NEWSLETTER OF THE TENNESSEE NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY Volume 41, Number 1 March 2017 Gatlinburg Fire Response T he human tragedy of the Gatlinburg fire — lost lives, lost homes, lost businesses, has been and should be the prima- ry concern, but it is not the only one. Disturbance can be a double-edged sword. In the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, it is an opportunity for renewal of natural communities through succession. Table Mountain pine, for instance, will benefit greatly from the Chimneys fire as heat-triggered cones open and release seeds to rejuvenate their upper slope and ridge communities. It is also an opportunity for invasion by non-native plant species. This threat is greatest in areas of the city ravaged by fire. Asian wisterias, princess tree, garlic mustard, bush honey- suckle, English Ivy, privet, oriental bittersweet, burning bush and other aggressive ex- otic species already present in the area can take advantage of the new- ly cleared understory and open canopy to significantly increase their populations. As their numbers grow just outside the park, the threat they pose to the park grows exponentially. These species possess traits giving them a competitive edge: fast growth, rampant spread, early flower and fruit maturation, vast fruit production, effective fruit dis- persal through wind and animals. To combat this threat, TNPS teamed with our friends and partners in the Tennessee Invasive Plant Council (TN-IPC, formerly TN-EPPC) to produce an informative online document that lists and pictures some of the biggest invasive threats in the area, how to recognize them as seedlings and young plants, and suitable native spe- cies to use in residential and commercial landscapes. Our Web site, TN-IPC s site, national park and city- related sites, plus other local groups such as Sevier County Wild Ones and Master Gardeners will be encouraged to post and advertise the information. Through this informa- tion and the promo- tion of monitoring for early detection and rapid response and community Weed Wrangles, we hope to see Gatlinburg recover as a gateway city to the Great Smoky Moun- tains National Park, featuring all the native botanical beauty and none of the invasive threats. This photo from the Carlos Campbell Overlook in the Great Smoky Mountains shows the scorched slopes off Mt. LeConte from December s Chimneys fire. Areas of oak pine stands and heath balds on upper slopes and ridge lines took the brunt of the fire. -Margie Hunter TNPS Newsletter This newsletter is a publication of the Tennessee Native Plant Society and is published four times a year, generally in February, June, August, and November. The Tennessee Native Plant Society (TNPS) was founded in 1978. Its pu- poses are to assist in the exchange of information and encourage fellow- ship among Tennessee’s botanists, both amateur and professional; to promote public education about Tennessee flora and wild plants in general; to provide, through pub- lication of a newsletter or journal, a formal means of documenting information on Tennessee flora and of informing the public about wild plants; and to promote the protec- tion and enhancement of Tennes- see’s wild plant communities. Dues for each calendar year are: Regular: $20 Student: Complimentary Institution: $50 Life: $250 Dues may be sent to: Tennessee Native Plant Society P.O. Box 159274 Nashville, TN 37215 Officers Susan Sweetser, President Todd Crabtree, Vice-President Margie Hunter, Secretary Michelle Haynes, Treasurer Directors Sunny Fleming Louise Gregory Michelle Haynes Dennis Horn Bart Jones Larry Pounds Joey Shaw Sunny Fleming, editor Please send comments and material for the TNPS newletter to sunnyfleming@tn.gov A. letter from the President Hello everyone, It s a new year for TNPS. iVe been thinking about all the activi- ties that we are involved in. A few are listed below: 1. In this newsletter is a wonderful schedule of field trips for the year. Mark them on your calendar and try to attend as many as possible. 2. We have several members involved with the Georgia Botan- ical Society’s Pilgrimage in Chattanooga April 7-9. Several good field trips in TN are included. Check out our Website for a link to their Pilgrimage. 3. We also have several members as leaders in the Smoky Mtns Wildflower Pilgrimage. There are usually over 100 different activi- ties to choose from and something for everyone. 4. June 9-11 TNPS Annual Meeting at Beersheba Springs. Its a nice facility and a great area to botanize. More details to follow. 5. We have members involved in writing a brochure for Gatlin- burg and Sevier Co. residents to discuss native plants to establish after the fires destruction. 6. We also have several volunteers across the state spreading our name and sharing their knowledge at Garden Shows, symposiums, Naturalist classes, Field trips leaders for various organizations, etc., etc. 7. TNPS is also financially sponsoring the initial start up costs for the TN Plant Atlas. This is being coordinated with UT- Chatta- nooga, MTSU, and Austin Peay. Stay tuned for the development of this new comprehensive plant atlas. 8. We continue to sell our books at various functions. 9. We have a great group of Outreach- Education folks that are expanding our contacts across the state — David Hilgeman — West TN, Kim Sadler — Middle, and Mitchell Kent — East. Contact them if you know of an opportunity for us to reach out to folks in your area. Hope to see you on the trail, 865-938-7627, ssretiree@yahoo.com Thanks to all. 3 2017 TNPS Field Trips Fiery Gizzard Water- falls and Flowers 3/18/17 9:00AM C Strenuous Bring Lunch & Water Meeting PlaceCrundy Forest trailhead Facilities: At meeting place Directions: 75 Fiery Gizzard Road, Tracy City, TN Todd Crabtree (615-532- 1378, todd. Crabtree® tn.gov) We will hike along ~ 6 miles of the trail which paral- lels one of the most scenic streams inTennessee. Some early flowers will be out but we will look at other plants as well as enjoying the scenery. Cat Creek / Rainbow Falls - Coffee Co. 4/1/17 10:00AM C Easy to Moderate 2mi Bring Lunch & Water Kangaroo Mobil Quick Stop (SE corner of Inter- state Drive and TN Hwy 53) in Manchester Facilities: At meeting place From 1-24, exit 110, go north on Hwy 53 (left from Nashville, right from Chattanooga) one block to the first traffic light. Kangaroo is on the right. Dennis Horn (H) 931-461- 0262, e-mail - horndd@ light- tube.net (please call or e-mail ahead) We plan to visit two private properties with rich diversity. Neither open to the public. That is no April fooling! Cat Creek has a number of rich ravines located in the Highland Rim SW of Manchester. The property is also adjacent to the Duck River near up- per Normandy Lake. Flowers we are likely to see are yellow trout lily, fine-leaved toothwort, Dutchmens breeches, celandine poppy, and Virginia bluebells (including a pure white clump). We will then have lunch at our vehicles before driving to the second des- tination about 5 miles away. The afternoon hike is to Rainbow Falls located at the end of the hollow of Hale Branch. A side branch leads to Bosworth Falls, anoth- er nice waterfall on this 200 acre property. It has been 35 years since I last visited this site, but I remember a hillside full of large-flowered trillium and numerous spring flowers throughout. A replica 1940 s general store and filling station has been added since I last visited this property. Trails and Trilliums 4/7 - 4/9, 2017 Smokies Pilgrimage 4/11 - 4/ 1 5, 20 1 7 Do you have photos from trips you’d like to share? Are you interested in other TNPS News? Stay up to date and follow us on facebook! facebook.com/tennesseenativeplantsociety 4 2017 TNPS Field Trips Rock Creek Wildflow- er Walk Aim 17 See description for time Moderate 5mi Bring Lunch & Water Meeting/carpool Places: 1. Golds Gym/Books- A-Million parking lot in Oak Ridge (at the end close to S. Illinois Avenue, near Salsaritas) 9:00 AM Eastern 2. Delta gas station on US 27 in Sale Creek at 1 1:00 AM Eastern Facilities: At meeting place(s) Larry Pounds 865- 705-8516 (cell) Pound- sL471@aol. com RSVP We will caravan from the Delta Station to the Lower Leggett Road Trailhead. We will hike for about an hour before we stop for lunch. Perhaps that will be about 1 mile since we will be talking plants as we go. Those wanting a short hike might want to turn back after lunch. I will lead on around a loop for a hike totaling 4.5 mile at return to the trailhead. A walk to an overlook is an extra .46 miles round trip. We will see rushing water and many spring wild- flowers with the best flowering shrubby buckeyes on the loop. Reelfoot Rarities 4/29/17 Easy to Moderate (wet/muddy) BBQ lunch at Pit Restaurant at Reelfoot Lake Meet: Kendall Elementary School parking lot in Ridgely Directions: From Dyersburg, take TN Hwy. 78 to Ridgely Turn left on King St. and school is just on the right. Bart Jones (cell -901- 485-2475, email - bjones7777@ hotmail. com) and David Hilge- man Join us on a search for some of the Reelfoot Lake areas botanical rarities. Leaving the meeting place, we will journey to a nearby location for Harbisons hawthorn {Crataegus harbisonii), one of the rarest woody plants in the country. Then we will travel to Reelfoot Lake for a barbecue lunch, after which we will poke around the drainage ditches surrounding the lake hoping to chance upon featherfoil {Hotton- ia inflata) and copper iris (Irisfulva), two state-list- ed aquatic species. Elsie Quarterman Wildflower Festival 5/5-6/2017 Piney River Wildflow- er Walk 5/6/17 See description for time Easy to Moderate 5mi Bring Lunch & Water Meet/carpool Places: 1. Golds Gym/Books- A- Million parking lot in Oak Ridge (close to S. Illinois Avenue, near Salsaritas) 9:00 AM E 2. Rocky Top/ Exxon/ MacDonalds on US 27 in Spring City at 10:00 AM E Facilities: At meeting place(s) Larry Pounds 865- 705-8516 (cell) Pound- sL471@aol. com RSVP We will caravan from Exxon to the Lower Piney River Trailhead. We will walk and talk along Soak Creek returning to the trailhead for lunch at about noon. After lunch we will hike along Piney River from the same trailhead. As usual with the Cum- berland Trail there will be wildflowers and roaring water. Big Hill Pond 5/20/17 10:00 AM C Moderate (steep sec- tions on bluff.) Bring Lunch & Water Take TN Hwy. 57, turn onto Park Entrance Rd. (John Howell Rd.) and follow to the visitor cen- ter. The park is located between the communities of Pocahontas and Ramer in southwestern McNairy County. Facilities: at Visi- tor Center. Bart Jones (cell -901- 485-2475, email - bjones7777@ hotmail. com) We will search the sandstone and conglomerate bluff that overlooks Dismal Swamp for a variety of late spring wildflowers in this rarely visited state park. Highlights should include oakleaf hydrangea {Hydrangea quercifolia)y shrub yellowroot {Xan- thorhiza simplicissima), and watershield {Brasenia schreberi) with hopes of catching an early blossom. 2017 TNPS Field Trips 5 Annual Meeting 6/9-11/2017 Beersheba Springs Middle Prong Flowers and History 8/13/17 10 AME Moderate Bring Lunch & Water Facilities: None at meeting place Middle Prong trailhead near Tremont From the Townsend “Y” intersection, drive west on Laurel Creek Road towards Cades Cove. About .2 mi. from the “Y”, turn left and drive 2 mi. to reach the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont. From there drive another 3.1 mi. along a gravel road to reach the Middle Prong Trailhead. Allen & Su- san Sweeter We’ll hike up Middle Prong Trail and see late summer flowers around the many streams and waterfalls of this area. There’s a good chance of seeing a Fraser’s sedge in this area as well. An abandoned Cadillac from the 1930’s lurks some- where along this route and we’ll seek that oddity out as well as other interesting items along the way. Fall Flowers in a Powerline Prairie 9/16/17 See meeting places for time Easy 3mi. Bring Lunch & Water Facilitites: At meeting place Meeting/carpool Places: 1. Golds Gym/Books-A-Million parking lot in Oak Ridge (at the end close to S. Illinois Avenue, near Salsaritas) at 9:00 AM Eastern 2. Hardees (9398 Reco Dr.) at the Harrison lane Exit off US 27 in Soddy-Daisy at 11:15 AM Eastern Larry Pounds 865-705-8516 (cell) Pound- sL471@aol. com RSVP We will caravan from Hardees to the CT trailhead on Mowbray Pike. We will be seeing many asters and goldenrods and other of the fall flowers. We will get a chance to try out a “stone door “and take in a major view. For readers of Wildly Strolling Along we will be where Ben spotted a green salamander. Big Cypress Tree State Park/ State Natural Area 9/23/17 1:30PM Central Easy (muddy) Optional early picnic lunch prior to hike at meeting place. Meeting Place: Playground/pic- nic area. Facilities: At meeting place Directions: Take US Hwy. 45E north through Greenfield. Turn left onto TN Hwy. 445 (Kim- mery Store Rd.). Turn right onto Big Cypress Rd. and follow to playground/picnic area. Allan Trently (allan.trent- ly@tn.gov) and Bart Jones (cell - 901-485- 2745, email - bjones7777@ hotmail.com) 291 plants have been identified at Big Cypress Tree including the Red Turtle- head (Chelone obliqua). We will identify plants along the trail and boardwalk from the park office to the Obion River, a distance of approximately 0.8 miles one way. The bottomlands are dry in Septem- ber but it is highly recommended that boots are worn. Other plants that may be of interest include shellbark hickory, trailing loosestrife, American snowbell , and water elm. Flat Rock - After the Fires 9/30/17 10:00AM C Moderate 4mi Bring Lunch & Water Flat Rock State Natural Area trail head parking lot (2423 Factory road Murfreesboro, TN - 35.858539,-86.295644) Facilities: None at meeting place Todd Crabtree (615-532- 1378,todd. Crabtree® tn.gov) We will tour portions of the natural area which have been subject to prescribed fire in recent years. A few flowers will still be evident and we will see the ben- efits of applying fire to the landscape. Many native plants are fire -adapted and we’ll see how they have been affected. Panoramic views of native grasses will be a feature of this hike. 2017 TNPS Field Trips 6 2017 TNPS Annual Meeting Registration Beersheba Springs Assembly June 9-11,2017 Please complete and return the re