Volume 30, Number 1

css Our 28th Year bo

February 2006

Exciting Plans for the Annual Meeting!

by Mary Priestley

The TNPS annual meeting is scheduled for May 5-7 at beautiful Montgomery Bell State Park, located approximately 30 miles west of Nashville. The inn, conference center, and restaurant overlook picturesque Lake Acorn. Every one of the inn’s 120 rooms has a view of the lake. Amenities include cable television, year-round indoor pool, jacuzzi, seasonal outdoor pool, and an exercise room. There is something for everyone in this 3,800-acre park, a site of both natural beauty and historical interest. (Hint: Don’t show up without your camera!)

We have been able to work out a bargain price for the 2-night, 3- day package. It’s a great deal, but we have only 30 rooms reserved — all with balconies overlooking the lake — so sign up early to get in on this terrific weekend.

This year marks the 35th anniversary of the Tennessee Natural Areas Preservation Act. What better place to celebrate our state’s remarkable history of conservation of its spectacular natural landscape than at Montgomery Bell State Park, one of Tennessee’s oldest and most-visited parks?

Montgomery Bell is named for the wealthy industrialist whose iron works were key to the early economic development of the area. The hardwood forest was once heavily logged to open up land for agriculture and to produce charcoal to feed the iron works. It has returned and now hosts a variety of interesting plant communities, habitat for myriad plants and the animals that depend on them. The park’s 19 miles of hiking trails, which vary in length from 0.75 to over 1 1 miles, offer something for everyone.

We are planning a full weekend of activities. Hikes in this lovely landscape and evening programs Friday and Saturday by knowledgeable botanists and state park personalities are in the works. Look for more details in our special newsletter in March, dedicated to

the annual meeting.

You’ll want to do some exploring on your own, as well, over the weekend. The early nineteenth-century house of Samuel McAdow is located in the park. In 1810 it was the birthplace of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church when dissident Presbyterian ministers met there

and held the first synod of the new church. The beautiful Cumberland Presbyterian Histone Chapel, a replica of the original Cumberland Presbyterian Church, is nestled in a small clearing in the woods.

The remains of Laurel Furnace, one of the state’s early manufacturing sites, are also here. Hike just a short distance into the woods and you can see the pits from which they dug the iron ore. The ore pits and furnace originally belonged to Colonel Richard Napier, who received the acreage as part of a Revolutionary War land grant.

One of the state’s most popular recreational sites, Montgomery Bell State Park preserves and promotes the area’s rich history and sublime landscape. The park began as a project of the National Park Service in the 1930s. The Public Works Administration (PWA), Works Progress Administration (WPA), and Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) constructed the lakes and original buildings. In 1943, the National Park Service deeded it to the State of Tennessee.

Directions: Take 1-40 West from Nashville to Exit 182 (Fairview/ Dickson Hwy. 96 Exit). Turn left (West) onto Highway 96. Stay on Highway 96 until it dead-ends at Highway 70. Turn right (East) on Highway 70, off-ramp provided. Stay on Highway 70 approximately 3 miles. Park entrance is on the right.

Plan to be a part of this fabulous weekend at one of Tennessee’s true beauty spots. You will find a reservation form in this newsletter. Fill it out and mail it in today. See you at Montgomery Bell!

Annual Meeting in May

Register Early — Form Enclosed

Tennessee Native Plant Society C?S www.tnps.org

1

Tennessee Native Plant Society Newsletter

President's Comments

November 2006 VOLUME 30, Number 1

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 N ative Plant Society (TNPS) was founded in 1978. Its purposes are to assist in the exchange of information and encourage fellowship among Tennessee's botanists, both amateur and professional; to promote public education about Tennessee flora, and wild plants in general; to provide, through publication 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 protection and enhancement of Tennessee's wild plant communities.

Dues for each calendar year are Regular: $20 Student/Senior: $15 Institution: $50 Life: $250

Dues may be sent to

Tennessee Native Plant Society P.O. Box 159274 Nashville, TN 37215

TNPS OFFICERS

Karl Heinzman, President Dennis Horn, Vice-President Bart Jones, Secretary Kay Jones, Treasurer

DIRECTORS

Bertha Chrietzburg Todd Crabtree Michelle Haynes Mary Priestley Susan Sweetser Rita Venable

Comments? Questions? Submissions? Send to

TNPS Newsletter Editor Ashley Crownover 922 Shauna Drive Nashville, TN 37214 newsletter@tnps.org

printed on recycled paper

by Karl Heinzman

First things first: Congratulations to TNPS member Todd Crabtree for being appointed state botanist!

With lack of any real winter, in East Tennessee it almost seems like spring, though we know it is just a nature trick. However, I’m still thinking outdoors and wildflowers, which bring me to our book, Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley and the Southern Appalachians. This will be the first full year with our book — you will remember we were later into the market last year than we hoped, though we had a very good year. Now that we are in 2006, we continue to have wonderful success with book sales. Dennis Horn, Tavia Cathcart, and Bart Jones — just to mention a few — are making exciting and informative presentations at a number of bookstores, major events, etc., throughout the state.

Our new T-shirts have sold extremely well; you will want one! We will be selling them on many of this year’s field trips as well as at the annual meeting. By the way, with this year’s annual meeting taking place sooner than usual — May 5-7 — in this issue of the newsletter we have included a registration form and an excellent write-up by Mary Priestley. May will be upon us before you can say “*X#% dandelion.” So register early.

We will offer many exciting field trips as we always do, so please join us and bring friends.

See you on the trail!

Karl

Dues Reminder

Dues for 2006 are now due! The rates are $20 for a regular ■membership, $15 for students and seniors, $50 for an institution, $250 for a lifetime membership. Send your check to

Tennessee Native Plant Society P.O. Box 159274 Nashville, TN 37215

In

This

Issue

ART CREDIT

Illustrations on Pages 3 and 7 by Mary Priestley. Thanks, Mary!

Annual Meeting News 1

President’s Comments 2

A Story of Place 3

TNPS Field Trips 2006 4

Tennessee Conservation Voters Update: The Container Deposit Bill 4

ANNUAL MEETING REGISTRATION FORM 5

Nature Journaling: The Seven Acres War 7

Trails & Trilliums Event April 22 8

Tennessee Appoints New State Botanist 8

2

Tennessee Native Plant Society OH www.tnps.oiy

A vStory

OF

(Place

by Bart Jones

Everyone has that first special place, a fond memory where landscape and personality are forever intermingled. It’s a place always connected to your soul, where the seed of the person you become germinates. For most of us we lose contact with our special place, either through its loss or by displacement. But a few of us can still retreat there to recharge our batteries and return balance to life.

The story of my special place begins with my paternal grandmother. Her great-grandfather moved west from the mountains of East Tennessee, becoming the first doctor in Decatur County. In the early 1 800s a large part of his practice was basically as an herbalist. This knowledge was passed down to my grandmother, and though the availability of modern medicine meant she didn’t practice it, she did love to dig ginseng for eventual sale. Growing up next door to my grandmother meant every day had the potential to be an outdoor adventure. Countless times we would walk down the hill to Sulphur Fork Creek, cane fishing pole in hand and garden trowel in back pocket. On the not-so-rare occasions when the fish weren’t biting, the trowel would come out and our adventure that day would become a quest for ginseng.

As we moved across wooded ridges and ravines in search of elusive three-prongers, my grandmother would explain the different ingredients used in poultices to treat numerous ailments. She pointed out the various plants that had medicinal properties: mayapples, goldenseal, woolly mullein, Solomon's seal, wild potato vine, and of course ginseng. She demonstrated how bloodroot got its name and that the Indians used the juice to dye cloth. And if it was spring, on our way back to the house we might pick a mess of poke salad for supper that night.

Unfortunately I, like most kids, wasn’t as interested in what was in this or that poultice and what it was used to treat as just spending time with my grandmother and exploring what was under the next rock. But it did open up the world that was that neck of woods and that section of creek behind the house to years of discoveries and a growing appreciation for the plants and creatures that inhabited it. I began to notice the different wildflowers in the spring and started identifying them. But this was my grandmother’s special place; however, it did provide the background so I could truly appreciate what would become my special place.

When I was twelve, my Dad bought a 90-acre tract of woods about five miles north of our house. My first visit was in May to help my Dad run the property line and mark it. As we ran the line from the ridge down to the small stream that formed the eastern boundary, I couldn't help but start exploring along its banks. As I rounded a bend underneath a low bluff a small flat appeared between the next bluff and the one I had just gone around. Not far ahead was a sight that stopped me in my tracks: a huge yellow lady's slipper. I knew it was an orchid from looking at books when I was trying to

identify other wildflowers, but her# it was, on our land! Nyejidd for my Dad to come look and he too was impressed, but I think he was mjpre amused at my excitement than amazed by the flower. However, my enthusiasm was more than enough for both of us. The flower was so bizarre, almost other-worldly. The creamy yellow pouch was surrounded by drooping and spiraling purplish- brown “petals.” I picked the flower to bring home to show my Mom. She also couldn’t believe something like that was growing on our property. I pressed it and still have it to this day. Suddenly, this little patch of woods in Decatur County became almost magical to me, like my own tropical jungle. This was the beginning of my fascination with orchids.

Over the years I found more and more lady’s slippers as well as other orchids: showy orchis, cranefly orchid, puttyroot, small woodland orchid, and autumn coralroot on the property. The wildflowers that grew there were so different from those that were found behind my grandparents’ house and with the addition of the orchids, it was almost unbelievable that these two places were separated by only five miles!

After finishing school, I started growing tropical epiphytic orchids, but still was intrigued by the natives. One problem that had always nagged at me was I never seemed able to identify our lady's slipper to my satisfaction. It was yellow, but when I looked at photos and descriptions of “yellow lady's slipper” in field guides, it just didn’t look the same. Finally, at a Memphis Orchid Society meeting where Carson Whitlow was giving a talk about the genus Cypripedium , I found a match. As he showed a slide of southern lady’s slipper (i Cypripedium kentuckiense), it was the exact image of the plants I knew from our land. I learned that this lady’s slipper had just recently been described as a new species (at a date later than when I first saw them) and was actually quite uncommon. Researching data from Tennessee, I discovered it was listed as endangered in the state and only found in two counties much further to the east. The plants in Decatur County would be the third population in Tennessee.

I felt our plants needed protecting and documenting. I joined TNPS as a result of attending an early talk about the wildflower field guide by Dennis Horn and discussing the lady’s slipper with him afterward. I decided to lead a hike the next spring to see them (and hopefully learn from someone about what I needed to do to get them protected). It worked. After the field trip schedule came out in the newsletter, Carl Nordman, who was state botanist at the time, contacted me after seeing my trip description and had Claude Bailey attend it and document the population. Now our little patch of woods was officially home to one of Tennessee’s more rare plants.

But what has been so special about those 90 acres and 40-odd lady’s slippers is all the people with whom I’ve been able to share them, from my Grandma Jones to the Tennessee state botanist, and how they were the impetus for my interest in native plants and eventual involvement in TNPS. So this year I would like to invite you to join me in retracing the first field trip I led for TNPS back in 2000. On May 13, visit my special place and see the plant I hold most dear— the southern lady’s slipper.

Tennessee Native Plant Society C3 www.tnps.org

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2006 Field Trips Under Construction

by Todd Crabtree

As you read this we are still finalizing the schedule of field trips for the year 2006. We will be visiting all three of the grand divisions of Tennessee. As always there will be a variety of habitats represented on this year’s schedule. In West Tennessee we will get an opportunity to learn the unique characteristics of Spiranthes magnicampontm. After this trip you may want to revisit any fall blooming Spiranthes you may have seen before to determine whether they might be this species. In Middle Tennessee we will visit a cedar glade area to see some of the rare species within them including a healthy population of Talinum calcaricum in a pristine gravelly glade. On the Cumberland Plateau there are poorly drained areas at the headwaters of many of the small creeks. At

some of these sites there are rare and beautiful orchids growing. We will take a trip to see some of these interesting orchids of the genus Platanthera and other flowers of plateau seeps and bogs in late Summer. On the south end of the plateau we will hike through a cove to see a wide variety of spring ephemerals. Spring ephemerals are always a crowd pleaser. In East Tennessee we will finish up the schedule with our fall trip led by Ed Clebsch. Ed always shares at least one arcane tidbit of knowledge which will allow the person who knows it to positively identify a particular woody plant in the winter. Ed has a wealth of knowledge from all of his years of botanical and ecological research. You can always count on learning something new on a trip with Ed. Look for all the details on these trips and more in the next TNPS newsletter.

TCV Update: Container Deposit Bill

from Tennessee Conservation Voters, www. tnconservationvoters . org

For many legislative bills, the period between sessions of the General Assembly is fairly quiet and uneventful. That has not been the case, however, with Tennessee’s proposal to enact container deposit legislation. The ‘Tennessee Deposit Beverage Container Recycling Act’ was withdrawn in 2005 without coming to a vote, but will again be introduced with the hope that it will pass in 2006. The bill is currently being re-written to ensure that all money collected from deposits will adequately support the administration of the program. In addition, the new bill will also allocate some money to reimburse cities and counties for taxes lost in greenbelt commitments and conservation easements.

In an effort to get this bill passed, supporters are making an effort to raise awareness and educate the public about the merits of the bill in the time between sessions.

Container recycling proponents have worked hard to dispel many of the myths that have, in the past, discouraged lawmakers and the public from widely supporting this bill. One of the first steps taken was the joining of the Tennessee Bottle Bill Project with organizations like Tennessee Conservation Voters and Scenic Tennessee (among others) to form the Tennessee Coalition Against Litter. Supporters of this legislation extend beyond the environmental community, and in September the Tennessee

Federation of Garden Clubs announced ‘Message in a Bottle’ as the theme of their 52nd annual Conservation Camp. Representative Russell Johnson has taken it upon himself to educate fellow legislators, and in October announced that he would host a trip to Maine for legislators to see first hand the many economic and environmental merits of a working bottle bill. To many, the positive implications of container deposit legislation are easy to see, but many others are unsure or misinformed.

In early November, citizens took part in “X Marks the Spot,” a statewide roadside cleanup during which public participants picked up all roadside trash in order to determine what percentage of Tennessee’s litter consists of bottles and cans. One argument often used by bottling industries and opponents of container deposit legislation is that bottles and cans make up an insignificant percentage of roadside trash, and therefore legislation would be ineffective in reducing litter. Early reports of the November litter pickups in Tennessee put the figure between 50 percent and 60 percent, these figures matching similar studies done in neighboring states.

For more information or to get involved, visit www.tnbottlebill.org (not www.tnbottlebill.com, a confusing web address put up by bottle bill opponents!) or email Marge Davis at margedavis@comcast.net.

4

Tennessee Native Plant Society C3 www.tnps.org

CUT HERE — — — — — — — — — — CUT HERE — — — — — — — — — — — CUT HERE

2006 TNPS Annual Meeting Registration

May 5-7, 2006 at Montgomery Bell State Park

LODGING

No. of rooms (single or double occupancy -

two sharing a room may each pay S 60.00) @ $ 120.00 =

Each additional person per room @ 30.00 =

(max. 4 people per room)

Sharing with:

Note: Lodging prices are for 2 nights.

REGISTRATION

Registration fee (per person) @ $ 10.00 =

Use fee (per person, for those not staying at the park) @ $ 10.00 =

DETACH THIS PAGE AND MAIL TO THE ADDRESS BELOW 4

Total (check enclosed for) $

Name: _ Address:

Telephone:

E-mail:

Special needs:

Please send form and payment to:

Tennessee Native Plant Society Annual Meeting P.O. Box 159274 Nashville, TN 37215

NOTE: A credit card must be presented at the inn upon check-in in order to cover any incidental expenses charged to the room during your stay.

Tennessee Native Plant Society CS www.tnps.org

5

SEE REVERSE TO REGISTER for the 2006 TNPS Annual Meeting

May 5-7, 2006 at Montgomery Bell State Park

MAIL FORM AND FEES TO

Tennessee Native Plant Society Annual Meeting P.O. Box 159274 Nashville, TN 37215

r>

Tennessee Native Plant Society CS www.tnps.org

CUT HERE - -- -- -- -- - CUT HERE - -- -- -- -- -- CUT HERE

Nature JournaCing

<Ihe Jveven

^cres War

I was so pleased to find this piece of writing from TNPS member Judy’ Walker in my mailbox in late December. She appended this caveat: “The identification of all plants is subject to coirection by those more knowledgeable than I, i.e., most members of TNPS!" Maybe this delightful article will inspire you to do some nature journaling. If so, please send me a bit for inclusion in this column. — Mary Priestley,

\

marypriestley@bellsouth.net A '

by Judy Walker

There’s a war being waged on the Western Highland Rim in Humphreys County: it’s all about territory. At the edge of the woods Virginia creeper ( Parthenocissus quinquefolia ), poison ivy ( Toxicodendron radicans), sawbner (Smilax glauca), and wild blackberries ( Rubus bifrons) tussle with each other for space. In the woods themselves, oaks ( Quercus varied) declared victory years ago, but occasional dogwoods (Cornus florida), ashes ( Fraxinus americana), and beeches ( Fagus grandifolia) continue to take a stand. Nearer the house and its environs, there are three hickories ( Carya cordifortnis, C. ovata), a scattering of sumacs ( Rhus copallinum), a patch of sarvis ( Amelanchier arborea), a tulip poplar ( Liriodendron tulipifera), some fruit trees I planted.

The meadows, rather than being the lovely landscape the name implies, are the site of skirmishes by ragamuffins - broomsedge (called “wild sage” locally), fescue, crabgrass, Johnson grass, horseweed ( Conyza canadensis). Frankly, 1 wish they would all choke each other out and in their demise take with them the chiggers they harbor.

The territory around the house has spots that hint of domesticity - three tumbling-down sheds; a chicken coop; a goose house (a plastic greenhouse made from a kit); a goose pond (a kiddie wading pool); an organic garden; beds of blueberries, strawberries, raspberries; and patches of customary farm-stead flowers: daffodils, day lilies, four-o’clocks, snowball bush ...

All the space between these domestic sites arc scenes of awesome beauty, a succession of wildflowers, both natives and exotics, all volunteers. Late winter brings clusters of common blue violets (Viola sororia). As the weather warms battles begin as other plants shoulder their way onto the territory, trying to displace earlier arrivals: fire pinks ( Silene virginica), smooth phlox

(Phlox glaberrima), star chickweed (Stellaria pubera ), small bluets (Houstonia pusilla), low hop clover (Trifolium campestre), Carolina cranesbill (Geranium carolinianum), common wood sorrel (Oxalis stricta), violet wood sorrel (O. violacea).

Mayweed (Anthemis cotula), common fleabane (Erigeron philadelphicus), cutleaf evening primrose (Oenothera laciniata), Venus’ looking-glass (Triodanis perfoliata), smooth vetch (Vicia dasycarpa), bracted plantain (Planlago aristata), pencil flower (Stylosanthes biflora), pokeweed (Phytolacca americana),

Asiatic dayflower (Commelina communis), narrowleaf sunflower (Helianthus angustifolius), potato dandelion (Krigia dandelion), false dandelion (Pyrrhopappus carolinianus), false boneset (Kuhnia eupatorioides), Pennsylvania smartweed (Polygonum pensylvanicum), southern prairie aster (Aster paludosus), white heath aster (A. pilosus ), tall ironweed (Vernonia gigantea), mistflower (Conoclinium coe/estinum), giant goldenrod (Solidago gigantea), blue-stemmed goldenrod (S caesia), sicklepod (Senna obtusifolia). That’s most of the 2005 crop.

2006 will probably be different. It depends on the weather, what’s blowin’ in the wind, and animal activity. When I bought the place five years ago, it sported healthy stands of common dandelion (Taraxacum officinal ), white clover (Trifolium repens), and smooth creeping bush clover (Lespedeza repens ), but the geese have eaten them to oblivion. Oh, if only those geese would develop a taste for crabgrass and fescue!

I suspect that the neighbors, with their bush hogs, riding mow- ers, and weed whackers, are dismayed at the raggedness of my col- orful chaos, but it seems to be well-loved by wild turkeys and other birds, butterflies, bees and other insects, spiders, toads, frogs, liz- ards, snakes, rabbits, deer, skunks, opossums. Though there’s a war being waged on the land, it’s a place full of life.

Tennessee Native Plant Society C35 www.tnps.org

7

Don't Miss Trails and Trilliums April 22!

by Mary Priestley

TfilliWHS

St. “Anifrew’s-Sewance Scfwof

Mark your calendar for the third annual Trails and Tniliums celebration of native plants at St. Andrews- Sewanee School. Saturday, April 22, is the date, and the campus of St. Andrews-Sewanee is the place. Tennessee State Naturalist

^ | | a Mack Prichard’s keynote address

|| “Every Day is Earth Day in the I C'umberlands” heads up an array of talks and workshops on native plants and wildflower gardening. (Keynoters in previous years have been our own Margie Hunter and Dennis Horn!)

The event runs 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. central time. A native plant sale, including more than 2000 wildflowers, ferns, trees, and shrubs (all nursery-propagated), will go on all day. The Toadshade Tent will house a great array of gifts for gardeners and wildflower enthusiasts, including books (TNPS’s wildflower guide, of course!), T-shirts, note cards, hiking guides, planters, and more.

Hikes in Shakerag Hollow and the Abbott Cotten Martin Ravine Garden and workshops on nature journaling, invasive plants, container gardening, and landscape painting are also on the docket. Paintings by renowned Chattanooga botanical artist, the late William Crutchfield, will be exhibited, and prints will be available for sale.

Lunch on great grilled food, with music provided by local musicians (including Bazzania Girls Band, many of whom are TNPS members!). Family activities include hayride hikes, a petting zoo, “Snakes Alive! & Other Critters” with a licensed

TWRA wildlife rehabilitator, and a self-guided hike with stops for hands-on nature activities. (Children must be accompanied by an adult.)

Plan to join the fun and take home some beautiful native plants for your garden. A $5 registration fee covers admission to all hikes, workshops, and talks. St. Andrews-Sewanee is located on Hwy. 4 1 -A just east of Sewanee: The University of the South, at exit 1 34 from 1-24. For more information see http://trails.sasweb.org, phone 931-598-5651, or contact Margaret Matens at mmatens@sasweb. org.

Todd Crabtree Hired as Tennessee's Natural Heritage Botanist

As of March 1, TNPS member Todd Crabtree will be Tennessee’s new state botanist. A member of the TNPS board, Todd also coordinates the schedule of wildflower ralks and was instrumental in editing the TNPS field guide Jays Todd of his new position, “My weekend avocation^ ras become my weekday vocation.” Congratulations! ,

8

Volume 30, Number 2

cs Our 28th Year ££>

March 2006

Now

See form on page 7

by Mary Priestley

Chester’s love of botany and sense of humor combine to make a most enjoyable and informative program.

Plan to be a part of this fabulous weekend at one of Tennessee’s true beauty spots. You will find a reservation form in this newsletter. Fill it out and mail it in today. See you at Montgomery Bell!

Our annual meeting, scheduled for May 5-7 at beautiful Montgomery Bell State Park, is going to be fabulous!

This year marks the 35th anniversary of the Tennessee Natural Areas Preservation Act. What better place to celebrate our state’s remarkable history of conservation of its spectacular natural landscape than at Montgomery Bell State Park, one of Tennessee’s oldest and most visited parks?

Todd Crabtree is enlisting the help of Dr. Edward Chester and others who know this area well to put together a selection of outings for Saturday. He promises that we will have a variety of walks, including chances to visit sites of both historical and botanical interest.

We have an exciting lineup of speakers: Friday night, Todd will fill us in on the critically important Rare Plant Program of Tennessee’s Di vision ofNatural Heritage.

Its mission is to restore and protect the plants, animals, and natural communities that represent the natural

biological

Tennessee.

Back

demand,

Chester,

diversity of

by popular Dr. Edward professor of botany at Austin Peay State University, will be speaking Saturday night on “ Forty Years in Land Between the Lakes.” As those of us who heard him last fall at Bcersheba know. Dr.

Slate natural heritage botanist Todd Crabtree will be the Friday night speaker.

\

mil

IS!

if imfLiM

Todd Crabtree — Friday Night Speaker

No stranger to TNPS, Todd is Tennessee’s new Natural Heritage Botanist as of March 1 . Currently serving as TNPS board member and field trip coordinator, Todd has been responsible for the past couple of years for organizing our extensive schedule of outings.

Bom in Rome, Georgia, Todd has spent most of his life in Tennessee. In addition to taking every science course he could get his hands on in high school, he played in the McGavock High School (Nashville) award-winning marching band — even got to perform in the Tournament of Roses Parade. He started his college career in engineering at Tennessee Tech, and then later transferred to Middle Tennessee State University where he earned a degree in biology.

"My first memory of identifying a plant was when I was a small boy playing with my cousin on the banks of the Little Fiery Gizzard Creek in Tracy City. We were in the middle of a patch of peppermint. It may have started before then.

“My mother says that when 1 was a baby she could put me in a playpen under a big tree and 1 would just lie there watching the leaves. I really began to get seriously interested in botany when I was working on a trail maintenance crew one summer at Savage Gulf. 1 got curious about all the plants I was cutting down as well the others along the trail.”

(continued on page 3)

Tennessee Native Plant Society C® www.tnps.org

1

Tennessee Native Plant Society Newsletter

March 2006

VOLUME 30, Number 2

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 purposes are to assist in the exchange of information and encourage fellowship among Tennessee's botanists, both amateur and professional; to promote public education about Tennessee flora, and wild plants in general ; to provide, through publication 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 protection and enhancement of Tennessee's wild plant communities.

Dues for each calendar year are Regular: $20 Student/Senior: $15 Institution: $50 Life: $250

Dues may be sent to

Tennessee Native Plant Society P.O. Box 159274 Nashville, TN 37215

TNPS OFFICERS Karl Heinzman, President Dennis Horn, Vice-President Bart Jones, Secretary Kay Jones, Treasurer

DIRECTORS

Bertha Chrietzburg Todd Crabtree Michelle Flaynes Mary Priestley Susan Sweetser Rita Venable

Comments? Questions? Submissions? Send to

TNPS Newsletter Editor P.O. Box 159274 Nashville, TN 37215 newsletter@tnps. org

printed on recycled paper

Save Savage Gulf

by Mary Priestley

Savage Gulf State Natural Area is under siege by developers anxious to sell bluff land for second and vacation homes. TNPS member Thad Adkins is organizing an event to rally support for the preservation of this, the largest wilderness area in the state park system. The rally is scheduled for the weekend of July 15 in Beersheba Springs. Look for more information on the website of the Friends of South Cumberland State Park, www.friendsofscsra. org, or email Thad at thad_ adkins@hotmail.com or Mary Priestley at marypriestley@bellsouth.net. Spread the word, and try to be there— it's now or never for some of the most beautiful and pristine wild lands in Tennessee!

Join the TNPS Email List

If you’d like to be kept posted about TNPS happenings and other related events, email bjones7777@hotmail.com.

Note to AO L account holders: You’ll need to add that address to your safe list if you want to receive the emails.

Please send email address changes to bjones7777@hotmail.com.

In

This

Issue

Save Savage Gulf 2

Join TNPS Email List 2

Field Trip Schedule for 2006 4

TNPS ANNUAL MEETING INFORMATION

General Information 1

Friday Night Speaker: State Natural Heritage Botanist Todd Crabtree 1

Saturday Night Speaker: Dr. Edward R.

Chester 3

Montgomery Bell Park to Host Annual Meeting 3

ANNUAL MEETING REGISTRATION FORM 7

2

Tennessee Native Plant Society C3 www.tnps.org

ThJPS A nruiah from page 1)

For the past 15 years, Todd has been working lor the State of Tennessee in the Hazardous and Solid Waste Management Programs. In his current position as the state's Natural Heritage Botanist, his avocation has become his vocation. Now he can go tramping after plants on weekdays, as well as weekends!

How does Todd see his new job? “1 expect 1 will be doing my part to protect the rare plants of Tennessee while learning more and more about the diverse flora in our state.”

In addition to his love of botany, Todd is an avid photographer.

Dr. Edward R. Chester to Speak Saturday Night

“My epitaph at Austin Peay State University should read (should it be written now): ‘For 41 years he arrived early, brought his lunch, and spent the day doing what he loved to do.’” We should all be so lucky!

Dr. Edward R. Chester will be the Saturday night speaker.

Bom in Blooming Grove, Tennessee, as the ninth addition to a ten-member family, he attended Tennessee public schools, Austin Peay State University, Peabody College, and the University of Tennessee, where he earned his PhD. He was part of a family farm from birth through college and later worked in construction and in a factory. After college he became a science and math instructor in a rural Tennessee secondary school, eventually attended graduate school, and has completed 42 years of instruction-research at Austin Peay State University.

Dr. Chester’s research interests and subsequent publications (more than 100) involve the plant life of Kentucky and Tennessee. His special interests are the flora of Land Between the Lakes, the barrens of the Pennyroyal Plain in Kentucky and Tennessee, and the woody plants of Tennessee. Three important books on this writer’s shelf, all of which he co-authored, are Wildflowers of the Land Between the Lakes, The Atlas of Tennessee Vascular Plants, and the Guide to the Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines of Tennessee.

Dr. Chester traces his botanical interests to a Scottish emigrant grandmother who loved plants and used them in dozens of ways. Yet he considers himself first and foremost a teacher, and attributes his love for that labor to ( 1 ) several of his own teachers who knew how

to overlook the textbook and leach about life, compassion, and about learning, and (2) to parents and grandparents who loved hard work and reading. Family, faith, friends, and colleagues (including many present and former students as friends and colleagues) are the most important things in his life.

His philosophy of education is centered around the worth of every person, the belief that learning is a vital part of life, that learning should be enjoyable, and that anyone can learn something from every experience that life offers us, confronts us with, or that we make on our own.

Dr. Chester’s life-long hobbies (outside of Tennessee plants) are reading and playing bluegrass music.

Montgomery Bell State Park

One of the state’s most popular recreational sites, Montgomery Bell State Park preserves and promotes the area’s rich history and sublime landscape. The park is named for the wealthy industrialist whose iron works were key to the early economic development of the area. The hardwood forest was once heavily logged to open up land for agriculture and to produce charcoal to feed the iron works. It has returned and now hosts a variety of interesting plant communities, habitat for myriad plants and the animals that depend on them. The park’s 19 miles of hiking trails, which vary in length from 0.75 to over 1 1 miles, offer something for everyone.

The early nineteenth-century house of Samuel McAdow is located in the park. In 1810 it was the birthplace of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church when dissident Presbyterian ministers met there and held the first Synod of the new church. The beautiful Cumberland Presbyterian Historic Chapel, a replica of the original Cumberland Presbyterian Church, is nestled in a small clearing in the woods.

The remains of Laurel Furnace, one of the state’s early manufacturing sites, are also here. Hike just a short distance into the woods and you can see the pits from which they dug the iron ore. The ore pits and furnace originally belonged to Colonel Richard Napier, who received the acreage as part of a Revolutionary War land grant.

Directions: Take 1-40 West from Nashville to Exit 182 (Fairview/ Dickson Hwy. 96 Exit). Turn left (west) onto Highway 96. Stay on Highway 96 until it dead-ends at Highway 70. Turn right (east) on Highway 70, off-ramp provided. Stay on Highway 70 approximately 3 miles. Park entrance is on the right.

Register Today

We have been able to work out a bargain price for the 2-night, 3-day package. It’s a great deal, but we have only 30 (non-smoking) rooms reserved — all with balconies overlooking the lake. To get these rooms and rates, you must reserve through TNPS, and you must do it early. We have to have all registrations by April 3. We have been able to work out a bargain price for the 2-night, 3-day package. So sign up early to get in on this terrific weekend!

See page 7 for the annual meeting registration form.

Registration deadline is April 3!

Tennessee Native Plant Society C3 www.tnps.org

3

TN	PS FIELD 1	RIPS 20	06
ield trips are designed to promote informed interest in Tennessee’s native plants. They are led by persons familiar with native plants of the area and are open to nonmembers as well as members. We encourage our more experienced members to share their knowledge with those who are new to the group. Since conservation is a primary objective of our society, plant collecting is not allowed. The physical nature of the trip is described to the extent known at publication time. Attendees are responsible for judging whether the trip is suitable for their particular abilities. All participants will be asked to sign a liability waiver as a condition of attending. Trips are rarely cancelled, but sometimes changes are unavoidable. Contact the trip leader a day or two before attending to get an updated status and to let them know who is coming. Keep the schedule and attend as many trips as you can. Check the website (www.tnps.org) for updates to this schedule. — Todd Crabtree
Meeting time and place	Description	Directions	Leader
April 8 Saturday 10 a.m. (Central) Park Headquarters	Big Hill Pond State Park — Pocahontas This seldom visited park offers a variety of habitats and scenic vistas, from lakes and swamps to low woodlands, all of which are overlooked by high bluffs. We expect to see a wide assortment of spring wildflowers and ferns along numerous trails. This may also be a good place and time to search for a rare shnib which has yet to be found in Tennessee.	From 1-40 or US Hwy. 64, take US Hwy. 45 south to Hwy. 57. Turn west. The entrance of the park is about 10 miles west of the 45/57 intersection. Walking: Easy to moderate (some steep climbs up bluffs). Lunch: Bring Facilities: At meeting place	Bart Jones (901)726-6891 bjones7777@ hotmail.com
April 15 Saturday 10 a.m. (Central) In front of All Saints Chapel on the Campus of the University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee	Abbo’s Alley and Shakerag Hollow We will hike through a ravine garden established by English professor Abbott Cotlen Martin ( 1899-1974). This garden is a haven for native and cultivated trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants in the center of the University Campus. After lunch at a local restaurant we will meet at 1 p.m. in front of All Saints Chapel to arrange carpools for our hike to Shakerag Hollow. The trail will take us through a cove hardwood forest which harbors a diverse array of flora. Over 60 species of spring-blooming wildflowers have been documented at Shakerag Hollow.	All Saints Chapel is on University Avenue just South of the intersection with Georgia Avenue. If exiting Hwy 41 A from the east (from Monteagle), the chapel will be on the left. If exiting Hwy 41 A from the West (from Cowan), the chapel will be on the right. Walking: Abbo's Alley is an easy walk. Shakerag is a moderate 2 mile hike with a few steep sections. Lunch: In Sewanee Facilities: At restaurants	Mary Priestley (931) 598-0157 Todd Crabtree (615) 223-0279
May 5,6, 7 Annual Meeting Montgomery Bell State Park	TNPS ANNUAL MEETING Montgomery Bell State Park We will be taking a historical tour on trails within the park. The iron industry was a large part of the local economy and there are still remains of this activity in the area. Wildflowers should be abundant at this time of year. The Narrows of the Harpeth was also a part ot the story ot iron production and we will see one of the oldest man-made tunnels in the United Stales. Species of note that we hope to see here are Valeriana pauci flora and Erythronium albidum. A local native plant nursery is having their open house this weekend and we may have lime to stop by and tour their property.	See page 1 of this newsletter for more information about the annual meeting

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Tennessee Native Plant Society C2J www.tnps.org

TNPS FIELD TRIPS 2006

Meeting time and place

Deseription

Directions

Leader

May 13

Saturday 10 a.m. (Central)

Behind Shell Station south of 1-40 Exit 126

Southern Lady’s Slipper/ Gumdale Glade—

Decatur County

We will visit two sites. The first site is one of three Tennessee populations of the state endangered southern lady’s slipper ( Cypripedium kentuckiense ) located along a small stream. Other species found here include New York fern ( Dryopteris novaboracensis), royal fern ( Osmunda regalis), cinnamon fern ( Osmunda cmnamomea), Indian cucumber root ( Medeola virginiana), and jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema Iriphylluni). The second location is a glade with a seasonal seep where we should catch the last of the spring flowers. Among the interesting species expected here is the state listed flat-stemmed spike rush ( Eleocharis compressed), as well as slender-flowered beardtongue ( Penstemon tenuiftbrus), smooth beardtongue (Penstemon calycosus ), shooting star ( Dodecatheon meadia ), nettle-leaf sage ( Salvia urlici/olia), and small skullcap ( Scutellaria parvida).

1-40 to Exit 126. Shell station is just south of the exit.

Walking: Mostly easy, some moder- ate uphill areas.

Lunch: BBQ lunch provided be- tween site visits.

Facilities: At meeting place and at lunch

Bart Jones (901) 726-6891 (on Friday, May 12, 731-847-2585)

bjones7777@

hotmaiI.com

June 24

Saturday 10 a.m. (Eastern)

At the Hardee’s at Exit 155 off of 1-24 on Hwy 28

Dixon Cove

The Keeners operate a family farm in Dixon Cove near Sequatchie where they raise chemical-free beef and produce. On their property we will see mountain camelia (Stewartia ovata) in bloom and possibly some black cohosh ( Cimicifuga racemosa). A wide variety of pollinators visit the beautiful flowers of Stewartia so we may get a chance to see some interesting colorful beetles. This will also be an opportunity to explore the cove for more botanical treasures.

Near Jasper, Take Exit 155 from 1-24 onto Hwy 28, Hardee’s is at this intersection.

Walking: Moderate hiking. Some stream crossings on and off trails. Lunch: Bring Facilities: At meeting place

Miriam Keener (423)942-9201

Todd Crabtree (615)223-0279

July 16

Saturday 10 a.m. (Central)

At Cedars of Lebanon State Park Nature Center

Vesta Cedar Glade and Cedars of Lebanon

Cedar glades are home to some species found only in Tennessee. The plants in them have adapted to the extreme conditions where very few species can survive and reproduce. For those who haven’t been to a cedar glade, this area is a very good place to start learning about them. At Vesta we will see Echinacea tennesseensis and Silphium pinnatifidum as well as other glade specialties. In Cedars of Lebanon we will see a hidden gravely glade with an abundant population of Talinum calcaricum. We may also find time to visit a grassy glade with a nice stand of Liatris spicata.

Turn off of Hwy 23 1 into park entrance. Go past park headquarters and bear right past parking lot adjacent to road. The Nature Center is just before the baseball field on the right.

Walking: Be prepared for typical summertime conditions (water, sunglasses, hat, etc.). Mostly level walking.

Lunch: Bring

Facilities: At meeting place

Todd Crabtree (615) 223-0279

(continued on page 6)

Tennessee Native Plant Society CS www.lnps.org

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TNPS FIELD TRIPS 2006

Meeting time and place	Description	Directions	Leader
July 29 (tentative) Saturday 10 a.m. (Central) At the Citgo station in Cagle	Plateau Orchids and Wetlands As we caravan to several stops on the plateau a variety of orchids ( Platanthera species) will be seen along with other attractive wildflowers (Liatris, Silphium, Aster) and grasses that inhabit these areas. Of particular interest will be a white variety of an uncommon Platanthera species and the globally rare Platanthera integrilabla. If we have time we may visit some other interesting sites off of the plateau. Be prepared for heat and bugs. This is a joint field trip with the Georgia Botanical Society.	Citgo station in Cagle on Hwy 111 north of Dunlap Walking: Wear boots. Possibility of getting wet feet, roadside stops, short walks. Lunch: Bring along with snacks and water. Facilities: At meeting place	Chuck Wilson (423) 875-9265
August 12 Saturday 10 a.m.. (Eastern) Historic Train Station, Downtown Etowah	Starr Mountain Mark Pistrang, Cherokee National Forest botanist, will tell us about the program to protect the orchids in the ex- tensive Bullet Creek bog. He will show us Monkey Face Orchids ( Platanthera Integrilabla) which should be in flower. Along the way we will see other summer flowers, possibly including the Carolina Lily ( Lllium michauxii).	US 411 Etowah Walking: Roadside botany plus a short hike (1 mile roundtrip) into the bog. Lunch: Bring Facilities: Only in Etowah	Mark Pistrang (423) 338-3326 A1 Good (423) 886-1777
September 16 Saturday 10 a.m. (Central) At the Loveless Cafe	Kelley Creek Seeps These seeps are a unique ecosystem that contains a wide diversity of plants that favor the moist conditions. Over 248 species of flowering plants have been identified from this site and we hope see some of the fall bloomers including Pamassia grandifolia. Many species of birds and butterflies have also been seen here.	Loveless Cafe is at 8400 Hwy 100, southwest of Nashville and adjacent to the northern terminus of the Natchez Trace. Walking: Wear boots. Possibility of getting wet feet. Moderate hiking. Lunch: At Loveless Cafe Facilities: At meeting place	Bob Meyer (615) 665-1692 Bob Brown (615) 352-7474 Todd Crabtree (615) 223-0279
September 30 Saturday 10 a.m. (Central) Land Between the Lakes South Welcome Station	Blazing Stars and Butterflies We will follow the Trace road toward the north portion of this splendid national recreation area. There is lots of blazing star and goldenrod blooming along the roadside, making it very attractive to migrating butterflies. Possible species include Cloudless Sulphur, Little Yellow, Pearl Crescent, Painted Lady, Monarch and the rare Leonard’s Skipper. Joint field trip with the Middle Tennessee Chapter of the North American Butterfly Association.	From Dover: Take Hwy 79, go 3 miles to the LBL southern entrance (watch for a large brown sign directing you to turn right for LBL-careful, it is easy to miss). Turn right; this road becomes the Trace, which is the main road through LBL. Turn right on this road; in about 4-5 miles it turns into the Trace. You will arrive at the South Welcome Station on the right. Walking: Some driving and light walking. Walking is mostly on the flat but some of the roadside areas are elevated slightly. Lunch: Bring Facilities: At meeting place	Rita Venable (615) 503-9631
October 21 Saturday 10 a.m. (Central) Decatur County Riverside High School	Carroll Cabin Barrens— Bath Springs We will see the recently confirmed population of Great Plains ladies’ tresses (Spiranthes magnicamporum ), the first recorded for Tennessee. These orchids are re- markable for their late bloom season which extends to late November. At this early part of their flowering, we should also see barrens silky aster ( Aster pratensis) and blue sage {Salvia azurea var. grandiflora), both state listed rare plants, as well as other fall wildflowers finishing their season.	Exit 126 from 1-40. Go south on Hwy. 69 through Parsons, past the middle school and the Beech River. High school is just past caution light on the right. Walking: Easy Lunch: Bring Facilities: At meeting place, if school is open.	Bart Jones (901)726-6891 bjones7777@ hotmail.com

Tennessee Native Plant Society 08 www.tnps.org

2006 TNPS Annual Meeting Registration

May 5-7, 2006 at Montgomery Bell State Park

LODGING

No. of rooms (single or double occupancy — two sharing

a room may each pay S60.00) @ $ 1 20.00 =

Each additional person per room @ 30.00 = _____

(max. 4 people per room)

Sharing with:

Note: Lodging prices are for 2 nights.

REGISTRATION

Registration fee (per person) @ S 10.00 =

Use fee (per person, for those not staying at the park) @ S 10.00 =

Total (check enclosed for) $

Name: _ Address:

Telephone:

Email:

Special needs:

Please send form and payment to:

Tennessee Native Plant Society Annual [Meeting P.O. Box 159274 Nashville, TN 37215

NOTE: A credit card must be presented at the inn upon check-in in order to cover any incidental expensey£harged to the room during your stay.

Tennessee Nativf Plant Society C3 www.tnps.org

7

REGISTER NOW

for the 2006 TNPS Annual Meeting

M ay 5-7, 2006 at MarWgryrnery V>ett States Parh

(General Information: Page 1 • Registration Form: Page 7)

Nashville Plant Identification Workshop: May 20-21, 2006

Co-sponsors: Tennessee Native Plant Society and Warner Park Nature Center

by Margie Hunter

A plant identification workshop will be offered on Saturday, May 20, and Sunday, May 21, 2006. The workshop includes a short lecture at Warner Park Nature Center on identification techniques and plant families and field work in Leipers Fork and Flat Rock Cedar Glades as well as Barrens State Natural Area in Murfreesboro. Participants will see a wide selection of native and introduced species representing both rare and common plants and most of the plant community types that occur within a 50-mile radius of Nashville.

The course will be taught by Dwayne Estes, PhD student, UT Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and Chris Fleming botanist. Participants should be prepared foi weather and hiking moderate terrain (2 miles) and are strongly encouraged to bring a 1 OX hand lens and Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the

TENNESSEE NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY PO Box 159274 Nashville, TN 37215

Southern Appalachians, a field guide written by the Tennessee Native Plant Society (2005, $22.95, less at Amazon.com). Please bring lunch and water.

The workshop is limited to 24 participants, based on order of registration. The fee could not be confirmed before the TN PS newsletter deadline but is expected to be $55* per person. A small additional charge ($1.00+) may be requested on the first day for photocopying expense. By the time you read this, all registration information will be finalized. Please contact Margie Hunter (mhunter55@comcast. net 615-383-8100, 2709 Woodlawn Dr., Nashville, TN 37212) for payment instructions and to get your name on the list.

* This fee wilt be refu< ided ij due workshop is cancelled for any reason. The fee is not refundable if a participant cancels and there is no waiting list replacement. If the workshop reaches full enrollment (24), $5.00 of this fee will be refunded to each participant the first day of the workshop.

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Tennessee Native (pfant Society

News fetter

Volume 30, Number 3

os Our 28th Year so

August 2006

There's a New Ladu

(J

by Bart Jones

Lia Town

know you have all heard them before, those conversations about odd plants we’ve seen or species from neighboring states that don’t quite make it into Tennessee. Most of these musings take place over lunch or at the end of a field trip, and I’m sure many of you have wondered if anything productive ever comes of them, or are these the botanical equivalents of fish tales. This is the story of one such conversation that I had with Dennis Horn and its rewarding outcome.

Last October, Dennis and I ventured over to Georgia for a BotSoc field trip to the Coosa Prairies led by Richard Ware.

These prairies are famous as being the site of the rediscovery of the whorled sunflower (Helianlhus verticil I atus) after 100 years of being lost to science. While looking at the sunflowers, Dennis and Richard began to discuss another oddity that occurs in the prairies, the Great Plains ladies’ tresses (Spiranthes magnicamporum). Richard asked if we’d like to see the hill barren where they grew and of course we said yes.

Unfortunately, it was too early in the season and none were to be found, but it started a discussion that continued through lunch.

Spiranthes magnicamporum has long been a thorn in the side of Tennessee botanists. Numerous times plants were found in the glades and barrens of Middle Tennessee that were thought to be S. magnicamporum, but when examined by the experts, were determined to be a form of the more common nodding ladies’ tresses ( Spiranthes cernua). The basis of this confusion is that S. cernita is highly variable and forms hybrids with other Spiranthes species quite readily. Even though the Central Basin plants keyed

out to 5. magnicamporum, genetically they fell into the collection of plants forming the S. cernua complex. As Dennis was relaying this information to Richard, I thought of the odd Spiranthes I had seen in

the Western Valley barrens and couldn't quite place. Actually, Dennis and 1 had discussed all this a few years before, but it just didn’t click that what ! had seen in Decatur County might be something other than nodding ladies' tresses.

On a weekend trip home to visit my parents later in October, I decided to make a detour to some of the barrens and look for those “different” 5 cernua I had encountered before. In the second barren I visited, there they were! I had done my research this time and knew the key characteristics needed to separate the two species. Every feature matched Great Plains ladies’ tresses: leaves absent at flowering, lip yellowish, lateral sepals spreading and arching over the dorsal sepal, very fragrant, and bloom time at the end of October. Could this be the REAL Spiranthes magnicamporum ? I took photos and a couple of specimens which were sent to the University of Tennessee herbarium. 1 also emailed several people for their opinion of the photos. Everyone was unanimous, it looked like S. magnicamporum.

Although I had received tentative positive identification from UT, 1 knew from my research and conversations with Dennis about his experiences in Middle Tennessee, a chromosome count or seed morphology would be the only means of confirming the true identity.

(continued on page 6)

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Tennessee Native Plant Society OS www.tnps.org

I

Tennessee Native Plant Society Newsletter

August 2006 VOLUME 30, Number 3

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 purposes are to assist in the exchange of information and encourage fellowship among Tennessee's botanists, both amateur and professional; to promote public education about Tennessee flora, and wild plants in general: to provide, through publication of a newsletter or journal, a formal means of documenting information on Tennessee flora and of informing the public about w ild plants: and to promote the protection and enhancement of Tennessee's wild plant communities.

Dues for each calendar year are Regular: $20 Student/Senior: $15 Institution: $50 Life: $250

Dues may be sent to

Tennessee Native Plant Society P.O. Box 159274 Nashville, TN 37215

TNPS OFFICERS Karl Heinzman, President Dennis Mom, Vice-President Bart Jones, Secretary Kay Jones, Treasurer

DIRECTORS

Bertha Chrietzburg Todd Crabtree Michelle Haynes Mary Priestley Susan Swcctscr Rita Venable

Comments? Questions? Submissions? Send to

TNPS Newsletter Editor P.O. Box 1 59274 Nashville. TN 37215 newslettertytnps. org

printed on recycled paper

President's Corner

It’s summer in the South with the normal weather: hot hot hot! This past May we had an enjoyable annual meeting at Montgomery Bell State Park. Good weather, fun walks, and excellent speakers. Our thanks to Todd Crabtree and Dr. Edward Chester for their informative and entertaining talks. We put forward our slate of officers and directors for the coming year (complete list in this newsletter). I am most pleased that Mary Priestley of Sewanee has agreed to be president. Mary has fought and continues to fight to protect our native environment and has great knowledge of plants and habitat.

We have exciting plans for 2007. I’ll give you a hint: a spring get-together and a fall annual meeting. As we grow we need to meet to see each other more often. Details will be in the next newsletter.

Grace Foster, one of our earliest members, passed away this July. Grace was a wonderful friend to this old earth and will be missed.

Special thanks to Ashley Crownover, our retiring newsletter editor, for the outstanding work she has done to make these newsletters some of our very best.

Thanks to all of you for your continued support of TNPS.

See you on the trail !

Karl

Nominating Committee Report

The nominating committee submitted the following slate of officers and directors to the general membership at the annual meeting at Montgomery Bell State Park. The nominees were approved by unanimous proclamation. The nominees are as follows:

President - Mary Priestley Vice-President - Todd Crabtree Secretary - Bart Jones Treasurer - Kay Jones

Directors serving the second year of the two-year term:

Bertha Chrietzberg Susan Sweetser Michelle Haynes

Directors serving the first year of the two-year term:

Dennis Horn Rita Venable Joey Shaw

If anyone has an objection or would like to submit other names for consideration for any position, please contact Karl Heinzman at 865-494- 8100 If no additions or objections are voiced, the slate of nominees will be considered elected as of Jan. 1 , 2007.

In

This

Issue

Illustrations by Mary Priestley

There’s a New Lady in Town 1

President’s Corner 2

Nominating Committee Report 2

Andre Michaux Historical Marker 3

Field Trip Reports 4

Remaining Field Trips 2006 6

Tennessee Conservation Voters Update 7

Landscaping With Native Plants Workshop 7

TNPS Editor News 8

2

Tennessee Native Plant Society C& www.tnps.org

TNPS Helps Get Historical Marker

Honoring Botanist

by Charlie Williams

Chairman, The Andre Michaux International Society

When George Washington was in his first term as president of the United States, Andre Michaux, a scientifically trained European botanist, began his travels through the lands that are now the states of Tennessee and Kentucky. The prospect of exploring this region, then known as the “Territory South of the Ohio,” lured the botanist with the promise of discovery of a wealth of new plants unknown to science.

Michaux prudently

abbreviated his initial journey in 1789 because of Cherokee hostilities, but returned in 1793, 1795 and 1796. In all, this intrepid botanist would spend about one hundred days exploring Tennessee from Elizabethton to Clarksville. He traveled in canoes, on horseback or by foot. Sometimes he traveled alone, sometimes with small groups. Once, when crossing the wilderness between the Clinch and the Cumberland, he joined a large group accompanied by an armed escort.

During these journeys Michaux’s efforts were rewarded with the discovery of many plants not then known to science. Some of the plants were spectacular. In 1796, during the first year of Tennessee statehood, he discovered the lovely yellowwood tree near Fort Blount on the Cumberland. The botanist immediately carried the news ot his discovery to Governor Blount in Knoxville. Through the efforts of the Jackson County Historical Society in Gainesboro, the yellowwood became recognized as Tennessee’s bicentennial tree, and in 2005 the Society followed with a Tennessee Historical Marker as a memorial to Michaux's discovery of the yellowwood.

Less than a week after leaving Governor Blount, Michaux arrived once again at the home of Colonel John Tipton on Sinking Creek (modern Johnson City). Colonel Tipton had met Michaux

before on the botanist’s journey west in 1795. Both men were acquaintances of Thomas Jefferson, but Michaux was known to be more interested in talking about plants than people. Perhaps we find an echo of their conversation in Michaux’s journal notes about the abundance of flowers and trees that he found blooming in the

area around Colonel Tipton’s. Michaux singled out the displays of bloodroot ( Sanguinaria ), spring beauty ( Claytonia ), and trout lilies ( Erythronium ) that he had been so pleased to find, saying that the “mountains were covered” with these flowers.

Today Colonel Tipton’s home stands as the centerpiece of the Tipton-Haynes Historic Site in Johnson City. Moreover, Andre Michaux’s visits with Coionel Tipton are remembered in style. The last week in March along the site’s nature trail, named appropriately enough the “Andre Michaux Trail.” thousands of trout lilies join a modest number of spring beauties, bloodroots and other flowers in a magnificent floral display. This natural wonder is one of the highlights of Tipton- Haynes' annual “Andre Michaux Day” which also features birding, a native plant sale and a re-enactment of Michaux’s visit with Colonel Tipton.

In the future, Andre Michaux’s visits with Colonel Tipton and his notes on the display of spring flowers he found in bloom will be remembered with a new Tennessee Historical Marker recently approved by the Tennessee Historical Commission. The Tennessee Native Plant Society has joined with the Biology Department of East Tennessee State University, Tipton descendants and the Andre Michaux International Society to sponsor this marker honoring the botanist-explorer.

See http://www.michaux.org/ for more information about Andre Michaux, and stay tuned for information about the installation and dedication of the marker in upcoming issues!

Bigleaf magnolia ( Magnolia macrophylla Mich.x) was discovered by Michaux on the Cumberland Plateau.

Tennessee Native Plant Society 05 www.tnps.org

TNPS FIELD TRIPS 2006

Field drip (Report

Big Hill Pond • April 8, 2006

fter a week of witnessing the violent side of nature, it

Am was a welcome opportunity to leave the images of ^ tornado destruction behind and experience the beauty of spring again, even with a chill in the air. A small group of intrepid explorers met at the visitors’ center of Big Hill Pond State Park in McNairy County. After a few minutes of introductions we headed to the dam of Travis McNatt Lake.

As we walked the road from the top of the bluff down to the dam we encountered several wildflowers: plantain-leaved pussytoes ( Antennaria plantaginifolia), dwarf crested iris (Iris cristata), and an unusual striped form of wood violet ( Viola palmata). At the dam were species commonly found in pastures such as beaked com salad ( Valerianella racliata), small bluet ( Houstonia pusilld), field pansy ( Viola bicolor), Carolina cranesbill ( Geranium carolinianum), common yellow wood sorrel ( Oxalis stricta), and hairy buttercup ( Ranunculus sardous).

Big Hill Pond State Park is an excellent example of the general landscape of this part of Tennessee: dry, sandy ridge tops capped with rough-grained sandstone pocked with acidic seeps along their flanks and descending to flat swampy woods. There is little herbaceous undergrowth, but numerous woody shrubs along the sand hills. Standing out among the shrubs were the gorgeous wiid azalea (Rhododendron canescens) and high bush blueberry ( Vacciniutn corymbosum). Looking across the lake, you could see numerous azaleas punctuating the shoreline with blotches of pink interspersed with clouds of white provided by flowering dogwood (Cornus floridd).

The trail led from the dam to the base of the bluff which overlooks Dismal Swamp, a large forested wetland encompassing an area between the bluff and the Tuscumbia River. At this time of the year the swamp was dominated by sedges and rushes, each contributing its own unique texture and hue of green. Some of the interesting plants we saw here were shrub yellowroot (Xanthorhiza simplicissima), roundfruit hedge hyssop ( Gratiolci virginiana), swamp haw ( Viburnum nudum), and several ferns including netted chain fern ( Woodwardia areolata), New York fern ( Thelypteris noveboracensis), lady fern (Athyrium filix-femina), cinnamon fern ( Osmunda cinnamomea), royal fern ( Osmunda regal is), and cut- leaf grape fern ( Botrychium dissectum). We also noticed many of the large trees had equally large vines of climbing hydrangea ( Decumaria barbara) winding their way up the trunks.

After our trek across the boardwalk through the swamp, we followed the trail up the bluff where conditions soon became much drier. Along the trail were many familiar wildflowers: mayapple ( Podophyllum peltatum), fire pink ( Si/cne virginica), violet wood

sorrel (Oxalis violacea), robin’s plantain ( Erigeron pulchellus), and common blue violet (Viola sororia). In addition, two more ferns were seen here — Christmas fern ( Polystichum acrostichoides) and bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum) — and several large plants of oakleaf hydrangea ( Hydrangea quercifolia) just beginning to leaf out.

A short car ride to the Tuscumbia River added two more species to our list of plants seen. All along the banks were drifts of marsh violet ( Viola cucullata) and in a wet depression was our last fern, sensitive fern ( Onoclea sensibilis).

As we left the park, one final stop gave us a chance to see a bank covered with birdfoot violet ( Viola pedata) in a mix of both the solid lavender and bicolored forms. These truly are the most beautiful of our violets and it was a wonderful way to end our visit to Big Hill Pond State Park.

Rield Frip Report

Southern Lady’s Slipper/ Gumdale Glade • May 13, 2006

large group of 38 met in Decatur County on a beautiful

/ 1 late spring day to see the state endangered southern ^ lady’s slipper (Cypripedium kenluckiense) and to visit one of the many Silurian limestone barrens and glades found in the southeastern portion of the county. We left the meeting place and headed to the property my family owns where the lady’s slippers are located. We made a stop on the side of the road to look at a very nice colony of hairy phlox (Phlox amoena) with their deep pinkish-purple flowers. After a few comments detailing differences between this phlox and the similar downy phlox ( Phlox pilosa), we departed for the farm.

At this point the downside of having to keep track of a large group came into play as we lost the last car in the caravan. Fortunately, one of the people in the car was new TNPS member and Decatur County resident Louise Gregory, who was able to go to my parents’ house and get directions to the farm. Even though they didn’t catch up with the rest of us until lunch, they did find several plants of the Cypripedium on their own. Meanwhile, the rest of us headed down to the creek, where we soon found our first lady’s slippers. Cypripedium kenluckiense grows along the small alluvial fiats beside wooded creeks. The flowers are very large, some up to 7 inches in vertical spread, with a creamy yellow pouch the size of a hen’s egg. The sepals and petals are variously shaded in purplish brown, with the dorsal sepal arching over the lip and the long, spiraling petals dangling on either side, giving the flower the impression of being slightly drooping. Unfortunately, the area had been hit by a hail storm earlier in the week and many of the plants

4

Tennessee Native Plant Society C& www.tnps.org

TNPS FIELD TRIPS 2006

had been damaged, but a few were in good shape and made nice photographic subjects. Of course, the lady’s slippers weren’t the only things to be seen. We also saw jack-in-the-pulpit ( Arisaema triphyllum ) and green dragon ( Arisaema dracontium ) both in bloom as well as pennywort ( Obolaria virginica ), hearts-a-bustin’

( Euonymus americanus), and blue-eyed grass ( Sisyrinchium angustifolium). A couple of non-blooming plants caught our eye; showy orchis ( Galearis spectabilis) had just finished blooming and the strap- shaped leaves of spider lily ( Hym e nocall is carol in iana )

were gathering energy for its late summer show of white daffodil-like blossoms.

Numerous ferns share the limelight with the lady’s slippers along the creek and in seeps. Species identified were rattlesnake fern ( Botrychium virginianum ), Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides),- royal fern ( Osmnnda re gal is), cinnamon fern ( Osmnnda cinnamomea ), New York fern ( Thelypteris noveboracensis ), sensitive fem ( Onoclea sensibilis ), netted chain fern ( IVoodwardia areolata), lady fem ( Athyrium filix-femina), and broad beech fern ( Phegopteris hexagonoptera).

A barbecue lunch with all the trimmings was next on the agenda. A big thanks go to my parents, Bob and Mary Jones, for providing a meal for a hungry mob. I think a few in the group might tell you their favorite plant on the trip were the strawberries in the pie we had for dessert!

Our second destination took us to the opposite end of the county to Gumdale Glade. This glade is part of a complex of glades and barrens that can be found along the western portion of the Tennessee River and are associated with exposures of Silurian Age limestone, the largest unglaciated areas of this rock found in the United States. The dominant vegetation is a duniperus/Schizachyrium/Silphium community where sagebrush (■ Schizachyrium scoparium) and other species of prairie grasses are interspersed with prairie dock (Silphium terebinthinaceum )

and whorled rosinweed (Silphium trifoliatum). The major woody species are Eastern red cedar ( Juniperus virgjniana) and native pines ( Pi nus virginiana and echinata).

Gumdale Glade is unique among these glades and barrens

because it contains a seasonal seep which supports a lush springtime bloom of wildfiowers. Among these are a couple of early-blooming winter annuals that are listed as rare in Tennessee, wedge- leaf Whitlow grass ( Draba cuneifolia) and Tennessee

gladecress ( Leavenworthia exigua var. exigua). Although these two species were finished blooming, we did catch the end of several spring-flowering species: hoary puccoon

(Lithospermum canescens), shooting star (Dodecalheon meadia ), pale blue-eyed grass (i Sisyrinchium albidum), v:nus’ pride ( Houstonia purpurea var. calycosus), and yellow meadow parsnip ( Thaspium

trifoliatum var. flctvum). Just past peak bloom was fiat- stem spikerush ( Eleocharis compressa ), a state-listed rare species only found in Decatur and Rutherford counties. Many early summer species were in prime condition:

long-sepal beardtongue

( Pens lemon calycosus), slender beardtongue (Penstemon tenuiflorus ), downy wood mint ( Blephilia ciliata ), star tickseed ( Coreopsis pubescens), nettle-leaf sage ( Salvia urticifolia), small skullcap ( Scutellaria parvula), and bastard toadflax ( Comandra umbellata). Although not blooming, a few conspicuous plants caught the attention of several in the group. The silvery rosettes of rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium), the fleshy leaves of American aloe ( Manfreda virginica ), the spine- covered pads of prickly pear cactus (Opuntia humifusa), and the spinach-like leaves of American col umbo (Frasera caroliniensis) were as showy as any flower.

A good crowd, beautiful weather, gorgeous flowers, and good food — the definition of a successful TNPS field trip.

Cypripedium kentuckiense

Tennessee Native Plant Society 05 www.tnps.org

5

n	IPS FIELD T	RIPS 201	16
W"* ield trips are designed to promote informed interest in Tennessee's native plants. They are led by persons familiar with native plants of the ■■■ area and are open to nonmembers as well as members. We encourage our more experienced members to share their knowledge with those who are new to the group. Since conservation is a primary objective of our society, plant collecting is not allowed. The physical nature of the trip is described to the extent known at publication time. Attendees are responsible forjudging whether the trip is suitable for their particular abilities. All participants will be asked to sign a liability waiver as a condition of attending. Trips are rarely cancelled, but sometimes changes are unavoidable. Contact the trip leader a day or two before attending to get an updated status and to let them know who is coming. Keep the schedule and attend as many trips as you can. Check the website (www.tnps.org) for updates to this schedule. — Todd Crabtree
Meeting time and place	Description	Directions	Leader
September 16 Saturday 10 a.m. (Central) At the Loveless Cafe	Kelley Creek Seeps These seeps are a unique ecosystem that contains a wide diversity of plants that favor the moist conditions. Over 248 species of flowering plants have been identified from this site and we hope see some of the fall bloomers including Parnassia grandifolia. Many species of birds and butterflies have also been seen here.	Loveless Cafe is at 8400 Hwy 100, southwest of Nashville and adjacent to the northern terminus of the Natchez Trace. Walking: Wear boots. Possibility of getting wet feet. Moderate hiking. Lunch: At Loveless Cafe Facilities: At meeting place	Bob Meyer (615)665-1692 Bob Brown (615) 352-7474 Todd Crabtree (615)223-0279
September 30 Saturday 10 a.m. (Central) Land Between the Lakes South Welcome Station	Blazing Stars and Butterflies We will follow the Trace road toward the north portion of this splendid national recreation area. There is lots of blazing star and goldenrod blooming along the roadside, making it very attractive to migrating butterflies. Possible species include Cloudless Sulphur, Little Yellow, Pearl Crescent, Painted Lady, Monarch and the rare Leonard's Skipper. Joint field trip with the Middle Tennessee Chapter of the North American Butterfly Association.	From Dover: Take Hwy 79, go 3 miles to the LBL southern entrance (watch for a large brown sign directing you to turn right for LBL-careful, it is easy to miss). Turn right; this road becomes the Trace, which is the main road through LBL. Turn right on this road; in about 4-5 miles it turns into the Trace. You will arrive at the South Welcome Station on the right. Walking: Some driving and light walking. Walking is mostly on the flat but some of the roadside areas are elevated slightly. Lunch: Bring Facilities: At meeting place	Rita Venable (615) 503-9631
October 21 Saturday 10 a.m. (Central) Decatur County Riverside High School	Carroll Cabin Barrens — Bath Springs We will see the recently confirmed population of Great Plains ladies' tresses ( Spiranthes magnicamporum ), the first recorded for Tennessee. These orchids are re- markable for their late bloom season which extends to late November. At this early part of their flowering, we should also see barrens silky aster (Aster pratensis) and blue sage (Salvia azurea var. grandiflora), both state listed rare plants, as well as other fall wildflowers finishing their season.	Exit 126 from 140. Go south on Hwy. 69 through Parsons, past the middle school and the Beech River. High school is just past caution light on the right. Walking: Easy Lunch: Bring Facilities: At meeting place, if school is open.	Bart Jones (901) 726-6891 bjones7777@ hotmail.com

A New La dy iw tovvia, (continued from page 1)

So Dennis and Chad Harden from Natural Heritage met me in Decatur County to survey as many of the barrens as we could to get an idea of the population size and to collect specimens to send to Dr. Charles Sheviak at the State Museum of New York for the definitive identification we needed. Dr. Sheviak separated S. magnicamporum from the S. cernita complex in 1973 based on it having a consistent 2n = 30 chromosome count and all of the seed containing just one embryo. Although its key field characteristics hold up reasonably well, these

two traits are absolute in establishing its identity. A few days after sending him the specimens, Dr. Sheviak was happy to inform me that the plants in Decatur County were indeed S. magnicamporum.

Finally, no more questioning, “Is it or isn’t it here?” The gap in the southeastern portion of its range known as Tennessee can officially now be filled. So join me in welcoming the new lady in town, Spiranthes magnicamporum, the Great Plains ladies' tresses.

6

Tennessee Native Plant Society OS www.lnps.org

Tennessee Conservation Voters Environmental Legislative Wrap-Up for 2006

The 2006 legislative session was largely successful from an environmental advocacy standpoint. Unanimously ap- proved by the House and Senate was a resolution hon- oring TNPS member Mack Prichard on his career as a conservationist with Tennessee State Parks: “Mr. Prichard has distinguished himself as the conservation conscience of Tennes- see, having traveled more than two million miles in presenting to Tennesseans the natural and cultural history of their homeland and fostering outstanding conservation by others.” An important bill passed was the long-sought stop work order bill, for mining ac- tivities polluting water (PC 594). Sadly, the TN Deposit Beverage Container Recycling Act of 2006 was not passed this year. Other bills included TDOT's feasibility of alternative fuel study (PC 636) and TDEC protection of watersheds study (PC 513). Probably just as important is the fact that no negative bills passed.

This year's bills also included adding (PC 618) Rugby and Stillhouse Hollow Falls to recreational and natural-scientific areas, along with adding Campbell Bend Barrens, Crowder Cemetery Barrens, Pogue Creek, and Walls of Jericho to natural-scientific areas and revises acreage of Sequatchie Cave and Manus Road Cedar Glade natural-scientific areas. Governor Bredesen asked the General assembly to increase the state’s land-buying power with $10 million in funding for the Tennessee Heritage Trust Fund, the public-private foundation Bredesen established in September 2005. “Some of God's most beautiful spaces are located right here in Tennessee, and this new money will help our state become a » faster, stronger competitor for these lands,” Bredesen said “If we J afie diligent, our children and grandchildren will have hundreds of ft * - -1 - t* * •,

thousands of acres of protected land for their use and enjoyment with their own families.”

In addition, on July 1, Governor Bredesen put an end to state park access fees. ’’From the time 1 took office, I knew making ba- sic access to our state parks free again was something 1 wanted to do,” Bredesen said. “Now we have the financial stability within the state budget to do it, and I’m thrilled to help celebrate the end of park access fees and see all our parks back on even footing.”

For detailed descriptions of these and other environmental bills, look for TCV’s scorecard, which is in process of produc- tion. This scorecard reports on the votes and sponsorships — good and bad — of each legislator. We anticipate it will be available in August. We will let our member organizations know and will ex- plain how to obtain copies through our website and through media publicity.

Please check out the Tennessee Conservation Voters website at www.tnconservationvoters.org for more detailed descriptions of environmental legislative issues and past score cards, and the Ten- nessee Department of Conservation and Environment at http://ten- nessee.gov/environment/nh/.

Thank you all for letting me represent TNPS on Tennessee Conservation Voters.

— Michelle Haynes TNPS representative TCV 2006 chairperson TDEC conservation commissioner

±OtV\ Afvi/uaoI LH

With Native Plaints Workshop

Saturday, September 23, 2006 at the Warner Park Nature Center 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.

Lectures

‘"Claire Grace’ + ‘Little Joe’ = Native Plant Partners"

"Naturalistic Design"

“More Bang for the Buck: Excellent Native Ornamentals"

Hands-On Programs

“Making Native Plant Babies”

‘‘Rain Barrels and Rain Gardens"

‘‘Backyard Composting"

Registration is $35. Optional lunch is $8. To register or for more information, call 615-352-6299 or email wpnc@nashville.gov. Sponsored by Metro Parks (Nashville), Cheekwood Botanical Gardens and Museum of Art, and Friends of Warner Parks.

Tennessee Native Plant Society CS mvwtnps.org

7

TNPS Editor News

by Mary Priestley

he TNPS membership can take pride in our beautiful and informative newsletter! Every quarter, just like clockwork, it arrives in our mailboxes, full of news of Society activities, schedules of events, trip reports, and more. It is the organ that holds us together.

For as long as 1 have been a member, We have been blessed with talented and creative newsletter editors, tt is my duty today to announce the changing of the guard. Ashley Crownover has done a magnificent job for us as editor and designer for the past three years, during which time she also been instrumental in launching our fledgling website. She's cutting back so she can devote more time to husband Gary and daughters Venus ( 14) and Meade (12).

“1 was born at Vanderbilt and I'll die there, I like to say. I think it's amusing to say that, but no one else seems to!” she quips. Ashley is trained in French and Polish. She and Gary met in the Army at Ft. Flood, Texas, where they worked as interrogator/linguists.

Fler college major, however, was in English and creative writing, and she has made a niche for herself in the editing world in Nashville. Currently she edits grant proposals, journal articles, and related documents for Vanderbilt’s Learning Sciences Institute (LSI). Among other things, she produces their newsletter (Eye on the LSI) and creates content for and oversees the website (www.vanderbilt.edu/lsi).

In addition, Ashley has edited newsletters for the Nashville Peact,,and Justice Center and First Unitarian Universalist Church of Naslf* ie Also — Nashvillians, take note —she is a radio show host at the Vanderbilt station (WRVU 91.1 FM).

Although she’s retiring from her TNPS editorship, Ashley should know that she can never really say good-bye. Latham Davis, who is coming on board in the fall, can speak to that. This will be Latham’s second round at the helm of our newsletter.

Currently a book and literary' magazine designer, Latham has years of newspaper experience. He got interested in TNPS in the 1 980s at a Cullowhee native plant workshop. He edited this newsletter for several years in the early 1990s. When I first joined TNPS, Latham’s beautifully designed newsletter was one thing that drew me strongly to the organization. It was obvious that TNPS cared about the quality and appearance of their publication.

Latham is an avid advocate of the preservation of native plants and their use. “I’m interested in ecology, and once you start introducing non-native or hybridized species, you're disrupting the ecology. If we continue to do that on the earth, we’re increasingly degrading the environment. We ought to let the natural processes govern how the environment changes, rather than impose human activity, which has historically been a destsuctive force.”

Given Latham’s orientation, I will not be surprised if we begin to see articles on native plant gardening in the newsletter, certainly a timely topic! He is interested in getting as many members as possible involved ip contributing to the newsletter. He should be pleased to know that our president Karl Heinzman has instituted an editori.pl board to assist the editor jn finding appropriate material tor the newsletter and proofreading the itfJcf before it goes out,to the r

Ashley, wc tip our hats to you in g.atitude for the wonderful job that you have done and the gracious spirit in whicli you have done it.

8

-?~i fc / o, \

NEWSLETTER OF THE

TENNESSEE NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY

Volume 30, Number 4

December 2006

Folk Remedy Yields Mosquito- Thwarting Compound

Lands Newly Under State Protection

Regional wisdom once imparted by a Mississippi grandfather has led Agricultural Research Service scientists to isolate a natural compound that in laboratory tests was effective in warding off mosquito bites. The efficacy of the isolated compound— called “callicarpenal”— was affirmed through tests simulating human skin. But these results may not have been a surprise in northeastern Mississippi as long as a century ago, once the source of callicarpenal was revealed.

Seems that it was known there that fresh, crushed leaves of American beautyberry,

Callicarpa americana, in the family Verbenaceae, helped keep biting insects away from animals such as horses and mules. Placing crushed beautyberry leaves under the animals’ harnesses, residents knew, would mash out a repellent oil. Eventually, some folks there took to mashing leaves and rubbing the residue on their own skins.

Privy to this knowledge was young Charles T. Bryson, who was told ■ about it by his granddad, John Rives Crumpton. Today, Bryson is a botanist in ARS’s Southern Weed Science Research Unit at Stoneville, Mississippi. And he’s told researchers in ARS’s Natural Products Utilization Unit at Oxford, Mississippi, about beautyberry’s powers.

This led Oxford chemist Charles Cantrell— with entomologist Jerome Klun of ARS’s Chemicals Affecting Insect Behavior Research Laboratory in Beltsville, Maryland, and Oxford plant physiologist Stephen Duke— to isolate from American beautyberry and a Japanese counterpart, C.japonica, five insect-repelling compounds.

Among them was callicarpenal, which may represent ARS’s next important contribution against mosquitoes. ARS developed — and USDA patented in 2003 — SS220, a repellent that’s just as effective as DEET. (See “ARS Partners with Defense Department to Protect Troops from Insect Vectors,” Agricultural Research, September 2005, p. 12.)

— Continued on page 7

Tennessee Natural Heritage Botanist Todd Crabtree reports that several impor- tant tracts of land have been recently acquired by the State for protection. Lands at Campbell Bend Barrens, Crowder Cemetery, Rugby, Stillhouse Hollow Falls, Pogue Creek, and the Walls of Jeri- cho are all new and some of the Bowater pocket wildernesses like Virgin Falls are now State-owned Natural Areas.

The Morrison property where TNPS has botanized several times has cleared almost all hurdles. It will eventually come down to whether or not the owner likes the offer that he gets. More properties are being evaluated and prioritized, and by this time next year we will have more Natural Areas. The for- mer Bowater lands are still a target for acquisition. The company that bought those lands is cooperative and we are hoping to get some more plateau sites protected.

2

TNPS Newsletter

Report from the President

December 2006 Vol. 30, No. 4

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 purposes are to assist in the exchange of information and encourage fellowship among Tennessee’s botanists, both amateur and professional; to promote public education about Tennessee flora and wild plants in general; to provide, through publication 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 protection and enhancement of Tennessee’s wild plant communities.

Dues for each calendar year are Regular: $20 Student/Senior: $15 Institution: $50 Life: $250

Dues may be sent to Tennessee Native Plant Society P.O. Box 159274 Nashville, TN 37215

Officers

Karl Heinzman, President Dennis Horn, Vice-President Bart Jones, Secretary Kay Jones, Treasurer

Direcors

Bertha Chrietzburg Todd Crabtree Michelle Haynes Mary Priestley Susan Sweetser Rita Venable

Latham Davis, Editor Please send comments or material for the newsletter to TNPS Newsletter, P.O. Box 816, Sewanee, TN 37375 or lathamdavis@bellsouth.net

Serving as president of TNPS these past four years has been very special to me. Thanks to each of you for supporting TNPS, and I know that will continue. In any given year you have accomplishment in which to take pride. However, for me, our book Wildflowers of Tennessee the Ohio Valley and the Southern Appalachians certainly comes out on top. We have seen new additions to the board of some excellent folks willing to give their time to TNPS. Mary Priestley, our incoming president, is a highly qualified and dedicated person, and I am so pleased she is willing to serve in this capacity.

That said, we have a wonderful book, money in the bank, a growing membership and a strong and dedicated board. Thanks again.

See you on the trail!

Karl Heinzman

And from the Presidcnt'dcct

During his tenure as president, Karl Heinzman has done more for TNPS than any president-elect can aspire to. As he reports, we have produced a top-notch wildflower guide that has garnered rave reviews, are on firm ground financially, and have an active and engaged board of directors. For his final meeting as president, Karl gathered the board for a brain-storming, visioning session to help us articulate our goals— immediate and long-term — for TNPS.

You will hear more about those goals as we move into the new year. For one thing, we see growing potential for our organization's role in the environmental conservation realm. Just as Dr. Seuss's Lorax speaks for the trees, TNPS can be a strong voice in speaking for the native plants of our state and their habitats. Here on the Cumberland Plateau, assaults on our natural landscape are mounting, and I am sure you see a similar situation in your area. This year, as we get out and enjoy the wildflowers, we will also work toward continuing to define the role that TNPS takes in preserving our cherished landscapes, the haunts of our native plants. (

See you on the trail!

Mary Priestley

* ri

Some Dates to Remember

OUUj

' dr

FEBRUARY g —Nature Votes fundraiser (see page 6).

MARCH 16-18 —Celebration of the Oconee bell, Shortia galacifolia, and its discoverer Andre Michaux, in Clemson, South Carolina, lhe keynote speaker will be Clemson’s Patrick McMillan with other speakers making presentations on the history, science, and garden value of Shortia. Go to www.michaux.org.

MARCH 31 —Dedication of the Tennessee Flistorical Marker honoring botanist-explorer Andre Michaux at the Tipton-Haynes Historic Site in Johnson City. TNPS co-sponsored the marker. Go to www.tipton-haynes.org.

APRIL 21-22 —Trails and Trilliums at St. Andrews-Sewanee School. TNPS’s own Tom Patrick will be the keynote speaker. Go to www.trails.sasweb.org.

SEPTEMBER 14-16 —TNPS Annual Meeting, Beersheba Springs. See www.tnps.org

3

October 21, 2006 Field Trip

Carroll Cabin Barrens

Barrens silky aster Aster pratensis

A beautiful fall day greeted the 21 folks who gathered in Decatur County to visit one of the state’s newer natural areas, Carroll Cabin Barrens, and to see the recently confirmed state record population of Great Plains ladies’ tresses (Spiranthes magnicamporum).

On the way to the natural area we stopped to see an emerging pest plant species, groundsel tree (Baccharis halimifolia). Although a native to the coastal plain area along the Gulf Coast, it has spread northward in recent years at an accelerating rate. These medium to large shrubs are in fact members of the Aster family, with the plants being either male or female. The female plants have a conspicuous pappus (hairs or projections on the seed) that looks like white flowers, and when found en masse, can be very attractive.

Carroll Cabin Barrens is a wonderful example of the Western Valley limestone hill barrens, a globally threatened plant community, that is at its best development in Decatur and Perry counties. This community differs from the glades and barrens of the Central Basin in its lack of endemism and the underlying limestone being from the Silurian Age instead of Ordovician. Many of the plants found in these barrens are disjunct from their main ranges located in the Ozarks or upper Midwest and are rare in Tennessee.

As we entered the first barren, several people commented on the contorted cedar trees (Juniperus virgimanus). These are typical of the open barrens. Not too far into the barren we came upon the first ladies’ tresses. As our eyes became accustomed to their appearance, it was easy to see numerous spikes emerging from the grass ahead of us. A quick count in just this one corner of the barren came up with a tally of 47 individuals. Spiranthes magnicamporum is the last of our ladies’ tresses to bloom, from mid-October to mid-November. The double- ranked spirals of white flowers emit a wonderful, strong fragrance of coumarin or almonds. Although similar to nodding ladies’ tresses (S. cernua ), it is normally distinguished by its lack of leaves at flowering, spreading lateral sepals that often arch over the dorsal sepal, a distinctly yellowish throat (particularly when viewed from beneath), and the strong fragrance. S. magnicamporum is found in drier habitats, similar to the prairies of its core range of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin.

After everyone got their fill and photographs of the ladies’ tresses, we continued through the barren. Some of the taller grasses garnered attention, including big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans), and little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium). We were fortunate enough to catch many species at the end of the flowering period, including three plants

Continued on pagej

Field Trips 2007, Put On Your Thinking Caps!

Todd Crabtree, our field trip coordinator, is gathering ideas for fun and interesting trips for 2007— and the names of people to lead those trips. He wants suggestions from all of us as to great places to visit. What about some of these newly-preserved tracts of land? A favorite wildflower haunt? Or a wonderful native plant garden that you’d like to share with other TNPS members? If you have an idea — even if it’s just the germ of one — please contact Todd at Todd.Crabtree@state.tn.us between now and February 1.

Plant Rescue Alert System

The TNPS email alert system is our primary means of quickly communicating information and news in which the membership would be interested. This includes news of plant res- cues. There were some problems with email editors sending unread- able messages this year, but hope- fully this has been eliminated.

If you would like to include your email address in the system or would like to alert the membership of an upcoming plant rescue or other important conservation activ- ity, please send the information to me, Bart Jones, at bjones7777@hot- mail.com.

The next TNPS Newsletter copy deadline is February 21.

4

Blazing Stars and Butterflies

July 29, 2006 Field Trip

Plateau Orchids and Wetlands

Saturday, September 30, eleven adventurers from both TNPS and the North American Butterfly Association (NABA) rendezvoused at the South Welcome Station northwest of Dover, Tennessee, at Land Between The Lakes (LBL) National Recreational Area to travel on a botany/butterfly safari. Given the beautiful fall weather, the camaraderie of the participants and good sightings of both plants and butterflies, the trip was a success. The “stars of the show” were five species of asters, Leonard’s Skipper, Southern Dogface, and migrating Monarchs nectaring on blazing star (Liatris squarrulosa).

First of all, a warm welcome to our newcomers — Bettina Ault, Louise Gregory, and Sarah Johnson (first-timer). We are happy to have you join us in the field! We hope you will come again.

The plan was to travel north on the Trace, a road which runs through the middle of LBL (60 miles) toward Grand Rivers, Kentucky. It was Public Lands Day (free admission to everything), so there were lots of other people about, some curious as to what we were doing scouring the fields along the roadsides. After the umpteenth stranger asked Bob Meyer this question, he replied, “Looking for hubcaps.”

Our first stop was Bards Lake, east of The Trace. We parked, we scattered, and we walked the levee there. The butterflies were scarce at first, but appeared as the morning warmed. One of my favorite sightings was a Sleepy Orange nectaring on a small red morning glory (Ipomoea coccinea).

Near mile marker number 4,

Continued on next page

Trip leader Chuck Wilson organized this joint field trip with the Georgia Botanical Society in hopes of seeing several species of Platanthera including the federally threatened monkey-face orchid ( Platanthera integrilabia) . (See photo.) As we arrived at the meeting place, a steady rain dampened a bit of the enthusiasm, but a good crowd and the prospect of better weather in the afternoon got us more excited. After some comments

from Chuck describing all the sites we planned to visit, I soon realized this trip was probably going to cover more miles than any trip I had previously attended. This was going to be a veritable I our de Platanthera.

Our first stop was a small bog just off the highway outside Cagle. Our first orchid encounter was with yellow fringed orchid (P. ciliaris), which is somewhat misnamed as its color is mainly orange. This is a striking orchid with a lip surrounded by long, hair-like appendages. As people gathered to examine the yellow fringed orchids, someone in the group spotted our second species, little clubspur orchid ( P . clavellata). This very small orchid with its greenish-white flowers has recently been moved, along with P. nivea and P. integra, to a separate genus, Gymnadeniopsis, by some taxonomists. We were surprised to find a couple of yellow crested orchids (P. cristata ) just beginning to bloom. These plants are very similar to P. ciliaris, but are smaller, the flowers are usually more yellowish, and the fringed lip is rounder in shape.

Back to the cars and on to our next stop, a damp pasture where we hoped to find the very rare alba form of the purple fringeless orchid ( Platanthera peramoena). A few white-flowered plants were discovered here last year, but unfortunately for us, the owners decided to bush hog a few feet further this year and got the alba plants. A few of the typically colored plants were found. This orchid is spectacular with its tall spikes of rich red-purple inch-wide flowers. The P. peramoena were found in a stand of wild sweet William ( Phlox maculata ) which was beautiful with its panicles of pink flowers. In the mowed area were the small white spirals of spring ladies’ tresses ( Spiranthcs vernalis ).

On to our next site; a power line cut. Power lines always provide interesting habitats and often harbor a varied assemblage of plants. Near the road, the area was very dry and the spotlight belonged to two species of Liatris, dense blazing star (L. spicata ) and scaly blazing star (L. squarrosa). Further down in a lower spot was a boggy area that held our first specimens of the rare monkey-

5

face orchid ( Platanthcra integrilabia), with just a couple of plants with a few flowers open. This spot formerly was home to several plants of yellow fringeless orchid (P. integra ), but they died out when the area became a bit overgrown with woody vegetation. Chuck has cleared out the overgrowth in the past few years in hopes the P. integra will return.

Next we went to Rifle Range Road bog, a fantastic wetland with a large population of P. integrilabia. Most of the plants were still in bud, but several had a few flowers open. By now the sun was beginning to break through the clouds and the flowers were starting to emit their delicious vanilla scent. Good numbers of P. ciliaris and P. cristata could be found at near peak flowering. Large patches of kidney-leaf grass-of-Parnassus (P amassia asarifolia ) with numerous buds were bountiful throughout the bog. With some diligent searching, a couple of open flowers were found. This is at least a month early for this species to flower. Could we be seeing signs of global warming? Sprinkled throughout the bog were the pink blossoms of Virginia meadow-beauty (R hexia virginica).

Onward we went to Morrison and its damp grassland. Here, there were more yellow fringed orchids and several robust specimens of spring ladies’ tresses. This meadow has a rich variety of plants, several of which are rare. Some of the more showy species in bloom were ashy sunflower ( Helianthus mollis), hardhack spiraea ( Spiraea tomentosa), tall ironweed (Vemonia gigantea), slender marsh pink (Sabatia campanulata), and swamp milkweed ( Asclepias incarnata).

Finally, on to our last stop at the famous May Prairie. This prairie relic is home to numerous rare Coastal Plain species found nowhere else in Tennessee. One of these rare plants was the last of our orchids for the day, the diminutive beauty known as snowy orchid (Platanthera nivea). Only found here and at Arnold Engineering (both in Coffee County), this species is normally found near the coast on the Coastal Plain. This Platanthera is the only one where the lip is at the top of the flower or nonresupinate. Each blossom is pure white and part of a dense spike. Another Coastal Plain plant found at May Prairie is coastal false asphodel (Toefieldia racemosa ), which from a distance closely mimics snowy orchid. However, when viewed up close, it is clear these flowers are not orchids and have the six tepals of a lily relative.

As the day came to a close we could all take stock as to just how unique this trip was. We traveled to four counties (Sequatchie, Van Buren, Warren, and Coffee) to see six species of Platanthera ( ciliaris , clavellata, cristata, integrilabia, nivea, and peramoena), and seven orchids in all with the addition of Spiranthesvernalis. Nowhere else in the world would you be able to see six species of Platanthera on one day in one area. Now that’s special!

Bart Jones

Blazing Stars

—continued

there is a wet meadow on the right where 1 hoped to find the Ocola Skipper that I had just seen there a couple of days before. We all got out and looked, but alas no Ocolas. We did, however, find wetland plants.

We ate lunch in the picnic area at The Homeplace where Glenda Hood shared her tasty trail mix. As we got back into our cars and traveled north again, the patches of blazing star began to appear.

We stopped near the sign to Redd Hollow (our final stop) where we got out and saw that the Monarchs were nectaring on almost every blazing star. The rare Leonard’s Skipper was also seen and was a lifer for most. The Southern Dogface in its striking fall form was present. (See photo below.) In my haste to find this wet spot, we passed right by some blue sage ( Salvia azurea ), a state-listed plant, growing along the roadside. Some of us went back to see and photograph this rare plant after the field trip.

A final note: we identified five species of aster, bushy aster ( Aster dumosus), bottomland aster (A. ontarionus), late purple aster (A.

patens), white heath aster (A. pilosus ) and small white aster (A. vimineus).

Rita Venable

A Southern Dogface nectars on blazing star along the roadside of the Trace at Land Between the Lakes. The dog’s head is visible through the wing. In the fall, the Southern Dogface is suffused with pink along the edges and veins.

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Conservation Voters

Nature Votes Fundraiser Feb* 9

Mark your calendar for the festive TCV’s annual Nature Votes fundraiser that will be held Friday, February 9 at Flistoric Travelers Rest, off Franklin Road. Tickets wall be $60 each and $100 per couple. The event will honor our legislative friends and give you a chance to visit with your environmental community, TDEC officials and elected officials. Plus you will enjoy great food, drink, live and silent auctions and music. If you or your business is interested in a sponsorship, levels begin at $200. Please contact us as soon as possible. Without YOU the Tennessee environmental legislative agenda could be unnoticed. Thank you, everyone, for your generous support.

Another year has rolled around and the Tennessee legislature will soon be in session. TCV will be gearing up to tackle environmental legislative issues such as Tennessee strip mining, container deposit, and Comprehensive Energy Plan- ning. Please check the TCV website for more detailed description of environmental legislation and sign up for weekly legislative updates during this year’s session. By Janu- ary TCV will have a talented full- time executive director in place.

Thank you for letting me repre- sent TNPS on Tennessee Conserva- tion Voters.

Michelle Haynes

Michelle Haynes, chairman Tennessee Conservation Voters 2021 21st Ave South Nashville, TN 37212 615-269-9090

www.tnconservationvoters.org

tcved@bellsouth.net.

August i2, 2006 Field Trip

Starr Mountain near Etowah

We met with leader Mark Pistrang, Cherokee National Forest botanist, at the Etowah train station. Including Mark, we had eighteen folks, most of whom had attended few or no TNPS trips before. Light rain at the parking lot progressed to a shower on the drive out to the mountain.

Starr Mountain is sandstone-capped as if a piece of the Cumberland Plateau had strayed across the valley. The vegetation is reminiscent of the plateau but some species clearly belong to the adjacent Blue Ridge. Forest Road 297 climbs the north end of the mountain topping out at near 2,000 feet. Effects of the dry weather were evident here, but more flowers were seen as we moved into the Bullet Creek basin. The forest had a cut-over brushy aspect because pine bark beetles had destroyed the native short-leaf pine (Pinus echinata) .

Lesser Prairie Dock ( Silphium composition) was the prominent flower along the higher drier part of FR297. As we moved lower, Hollow-Stemmed Joe Pye Weed ( Eupatoriumfistulosum ) and Flowering Spurge ( Euphorbia corollata ) were the floral display. Our first orchids were Rattlesnake Plantain ( Goodyera pubescens) and Cranefly Orchid (Tip ularia discolor). The Goldenrods ( Solidago spp.) and Asters (Aster spp.) were mostly still in bud.

The alien Russian Olive (E leagnus angustifolia) which had been planted for wildlife was around, but did not seem to be overwhelming the native species. Mark pointed out a Blackeyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) which, though a native species, was probably introduced with seed from the midwest. The roadside Partridge Pea (Chamaecrista fasciculata) might also have been introduced, but the smaller flowered Wild Sensitive Plant (C. nictitans) was probably local. Mark made the point that the Forest Service is working toward use of local native species for wildlife food plantings.

The Blue Ridge connection was illustrated by the very similar Appalachian and Ozark Sunflowers (Helianthus atrorubens and silphioides) . Most of these plants seemed to be Appalachian. Across the valley the Ozark would predominate. We found a few Carolina Lilies (Lilium michauxii) which is clearly a Blue Ridge species. These were technically in McMinn County where the Tennessee Atlas shows none. Mark pointed out a Blueberry (Vaccinium hirsutum) recorded from only the most southeastern counties of the state.

Before we entered the Bullet Creek bog, Mark discussed the Forest Service problem of managing for the competing interests of timber production, recreation, and special sites such as this bog. The bog has been given a buffer up to FR297 in which logging was prohibited. Further steps to protect orchids are fencing wild hogs and following a system of annual counting.

While wading through New York Fern (Thelypteris noveboracensis) beside a branch leading to the bog, Mark pointed to areas where transition from dry upland to bog was very abrupt. Even with the recent shower, the bog had no standing water. Except where hogs had rooted, the ground was covered with Sedges (Carex gigantea, C.joori, and C. intumescens) and some Royal Fern (Osmunda regalis). Cinnamon Fern (O. cinnamomea) and Netted Chain Fern (Woodwardia areolata) mixed in. The Monkey Face Orchids (Platanthera integrilabia) must have been near peak flowering. In this display a few Yellow Crested Orchids (Platanthera cristata) and Small Green Woodland Orchids (Platanthera clavellata) are almost overlooked.

Everyone expressed thanks to Mark and to Cherokee National Forest.

A! Good

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More on Spiranthes magnicamporum

In early November, Margret Rhine- hart led a group of TNPS members and Sewanee students to look at a population of Spiranthes on the side of the Cumberland Plateau in Franklin County that she suspected was an outlying population of the Midwestern species, S. magnicamporum, the Great Plains lady’s tresses. Bart Jones collected specimens and sent them to Prof. Charles Sheviak, who believes that, indeed, they are the S. magni - camporum, but he plans to do further analysis to confirm. Stay tuned!

Prof. Jon Evans, Daniel Titus, and Dr. Margret Rhinehart at the site of the suspected Spiranthes magnicamporum

Carroll Cabin Barrens —continued

listed as rare in Tennessee: blue sage (Salvia azurea var. grandiflora ), slender blazing star (Liatris cylindracea), and barrens silky aster (Aster pratensis). Other species encountered were prairie dock (Silphium terebinthinaceum), obedient plant (Physostegiavirginiana), Gattinger’s purple gerardia (Agalinis gattingeri), narrow-leaf gerardia (Agalinis tenuifolia), northern blazing star (Liatris scariosa), fall sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale), and glade wild petunia (Ruellia humilis).

On the trail through the dry woods that surround the barrens were many trees and shrubs that presented showy berries: rough dogwood (Cornus drummondii ), Carolina buckthorn (Rhamnus caroliniana), coralberry (Symphoricarpus orbiculatus), farkleberry (Vaccinium arboreum ), supplejack (B erchemia scandens), and American beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) whose clusters of glossy amethyst berries were true showstoppers. Several flowers were also in bloom along the woodland trail including blue mist flower (Conoclimum coelestinum) , dittany (Cunila origanoides) , white snakeroot (Ageivtina altissima), several E upatorium species, downy lobelia (Lobelia puberula), erect goldenrod (Solidago erecta), and bluestem goldenrod (Solidago caesia) .

As with any fall field trip, the asters eventually become the center of attention and this trip was no exception. Besides the silky barrens aster, we saw nine additional species: heartleaf aster (Aster' cordifolius), bushy aster (Aster dumosus), smooth aster (Aster laevis), calico aster (Aster la tei'iflorus), stiff aster (Aster linariifolius), late purple aster (Aster patens), white awl aster (Aster pilosus), Short’s aster (Aster shortii), and waxy-leaf aster (Aster undulatus), each one a showy beauty.

What a wonderful day— clear blue sky, temps in the low 70s, trees in their brightest autumn colors, beautiful flowers and fruits, and great fellowship. I don’t know about you, but I’m already looking forward to spring!

Folk Remedy

-continued

DEET, the world’s most used insect repellent, was itself developed by ARS for the U.S. Army decades ago. “In laboratory tests, isolated callicarpenal was just as effective as SS220 in preventing mosquito bites,” says Cantrell.

Those tests were conducted by Klun against the mosquito species Aedes aegypti, which is best known as the yellow-fever mosquito, and Anopheles stephensi, which spreads malaria in Asia.

Klun used the same system he used to test SS220: a six-celled, in vitro bioassay he and colleagues developed that evaluates bite- deterrent properties of compounds intended for human use. It consists of mosquito-holding cells positioned over compound-treated cloth covering six blood-membrane wells. The number of insect bites through the cloth determines compound effectiveness. Cantrell says a patent application has been submitted for callicarpenal. Subsequent work will include tests against ticks and developing ways of producing large quantities of the compound, either through synthesis or crops. Toxicity trials ^ will precede any testing on humans.

Luis Pons

Agricultural Research

Service Information Staff

* This article was taken from the Native Plant News, the Newsletter of the North Carolina Native Plant Society, Vol. IV, Issue 3. It was originally published in the February 2006 issue of Agricultural Research magazine.

B art Jones

Know someone interested in wildflowers? Someone who might make a good TNPS member?

Consider giving them a TNPS membership for Christmas.

A membership will send them a newsletter full of interesting information about Tennessee flora, opportunities to learn more on field trips and lectures, and the chance to meet fellow' wildflower enthusiasts. All for just $20.

Weil send them a complimentary' copy of this newsletter to get them started.

Are Your Dues Due?

Check your mailing label— the year through which you have paid dues is printed at the top. If the date’s 2006 or earlier, please send a check promptly to Kay Jones, our treasurer. TNPS, P.O. Box 159274, Nashville, TN 37215.

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