity to visit. Pine Ridge Gardens is located not far off Interstate 40 between Rus- sellville and Clarksville. I had great directions, but still felt a bit nervous as I wound my way along the back roads. Please don't let being off the beaten path deter you; it is worth the effort. The nursery has been in operation since the early 1990s, but is located on our host, Mary Ann King's family farm. They sell only propagated natives and their web- site is http:// www.pineridgegardens.com/ . They also produce a printed catalog every year. Both are great resources. Mary Ann led one group. Her grand- son, Preston Kimbriel, and Brent Baker served as guides for a second group. The weather was perfect for our walk. We began our tour of the gardens by walking through the lower fields stopping every few steps to enjoy the incredible diver- sity of planted and naturally occur- ring species. I did my best to keep notes on what we saw: Alabama snowwreath , Red and Ohio buck- eye, Wild goose plum, Possum- haw , Butternut (White walnut) & Black walnut, Chalk maple, Fringe trees, American bladder nut, Blue ash , Hercules' club tree (Toothache tree, Prickly ash), Black locust, Woodland blue star, River cane (Native bamboo), a huge Shu- mard oak, White oak, Pin oak, Bur oak, Water oak, Swamp chestnut oak, River oats (Inland sea oats), Sugarberry, Coral berry, Box elder, Bear paw, St. John's wort, Cucum- ber magnolia, Spicebush, Sassafras, Sycamore, Redbud, Yellow arrow- head, Iron weed, Carolina buck- thorn, Narrow-leaf mountain mint, Winged sumac, Red honey suckle, Dogbane (Indian hemp), Fox grape, Wild senna, Green eye, Green drag- on, Bottle brush, Indian pink, Bass- wood. Our guides were extremely knowledgeable. They pointed out differences between Hackberry and Sugarberry, Shumard and Pin oak. We talked about the threat of the emerald ash borer. We also en- countered a Spicebush Swallowtail larva wrapped in the Sassafras leaf. Its large eyespots on the thoracic hump segments really were startling. This was a nice confirmation of the benefits of using native plants. After a couple of hours in the lower fields, I found it hard to keep up with everything we were seeing. I was utterly overwhelmed when we ar- rived at the actual nursery. I was amazed at the abundance and diver- sity of plants. We spent time winding along the pots, making notes or mak- ing selections. I took home a couple Indian pink plants, but I will be back. Though they ship, there is nothing like being able to see the plants "in the flesh" to gain a sense of how they will look in the landscape. Note: I spoke with Mary Ann about some of the new species she has this year. Symphyoyrichum macrophylla (Big leaf aster), is one new addition. Solidago auriculata (Ear-leaved gold- enrod), Solidago buckleyi (Buckley's goldenrod), and Heuchera parvifiora var. puberula, are all shade-loving plants. Sun-loving include Asclep ias hirtella /Tall green milkweed), Baptis- ia nuttalliana /Nuttall's wild indigo) and, she adds, much more. □ This hand-crafted sign by Lorna Trigg acknowledg- es AN PS funding for invasive spe- cies eradication and native plant restoration at the Fire Om Earth Retreat Center and Botanical Sanctuary in Eure- ka Springs , Arkan- sas. Check it out. 5 Ouachita Trail Hike by Eric Hunt The first ANPS hike of the year took place on April 11, 2015 along a portion of the Ouachita National Trail in Perry Coun- ty. Seven enthusiastic native plant admirers met at the Ouachita National Trailhead parking area at Lake Sylvia on a perfect spring morning. Our first excursion was to walk the short "Trees of the Forest Interpretive Trail" in search of the rare Perfoliate Bellwort ( Uvuloria perfoliota). The trail is an easy walk and contains a good variety of the common trees and wildflowers found in the eastern Ouachitas. We saw lots of Big Leaf Snowbell (5 ty rax grand if olius) with young flower buds. Along the forest floor were numerous large colonies of Cranefly Orchid ( Tipuloria discolor). Other species of note along the intepretive trail were Fire Pink ( Silene virginica), Pussytoes ( Antennaria sp.), Ouachita Sedge (Carex ouachi- tono), Wood Betony [Pedicu laris canadensis) and last year's seed heads from Indian Pipe ( Monotropa uniflora). A special treat was finding the strange spring mushroom Devil's Urn ( Urnula craterium). berries, with Common Blueberry (Vaccinium virgatum) com- ing into bloom. The first species of note was Moutain Azalea ( Rhododendron prinophyllum). Only one plant had open flowers but that was all we needed. Everyone admired the soft pink petals and the spicy, heady fragrance. At the far end of the interpretive trail we found a large colony of Perfoliate Bellwort. The flowers were just past their prime but still in good enough shape to clearly see the warty/ bumpy inside surface of the petals, a distinctive feature of the species. Futher along, hike co-leader Virginia McDaniel pointed out an easily identified sedge, Black Edge Sedge (Carex nigromar- ginata), growing in abundance along the edge of the trail. Next up was Carolina Silverbell (Halesia Carolina). A beautiful small tree with elegant white pendulus flowers. We then carpooled over to the Ouachita National Trail High- way 9 trailhead, managing to squeeze into the last two spots at the very tiny parking area. We headed west along the trail, anxious to see what interesting plants were to be found. American Witch Hazel ( Hamamelis virginiana) was just leafing out. We found a fascinating spiny gall on several Witch Ha- zels, home of the spiny Witch Hazel gall aphid ( Hamamelistes s pi nos us). Many of us had never been on this section of the OT (as it's known) and were enjoying the views and scenery, as the trail follows an unnamed creek in a small valley with frequent beautiful vistas. The star of the walk without a doubt was Dwarf Crested Iris ( Iris cristata). Our visit coincided with peak bloom. Found in great abundance, it was our constant companion as we ex- plored the trail. The standard assortment of early spring wildflowers were out in abundance. Whenever there was a bit more light reaching the trail. Showy Birdfoot Violet ( Viola pedata) was there to take advantage of it. There were numerous species of blue- We continued finding colonies of Perfoliate Bellwort. Virginia and I quit counting after the 7th or 8th one. It's a tracked spe- cies in Arkansas but is locally common in this part of Perry County. Our lunch stop was around about a mile into the walk at a small fern grotto. A large colony of Cinnamon Fern ( Osmundastrum cinnamomeum) and Royal Fern ( Osmunda regalis var. spectabilis) was joined by Southern Lady Fern (Athyrium filix-femina ssp. asplenioides) in a side drainage that must have a small spring as it was clear the area stays wet. After lunch we headed back to the Highway 9 trailhead and returned to our respective homes with the memories of an enjoyable spring day in the woods fresh in our mind. Hike participants were leaders Virginia McDaniel & Eric Hunt along with Don Ford, Becky Hardin, Mary McDaniel, Lynna Schoenert, and John Simpson. The Chinese-American Disjunction by Eric Sundell My undergraduate introduction to plant geography came from a readable and enjoyable textbook by W. D. Billings, Plants and the Ecosystem. "The exist- ence of any organism anywhere," he said, "is subject to the 'approval' of the local environment." Which of course made sense: as you leave the woods, you leave most of the ferns behind, but you enter the sun-loving world of black- eyed susies, butterfly weed, and Indian grass. What I had never suspected, though, was another, very different pattern of distribution, more fundamen- tal: a geographic and historical pattern. Plant groups especially at levels higher than species— genera and even fami- lies— show intriguing ranges on the world map. For example, the cactus family (Cactaceae) occurs only in the deserts of the New World, in North and South America. In the deserts of south- ern Africa, the stem succulents that look like cacti are not cacti at all— they are milkweeds and spurges, members of the Asclepiadaceae/Apocynaceae and Euphorbiaceae. African succulents that look very much like our giant saguaros of the Southwest are often species of Euphorbia, the genus to which our beautiful flowering spurge (Euphorbia corollata) is referred. Like the humming- birds, the cactus family had no means of transportation to the Old World— where, judging by the success of the introduced prickly-pears in arid parts of Africa and Australia, they could thrive— and so remained restricted in their range, endemic to North and South America. Of all the intriguing global patterns of plant distribution, my favorite is the Chinese-American Disjunction, a subject so interesting and accessible that I nev- er failed to include it in Regional Flora lectures. Asa Gray, America's preemi- nent botanist of the 19 th century, called attention to the fact, first noticed in Lin- naean times, that many of the plants of our eastern forests also occur in east- ern Asia— but nowhere else! They are disjuncts, occurring in widely separat- ed geographic areas. In a few cases- like poison-ivy and the northern maid- enhair fern complex— the very same species grows in both regions. But at the genus level, the facts get even more interesting: Numerous genera Above: Liriodendron tulipifera foliage and or- ange flower. Below: Liriodendron chinense twig with flow- ers— no orange pigment . are represented by closely related spe- cies that occur only in eastern North America and eastern Asia. Our distinc- tive yellow-poplar ( Liriodendron tuli- pifera), for example, has only one sis- ter species the world over, Lirioden- dron chinense, of central China and northern Indochina. (They are interfer- tile, the hybrid named Liriodendron x chinamerica.) Our spectacular native trumpet vine, Campsis rad icons, shows the same disjunction, Campsis being a genus of just two species, with Campsis grandiflora restricted to east- ern Asia. Most Chinese-American disjunction patterns are more complex, with one or a few species in eastern North America and many more in the more topographically and climatically varia- ble eastern Asia. The genus Panax (ginseng) comprises give-or-take six species, with two native in eastern North America and four in eastern Asia. Podophyllum (mayapple) comprises one American species and four in Asia. The three species of Sassafras are divided between the two areas, with one in America and two in eastern Asia. The list is long: some 65 genera of vascular plants— many native to Arkansas— whose species are restricted to eastern North America and eastern Asia The hickories ( Caryaspp .) are one of few such disjuncts with more American rep- resentatives than Asian— over a dozen species here and only a few over there. Fascinating observations, often called data, challenge us for explanations. How did such a distinctive, remarkable pattern of disjunction come about? Un- til the publication of On the Origin of Species in 1859— under the dogma of Creationism— the question was not amenable to any logical answers or even hypotheses. But Charles Darwin made the earth very old, with long, al- most immeasurable stretches of time, during which geographic and climatic changes could cause the migration and evolution of plants and animals. Now the fossil record made sense, and revealed an astounding, dynamic histo- ry of life on earth. Fossils scarcely distin- guishable from many of our living Asian- American disjuncts— sassafras, yellow- poplar, many herbaceous perennials— indicate that today's rich, temperate forests of eastern North America and eastern Asia are relicts of a magnificent temperate forest that encircled the higher latitudes of the Northern Hemi- sphere, reaching its maximum develop- ment during the Miocene epoch of the Tertiary period, some 10 to 25 million years ago. No temperate forest of today quite captures the lush diversity and extravagance of that circumboreal "Arcto-Tertiary forest," but compari- sons have been made to the cove for- ests of the Smoky Mountains and the redwood forests of the California coast. So how did the Chinese-American dis- junction come about? (Continued on next page) 1 (Continued from previous page) Cooling of the earth's climate during the Miocene pushed the temperate forests south not only in eastern North America and Asia but in Europe and western North America as well. In the last few million years, temperate forests in western North America have retreated as the rising Sierra Nevada and Cascade mountain ranges created a rain shadow to the east. Representatives of the Arc- to-Tertiary forest now persist in the West only on the western slopes of those mountain ranges. (Fossil stumps of the giant sequoia can still be seen in Colorado.) In Europe— today with a moist, temperate climate— Pleistocene glaciers eliminated many genera, like the hickories, that survived the Ice Age in eastern North America and eastern Asia: migration south in Europe was blocked by the Alps and the Mediterra- nean Sea. In Asia and North America no such barriers existed, and species of the temperate forests were able to migrate unimpeded— here in the Southeast, to refuges in the southern Appalachians as well as in Mexico. When the ice with- drew and the climate moderated, many of them came back to Arkansas. My students typically perked up during the disjunction lecture when I informed them that yellow-poplar shared this Chinese-American distribution with the alligator. Calyx and corolla differences of trumpet vines Left to Right— American trumpet vine ( Compsis rodicans), cross of American and Chinese trumpet vine, Chinese trumpet vine UAM Botanical Research Center and Herbarium Building The new Botanical Research Center and Herbarium Building at the Universi- ty of Arkansas at Monticello is making significant progress. All of the fund- ing is now in place and the project is going out for bid very soon. The new building will house the UAM Herbarium (a collection of about 27,000 dried plant specimens used for research and teaching), a DNA sequencing lab, offices, and the new Arkansas Native Plant Society Conference Room and Library. The building should be completed in late 2015 or early 2016. A portion of the funding for the project came from the ANPS and individual members. Thank you! Karen Fawley 8 Earth Days at Arkansas Tech in Russellville, Arkansas ANPS member Sid Vogelpohl manned an educational booth during the annual Earth Days celebration April, 22. I am sure attendees enjoyed the beautiful display Sid created as well as his home grown bouquet. Great photos Sid! Announcements: Mark your calendars, birding friends, for y'all are hereby invited to an INFORMAL* birding-natural history "conference/' Bison, Birds, Botany & Butterflies (BBBB), centered at The Nature Conservancy's Tallgrass Prairie Preserve in northeastern Oklaho- ma, September 25-26, 2015 (maybe even starting September 24). We will informally* —and I do mean informally* —and with little fanfare and no fund raising -- observe and enjoy free-ranging bison, typical birds of the Flinthills prairies and associated crosstimbers woodlands, and the remarkably diverse native flora there. We will also check out all the other stuff, like fossils. Eastern Collared Lizards, Ornate Box Turtles, and anything else encountered. This is also peak time for the southward migration of Monarch Butterflies, and if previous years serve as guide, we should see a lot of them, too. On both Friday and Saturday, meet at the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve headquarters area at noon. If you are interested, there are no "fees," no "registration," nothing whatsoever official about this BBBB. We can meet up over there where the grass is tall, where the lizards are big and colorful, where the bison are crossing the road or head butting out in the fields, or maybe an in- teresting hawk never seen before in this universe is gliding over the grass, or some rare Flinthills flower like Eryngium has opened just for us.— Joe Neal. November 6-8th, the OCANPS will hold its annual fall meeting at Harmony Mountain. We meet, elect officers, set the dates for spring hikes, hold an auction to raise money for the chapter, and take a hike in the Buffalo River area on Saturday. If you would like to join us, please contact Burnetta at wbhintffigmail.com for more information and directions. 9 Warren Prairie Natural Area by Virginia McDaniel and Brent Baker Photos by Mike Weatherford and Eric Hunt You know you are with a bunch of botanists when the star of the show is a 4-cm-tall skeleton of a plant with a 4-mm-long, petal-less flower found on the edge of a salt slick. Not only that, but the winter annual was a few weeks past its prime and the walk began just as the skies opened and in the presence of per- sistent swarms of mosquitoes. But none of these factors dampened the enthusiasm of the ANPS group heading to find the federally listed geocarpon ( Geocorpon minimum) at Warren Prairie. Warren Prairie Natural Area con- tains about 4,600 acres owned and managed by Arkansas Natural Herit- age Commission (ANHC) and The Nature Conservancy. It is located in the Coastal Plain just east of War- ren, AR, and contains a mosaic of salt slicks, saline barrens, post oak flatwoods, mound woodlands, pine flatwoods and woodlands, and bottomland hardwood forest com- munities. The naturally high content of sodium and magnesium salts in the soils of the barrens in addition to the thin soils often prevents the growth of trees. But these harsh conditions have enabled a commu- nity that is dominated by grasses and herbaceous vegetation and one that provides critical habitat for the largest population of the federally threatened Geopcorpon in Arkansas as well as habitat for many other rare species. After noting the prairie spiderwort (Trodescontia occidentolis) blooming around the parking area, we left the shelter of our vehicles soaked in bug spray and cloaked in raincoats (except our leader, ANHC botanist Brent Baker, who was content to ride out the shower in a T-shirt) and headed into the open pine flatwoods. When I say open, I mean there wasn't a shrub to be found. Brent explained that a forestry mulcher had been used to more quickly convert forests choked with brush to the open woodlands Geocarpon minimum by M. Weatherford that historically would have occupied the area, a process that would take years via other methods. After the mulching, they use prescribed burn- ing to maintain the open habitat. Open woodlands are the preferred habitat of many rare plants and also the federally threatened Red- cockaded Woodpecker that was rein- troduced to the site in 2010. Given that there are now as many as seven breeding pairs in a total of nine groups, it seems to be working well for the woodpeckers. We observed the potato dwarf-dandelion (Krigia dandelion) in bright yellow bloom, woolly ragwort (Packera tomento- sa), a few dwarf palmetto (Saba I mi- nor), and some scattered yellow this- tle. Yellow thistle is aptly named botanically, Cirsium horrid ulum, as it is absolutely horridly armed with spines. Not a plant you want to acci- dentally trip and fall on! Many in the group were surprised to learn from Brent that this particular thistle is one of several thistles na- tive to the state, this one occurring mainly in the Coastal Plain. It is a great nectaring source for numerous insects, including the uncommon Diana Fritillary, Arkansas' state butterfly, which is also known from Warren Prairie. Next we encountered nebkha mounds. I initially thought these were piles of mulched debris creat- ed by the mulcher, but Brent told us they were naturally occurring mounds created by the accumula- tion of wind-borne sediments around scattered vegetation during drier climatic periods in the past. They go by a number of names, in- cluding prairie mounds, Mima mounds, pimple mounds, or coppice (Continued on next page.) 10 (Continued from previous page.) dunes and they strongly influence the spatial distribution of plants and soil resources and create microhabi- tats that increase species diversity, abundance, and richness. One of the plants we observed on the nebkha mounds was barbed rattlesnake- root (Prenonthes borboto), a plant of conservation concern that needs a fair amount of light in order to bloom. We saw the basal rosettes of wavy-margined leaves that grow from small corms. This plant may finally get the opportunity to bloom now that the woodland has been opened up. We also observed the densely hairy, silvery leaves of the Carolina violet ( Viola villosa), suited to the somewhat sandy, better - drained soil of the nebkhas. We then swung by the margin of an open marsh to see a relatively uncommon species of arrowhead (Sagittaria papillosa), with its narrow leaves r. A & Sagittaria papillosa by E. Hunt and papillate (bumpy) sepals and bracts. It is restricted mainly to the West Gulf Coastal Plain of Texas, Louisi- ana, and southern Arkansas. We moved out of the woodland through post oak flats into the open barrens (often referred to colloquially as "prairie") where we encountered yellow star-grass ( Hypoxis hirsuta) and a field of Texas sunnybells (Schoenolirion wrightii), a rare plant only found in saline barrens in southeastern Arkansas, northern Louisiana, eastern Texas, and northern Alabama. In the wetter depressions we found the blue- green twisted stalks of Wolfs spike -rush ( Eleocharis wolfii), a state plant of conservation concern, and the more common slender spike- rush ( Eleocharis tenuis). Nearby we saw both the spring spider lily (Hymenocallis liriosme) and green hawthorn (Crataegus viridis) in bloom. 11 (Continued from previous page) After crossing the open grassy barrens with bluets (Houstonio spp.), yellow- puff (Neptunio luteo), a sen- sitive-brier look-alike but without the prickles and with yellow flowers instead of pink later in the summer, and sundews (Drosero brevifolio) with their red leaves glistening with sticky, insect-trapping "dew/' and scattered green or spider milkweeds (Asclepios Hind- is) in bud, we came to the salt slicks where few plants can grow. There we saw a few dwarf plantain (Plontogo pusillo), lichens, some dried blue-green al- gae, technically cyanobacte- ria, ( Nostoc sp.), and then the dried stalks of our prized plant: Geocorpon minimum. Geocarpon is known from only a few dozen locations in four states and was listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act in 1987. In Missouri this spe- cies is found on sandstone glades, whereas in Arkan- sas, Louisiana, and Texas it is found on saline barrens. It seems to require high levels of magnesium in the soil. It is a winter annual that gen- erally blooms in late Febru- ary and March and fruits in March to early April. Popu- lation sizes are highly varia- ble from year to year de- pending on rainfall, temper- ature, and perhaps other factors. This year was ap- parently not a particularly good one for the species based on Brent's survey re- sults but we were all pleased to see the several plants Brent had located as well as for the opportunity to see and better under- stand the unique geocar- pon. 12 Ouachita Mountain Glades Photos and article by Michael Weath- erford On June 5 U.S. Forest Service Bota- nist Susan Hooks, with able help from staff members Terry McKay and Mary Lane, led a group of ANPS members on a field trip to two Ouachita Mountain glades located in the Ouachita National For- est. The glades are sparsely cov- ered in cedar, elm and hackberry trees growing among bare rock out- croppings. Several rare and inter- esting plant species grow on the thin soil characteristic of the glades. Rare species observed by the group include: Corex lotebrocteoto (Waterfall's sedge); Drobo oprico (Open-ground Whitlow- grass); Amsonia hubrichtii (Ouachita bluestar); Pilulorio ameri- cono (Pillwort); Tradescantia longi- pes (Dwarf spiderwort); Isoetes mel- onopoda (Quillwort); Valarianello nuttallii (Nuttall's cornsalad); Astragalus distortus vor. engel- mannii (Milk vetch). Other species observed in- clude: Penstemon arkansanus (Arkansas beardtongue); Ruellia hu- milis (Wild petunia); Marshallia caespitosa (Barbara's buttons); Opuntia humifusa (Prickly pear cac- tus); Thelespermo filifolium (Greenthread); Triodanis leptocarpa (Venus looking glass); Manfreda vir- ginica (False aloe); Houstonia nigri- cans (Glade bluet); Sedum pulchel- lum (Widow's cross sedum); Eriogo- num longifolium (Umbrella plant); Lotus unifoliolatus (American birds- foot-trefoil); Arnoglossum plontagi- neum (Indain plantain); Celtis tenui- folia (Dwarf hackberry); Tragia ur- ticifolia (Nose burn); Minuartia mus- corum (Sandwort); Phemeranthus calycinus (Fame flower). Above: Widow's Cross Sedum (Sedum pulchellum) Below: Arkansas Beardtongue (Penstemon arkansanus) Below: Ouachita Blazing Star (Liatris compacta) 13 Spring 2015 Meeting Minutes ANPS Spring Meeting Membership Meeting University of AR at Monticello Monticello, Arkansas April 18, 2015 2015 Spring Meeting Field Trips SATURDAY MORNING Warren Prairie - Leaders: Brent Baker and Jennifer Ogle Bradley County Park - Leaders: Virginia McDaniel, Mike Weatherford, Marvin Fawley, Karen Fawley SATURDAY AFTERNOON Warren Prairie - Leaders: Brent Baker and Virginia McDaniel Bradley County Park - Leaders: Jen- nifer Ogle, Mike Weatherford, Marvin Fawley, Karen Fawley SUNDAY MORNING Turner Neal Natural History Museum/ Pomeroy Planetarium (UAM) - Lead- ers: Karen Fawley, Marvin Fawley, Morris Bramlett, Dean of Math and Science Bill Lavher Trail, Pine Bluff - Leader: Brent Baker 2015 Spring Meeting Evening Pro- gram Information The first Spring Silent Auction began Friday at 5:30pm and ended Saturday at 9:00pm. The Friday evening pro- gram was presented by Brent Baker, botanist with the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission. His talk was entitled " Characteristics and Manage- ment of Saline Barrens". Sid Vogelpohl also presented a review of " Know Your Natives," his compilation of wildflower images. The Saturday evening program was presented by Karen and Marvin Faw- ley, botanists at UAM. The talk was entitled " The UAM Herbarium: Pre- sent, Past and Future ." The Membership Business Meeting followed the presentation on Satur- day, April 18. 2015. Jennifer Ogle called the meeting to order at 8:35pm. Treasurer's Report Don Ford provided the 2015 Spring Treasurer's Report, as of March 31 st , with a balance of $27,092.89. The Treasurer's report was accepted by the Board. Meredith York made a mo- tion to approve the Treasurer's Report and Eric Hunt seconded the motion. The motion was approved. Don re- ported a total of $632 from the Spring Silent Auction. Membership Minutes Don Ford made a motion to accept the minutes from the Fall 2014 ANPS Membership Meeting. Mary Ann King seconded the motion and all were in favor. Old Business Small Grant Request-FireOmEarth The membership approved a small grant request for $1000 from Fire- OmEarth to remove invasive plants at the 2014 Fall Membership Meeting. Jennifer Ogle reported that they are making good progress with the inva- sive plant removal. A beautiful, sculpted ANPS sign has been placed on the trail in recognition of the ANPS donation. Digitization of past Clavtonia issues Mike Burns reported that every copy of C laytonia (1981-present) has been scanned. He is making progress to post these scanned copies to the ANPS website. New Business Scholarship Committee The Board approved $1000 in funding for Jennifer Reed, an undergraduate student at the Arkansas State Univer- sity at Jonesboro. Dr. Travis Marsico is her advisor. Ninestone Land Trust The Board approved a small grant re- quest for $1500 from Ninestone Land Trust, Inc. for glade restoration and removal of invasive plants. Eric Hunt made a motion that this request be approved by the membership and Vir- ginia McDaniel seconded. The motion was approved. Hometown Habitat The Board approved a small grant re- quest by email vote for $1000 to Hometown Habitat, a 90-minute envi- ronmental education documentary focused on showing how and why na- tive plants are critical to the survival and vitality of local ecosytems. (http://themeadowproject.com/) Susan Toone made a motion that this request be approved by the member- ship and Richard Emmel seconded. The motion was approved. 2015 ANPS Fall Meeting The 2015 Fall Meeting is scheduled for October 9-11 in Eureka Springs. Mike Weatherford reported that 30 rooms have been reserved at the Eureka Inn 14 Spring 2015 Meeting Minutes, continued Best Western ($107.95 + tax per night including a full breakfast). There is a two night minimum stay. Reservations must be made before August 20th to guarantee room availability at this rate. Possible field trips include Devil's Eye- brow, Ninestone, and Lake Leatherwood. Natural Areas Association Brent Baker requested ANPS sponsorship for the Natural Areas Association Conference which will be held in Little Rock on November 3-5, 2015. Mike Burns made a motion to approve a $500 donation with the provision to in- crease the donation up to an additional $2000 after Board discussion. Meredith York seconded the motion. All were in favor of the motion with 1 abstention. Don Ford moved to adjourn the meeting and Marvin Fawley seconded. The meeting was adjourned at 9:03pm. 2015 Semi-Annual Treasurer’s Report and Proposed 2016 Budget 2015 Semi-Annual Treasurer’s Report January 1-30 June 2015 START 2015 * $27,283.67 2015 Budget 2015 Actual as of 30 June INCOME Membership Dues $4,000 $2,260.00 Meeting Registration $500 $270.00 Plant Auction $1,500 $632.00 Interest $0 $0.77 T-Shirt Sales $700 $270.00 Contributions $0 $95.00 TOTAL $6,700 $3,527.77 * $3,527.77 EXPENDITURES ANPS.Org (website expenses) -$50 $0.00 Claytonia (Print & Distribute 2 Issues) -$1,600 -$672.82 Directory (Print and Distribute) -$900 $0.00 Memorial Awards (Awards/Scholarships) -$2,000 -$1,000.00 Grants/Support to Public Gardens -$500 -$4,000.00 Meeting expenses (space, copies, speaker, etc.) -$1,000 -$177.23 Ecology Camp -$500 -$500.00 Bulk Mail -$250 -$220.00 Supplies/postage/miscellaneous -$430 -$178.24 T-shirts -$1,500 $0.00 TOTAL -$8,730 -$6,748.29 * r -$6,748.29 Total as of 30 June 2015 * $24,063.15 Proposed 2016 Budget $4,000.00 $500.00 $2,000.00 $0.00 $500.00 $0.00 $7,000.00 -$50.00 -$1,400.00 -$750.00 -$2,000.00 -$1,000.00 -$1,000.00 -$500.00 -$240.00 -$300.00 -$1,000.00 -$8,240.00 Respectfully submitted by Don Ford, Treasurer 15 New Members Carol Daggett (Fayetteville, AR) Sharon Keller (Mountainburg, AR) Chris & Charles Feild (Little Rock, AR) Suzanne LaRose (Kimball, Ml) Daniel Feild (Fayetteville, AR) Vicky May (Fayetteville, AR) Stacey, Fiona, Jack, Elizabeth Davis (Springdale, AR) Lisa Netherland (Fayetteville, AR) James "Dee" and Masami Fiser (Bryant, AR) Anne Orsi (Little Rock, AR) Lillian Franklin (Hattieville, AR) Jack and Janet Ryan (El Dorado, AR) Amy Hatfield (Maumelle, AR) Jesse Scarbrough (Elkins, AR) Karen Hicks (Mablevale, AR) Truman & Dolores Stamps (Springdale, AR) Sharon Hollaway (North Little Rock, AR) Michelle Wisdom (Fayetteville, AR) New Lifetime Members Warren and Holly Fields (Rogers, AR) Jennifer Ogle (Fayetteville, AR) Steven Foster (Eureka Springs, AR) Lynna Schonert (Little Rock, AR) Kristin Musgnug (Fayetteville, AR) Joe A. Wright (Alexander, AR) Congratulations to our President, Jennifer Ogle, on completion of her 2015 Master of Science Degree at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville! Executive Board Nominations for 2016 Based on recommendations of the Nominations Committee, the Executive Board places in nomination before the Membership the following individuals for positions coming open in 2016: Vice President Margaret Malek Secretary Molly Jones Webmaster Eric Hunt The nominating committee will present the following slate of officers at the fall meeting: In accordance with Arti- cle V, Section 2, Jennifer Ogle will become Past President in 2016, Mike Weatherford will become President in 2016, Virginia McDaniel will become President Elect in 2016. The nominating committee recommends Margaret Malek for Vice President, Molly Jones for Secretary, and Eric Hunt for Webmaster for 2016. The following officers will serve their second year in the position indicated for 2016: Don Ford, Treasurer; Betty Owen, Editor; MaryAnn King, Memorial Awards Officer; and Mike Burns, Membership Officer. Election of officers will occur at the business meeting on October 9th in Eureka Springs. 16 ANPS Fall Meeting October 9-11, 2015 Eureka Springs, Arkansas Everybody is welcome to attend! Meeting registration is only $5 with no pre-registration required. Registration will begin at 5:00PM on Friday, October 9. Hotel: Lodging in the Eureka Springs area is at a premium during the month of October. ANPS has reserved a block of 30 rooms in the Eureka Inn (Best Western), 101 East Van Buren Street (479-253-9551) at a rate of $107.95 plus tax. Please note that reservations must be made before August 20 to guarantee availability of this rate, and there is a two-night minimum stay. Meeting Location: The meeting site is the American Legion building located just north of Eureka Springs. From downtown, just travel north on Main Street (Highway 23) three miles past the train station. The American Legion is on the left just past the intersection of Highways 23 and 187. Dining Options: There are numerous dining options around the hotel. Field trips: Several field trips to local areas of top botanical interest will be scheduled for Saturday and Sunday. We will offer something for everybody, whether you want to take it slow and easy or something more vigorous. You must sign up for field trips on Friday evening to allow for adequate logistical planning. Program: Saturday evening we will have a special program featuring presentations from several recipients of grants from ANPS made to individuals and groups for the purpose of enabling the study, promotion and establish- ment of native plants in Arkansas. Plant Auction: The meeting will feature the always-popular native plant auction, where you can bid on many Ar- kansas native plants not readily available at your local nursery. Be there at 7:00PM Friday and ready to bid! For complete and up-to-date details, go to www.anps.org or contact Michael Weather- ford, 870-820-8300, weatherfordm@sbcglobal.net. Save the Date! The ANPS Spring Meeting will be held in Hot Springs, Arkansas. April 22-24, 2016 17 ANPS Membership Application and Renewal Form New Member Renewal Address City State Zip Phone ( ) - E-mail Please send this form and your dues directly to the ANPS treasurer. Please in- clude the entire form with your payment. Don Ford 4017 Bluebird Lane Little Rock, AR 18 Claytoeia Spring 2015 Newsletter Your dues status is on your mailing label. On the mailing label there will be a number, for example, "15" , and this indicates that your dues are paid through 2015. (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 Jennifer Ogle ranunculus73@gmail.com Secretary Karen Fawley fawley@uamont.edu President-Elect Mike Weatherford weatherfordm@sbcglobal.net 870-820-8300 Awards & Scholarships Mary Ann King office@pineridgegardens.com Vice President Virginia McDaniel virginiamcd31@yahoo.com 828-545-2062 Membership Chair Mike Burns anps.membership@gmail.com Treasurer Don Ford anps.treasurer@gmail.com Editor Betty Owen pjmbowen@gmail.com Nominations Chair Eric Sundell esundell42@gmail.com (870) 723-1089 WebMaster Martha Bowden anps.web@gmail.com (501) 803-9545 President's Message Jennifer Ogle Dear Fellow Native Plant Lovers, You may have read in the news that the Fayetteville city council recently approved a resolution to address the problem of invasive plants in their town. The goal is to develop a policy or ordinance that will encourage the eradication of existing invasions and to educate the public about the importance of using native plants in their gardens and landscapes. To my knowledge, such an ordinance would be the first of its kind in Arkansas. I mention this because it well illustrates how attitudes are beginning to change in favor of native plants and their habitats on a rather large scale. Invasive plants have become such a problem in both natural and urban areas that folks are starting to realize how important it is to try to control their spread. Once considered inferior to specimens brought in from other regions of the world, native plants are now beginning to be valued as vital members of healthy ecosystems and attractive components of a sustainable landscape. As a member of ANPS (and no doubt in other ways too), you have contributed to this change in attitude, because the funds you contribute to this organization are used to promote the education and conservation of native plants and their habitats in Arkansas. At our fall meeting in Eureka Springs this October, we will hear reports from some of our grant recipients to see recent examples of how those funds are being used. We will also tour Lake Leatherwood, Ninestone Land Trust, and Devil's Eyebrow Natural Area, home of black maple and many oth- er rare plants. And of course we will hold our annual auction, where you will have the opportunity to bid on na- tive plants, seeds, and other plant-related items. I hope to see you in Eureka Springs this fall! Jennifer 19 paisanbay aajAjas ssajppv ££Z 'ON l!UJJ0d H V 'poy a|wn pied aSeisod 'ST1 Sjq lyojduoN VttlL UV ^liauepjBQ aue-| poo/v\§oa SI7XOX siung a>|!i/\| 'chi|Sjaqiu0|Al A13DOS INVId 3AI1VN SVSNVMdV