TENNESSEE NATIVE
PIANT SOCIETY
NEW5LE7
EER
Volume 17, Number 1
March 1994
Task Force on Exotics
Ambitious Plans Developed in Nashville
Anew volunteer task force has been formed in Nashville with the ex-
pressed purpose of combating the problem of invasive exotic
plants.
The group is creating an ambitious program, involving the collection of
information followed by a broad effort in public awareness, education, and
legislation. To carry out these plans the group is exploring the possibility of
forming a State Exotic Pest Plant Council, modelled after councils in Florida
and California.
The work stems from an exploratory meeting held last November and
organized primarily by Brian Bowen, the naturalist at Warner Park in Nash-
ville.
Out of that meeting came an outline of priorities and plans for a sympo-
sium and training session March 11-12 at Cheekwood Botanical Gardens in
Nashville. The organizers are Bowen and Darlene Panvini of Vanderbilt
University.
Several members of TNPS are involved, including two speakers at the
March symposium — Ed Clebsch, professor of botany at the University of
Tennessee, and Milo Pyne, state naturalist with the Department of Environ-
ment and Conservation.
Among the speakers from outside of Tennessee are Randy Nybocr, Bill
McClain, and Bill Glass, all with the
Illinois Department of Conservation;
Luke Skinner, with the Minnesota
Department of Natural Resources;
and the keynote speaker, Peter
White, Department of Biology at the
University of North Carolina.
The goals and strategies of the
task force include prevention, taking
the form of both supporting legisla-
tion to stop the introduction of
exotic plants and seeking the
cooperation of organizations in-
volved.
The task force also hopes to
identify the sources and patterns'
involved in the introduction of
exotic plants.
To properly meet the chal-
lenge, the task force has also set a
priority on developing a guide-
Continued Page 2
TNPS Board Meets
in Nashville
The TNPS Board of Directors met
February 26 in Nashville to discuss
plan for the Tennessee Flora 2001
wildflower book, a schedule of field
trips, and other society business.
On hand for the meeting were
Mary Schaffner, TNPS president;
Dennis Horn, vice president; Andrea
Shea, corresponding secretary; Nita
Heilman, recording secretary; Karen
Yarbro, treasurer; Larry Wilson; Jack
Carman; George Homal; Hal De-
Selm; Bertha Chrietzburg; Dorothy
Carman; and Landon McKenny,
president of the Kentucky Native
Plant Society.
Among other society business,
board members voted to co-sponsor
the Memphis Native Plant Confer-
ence. The conference has been held
two previous years under local
sponsorship, but the organizers have
joined with organizers of similar
conferences in Birmingham and
New Orleans and will begin rotating
the years each city holds a confer-
ence.
These conferences have been
Continued Page 3
Also in this Issue
Photography
by David Duhl
Page 3
Gardening Books
by Ed & Meredith Clebsch
Page 4
TENNESSEE NATIVE
PLANT SOCIETY
NEWSLETTER
March 1994
Volume 17, Number 1
This Newsletter is a publication of the
Tennessee Native Plant Society and is
published six times a year, generally in
February, April, June, August, October,
and December.
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
education of the public 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 protec-
tion and enhancement of Tennessee's
wild plant communities.
Dues are $15 for the calendar year ($10
for students and senior citizens, $20 for
institutions, and $150 for life member-
ships). Membership privileges include a
subscription to the TNPS Newsletter.
Dues may be sent to the Tennessee
Native Plant Society, Department of
Botany, the University of Tennessee,
Knoxville, TN 37996-1100.
TNPS OFFICERS
Mary Martin SGiaffner of Nashville,
President
Dennis Florn of Tullahoma,
Vice-President
Andrea Shea of Nashville,
Corresponding Secretary
Nita Heilman of Clarksville,
Recording Secretary
Karen Yarbro of Knoxville,
Treasurer
Exotics Task Force— Continued
lines manual that will identify and rank the worst exotic pest plants, compile
data on eradication programs, and compile other literature on the subject.
The manual could be made available to both public officials and private
organizations.
The task force also will develop workshops and training programs on the
eradication of exotic pest plants.
Another priority is the formation of volunteer groups to accept eradica-
tion projects throughout the state and to help raise funds for control and
eradication projects.
Since many plants have been introduced for special purposes, such as
landscaping and erosion control, the task force plans to compile information
on alternative native plants suitable for those purposes. It plans to encourage
the propagation and retail sales of natives, focusing educational efforts on
garden clubs, neighborhood associations, and other private groups.
A basic information package about exotic pest plants will be developed
for presentation to groups ranging from nursery retailers and landscapers to
park managers and teachers.
The task force also sees the need to spread the word of its work through
the media and to reward individuals for outstanding efforts in the use of
natives and the eradication of exotics. The creation of publications, including
a newsletter, are also among the priorities of the group.
Other volunteers who are participating include Bob Parrish, Leon Bates,
John Mott, John Froescheur, Daniel Moss, and Andrea Shea.
Senate Hearings on Exotics
DIRECTORS
John Churchill of Johnson City
H.R. DeSelm of Knoxville
Shirley Nicholson of Knoxville
Bertha Chrietzburg of Nashville
Kay Jones of Columbia
Harold Scott of Columbia
Larry Wilson of Memphis
Sally Mirick of Knoxville
Latham Davis, Editor
Letters to the editor or correspondence
about the Newsletter should be ad-
dressed to: TNPS Newsletter, P.O. Box
856, Scwanee, TN 37375.
The impact of exotic species on the continental United States is the
subject of hearings currently being conducted by the Senate Commit-
tee on Governmental Affairs.
The committee is gathering information from a variety of experts on the
problem in the U.S., and members will also be questioning government
agencies on their efforts to respond to the threats.
The hearings follow the release last September of a 400-page report by the
Office of Technology Assessment, a research arm of the Congress. The report
is titled Harmful Non-Indigenous Species of the United States.
A letter about the hearings from Faith Campbell of the Natural Resources
Defense Council points out that "educating members of the Congress is key to
building a set of comprehensive programs aimed at excluding additional
invasive exotic organisms, researching control strategies for those already
here, and putting such strategies into effect."
2
Photographing Wildflowers Part V
How to Look at Photographs
It's winter; the wildflowers are at once a memory of the past and a
dream of the future. . . . What's a wildflower photographer to do? Well,
it's a great time to rejuvenate the photographic spirit and plan ahead
for the first of the springtime flowers.
The bookstores are loaded with beautiful images of wildflowers this time
of year. Found in calendars and coffee-table books, wildflowers may be the
most popular photographic subjects for both publisher and consumer. Look-
ing at wildflower photographs is a great way to make it through the winter.
Read on for a few things you may wish to consider.
Forget — For some reason, many captions in calendars and books tell you
the aperture and shutter speed used by the photographer. That kind of infor-
mation is useful to you only if the lighting conditions are exactly the same as
the ones you experience in the field. I'd like to suggest that you forget the
numbers. I sometimes wish the caption would simply say "used a big hole for
a short time" instead of f/4, 1/250 sec. The information would be much more
useful and it would point me in the right direction.
Compare — Ask yourself how the wildflower photographs you see
compare to the ones you've already made of the very same subject. Whose do
you prefer, and, more importantly, why? A simple comparison of the styles,
lighting, and focus will give you important clues in how to make your wild-
flower photographs better. Sometimes, it may be helpful to finish this
thought: "I like the way this flower was photographed because. . . ." It's a
good way to help you identify the way the photographer got you to relate to
the subject, and it should help you do the same with your own photographs.
Look — After your initial response to the photograph, it's time to look at
how the photographer appealed to your aesthetic values. Do you like the
photograph of the single Rower or do you favor the field of daisies? Do you
prefer only the nearest flower in focus or all of them in focus? Most impor-
tantly, how can you accomplish this technique with your wildflower subjects
this spring? Clearly, you don't want to copy someone else's style. Perhaps you
can think of it more as learning what compositional techniques are currently
in use and applying one of them to your own wildflower photographic
efforts. Or, even better, perhaps you can do it differently or better.
Surprise — Sometimes you'll see examples of the ways to photograph
wildflowers that you've never dreamed of. Some of them you will like, and
some you won't. There are great opportunities here but only if you keep an
open mind. You may find photographers who photograph flowers with wide
angle lenses or as extreme close-ups. It's important to be aware of your
reaction to each style and analyze carefully what you like or don't like about
it. Always ask yourself questions.Why did the photographer choose to make
the photograph in that way? How did he or she accomplish it? How can I do
the same?
After your trip to the bookstore, let it all incubate. You've fed your mind,
now see what grows. This spring, you'll see the artist within you make some
great wildflower photographs. I bet you can't wait!
— David Duhl
Nashville
(David Duhl is a nature photographer living in Nashville and may be contacted at
817 Kent Road, Nashville, Tennessee 37214.)
TNPS Board—
Continued
modelled after the native plant
conference held each year at Western
Carolina University in Cullowhee,
North Carolina
The board also voted a special
thanks to Helen Warren of Oak
Ridge for her hard work and devo-
tion to the sale of TNPS note cards.
Helen recently resigned that duty,
which has now been taken by Nita
Heilman. Nita also is in charge of the
sales of caps, decals, and T-shirts.
In other business, the board voted
to provide a $125 scholarship to a
student wishing to attend the native
plant conference in Cullowhee. See
details elsewhere in this issue. □
Photogaphy Needed
for Flora Book
Although a large number of photo-
graphs has been submitted for the
Tennessee Flora 2001 wildflower
book, more photographs are needed
to fill in gaps.
jack Carman, chairman of the
photography selection committee,
said more than 4,800 slides were
received by the committee from
fifty-six persons. About 750 species
were represented in those 4,800
slides.
While those numbers and the
quality are excellent, about 150
species on the original want-list
remain unrepresented. Therefore,
Jack is preparing a new want-list and
will contact photographers again in
time for spring photography.
In the meantime, the committee
has been narrowing it choice of
slides to about 1,200, a number that
includes more than one for some
species. These plants best repre-
sented were the cardinal flower and
jack-in-a-pulpit, for which almost 50
slides each were submitted.
Dennis Horn has mailed requests
for plant description to 55 people.
He has received an answer from
only half of those. Obviously, more
help is needed. Anyone wishing to
help with the plant description
should write to Dennis Horn, 222
Crestwood Drive, Tullahoma, TN
37388. □
3
TNPS Provides
Native Plant
Conference
Scholarship
TNPS will award a $125 scholar-
ship to a student wishing to
attend the Cullowhee Native
Plant Conference at Western
Carolina University in July.
The scholarship will be avail-
able to any students (graduate or
undergraduate) enrolled in a
bona fide higher education
institution or who is an intern at a
botanical garden or similar
institution and who is a resident
of Tennessee. The scholarship
will cover registration, room, and
board for the conference.
Applicants will be judged on
their letter of application and
their letter of recommendation
from a faculty sponsor. A com-
pleted application must be
submitted by mid-May. Winner
will be notified in early June.
Persons wanting additional in-
formation and an application
may write to Cullowhee Scholar-
ship, Lichterman Nature Center,
Cheekwood
Conference
A perennials conference at
Cheekwood Botanical Gardens in
Nashville will hold a perennials
conference Saturday, March 26. The
program will involve a full day of
speakers on design, garden features,
and plant materials. The cost will be
$35, with lunch optional. The event
is being sponsored by the Perennial
Plant Society of Middle Tennessee.
Further information may be obtain
from Jacqueline Broughton at 615/
353-2146. □
Rainy Day Gardening
Select a Book to Meet Your Needs
Drippy, pewter grey skies. Cold.
And here I slowly rock.
Warm coffee cup in
hand, cat firmly in lap,
beside the wood stove,
staring out and uncon-
sciously dreaming, plan-
ning, a few more steps
toward creating my ideal
habitat. Will a Fother-
gilla or two be happy
over there? I'm determined to plant a sweetbay someplace, but where would
it be happiest? I need something low and drought tolerant near that white
pine. Time to grab some books and decide what to do.
Following is a list of gardening references that I use and have been happy
with. I have organized it roughly by level of gardening expertise, starting
with beginners. No one book will have all the answers, and I suggest choos-
ing carefully based on your own purpose and experience. "Coffeetable"
books abound on this subject, largely full of fluff without much to really help
you make progress. No doubt I've overlooked some other useful choices, but
I think you'll find these to be dependable references for many years.
Botanical manuals are also essential to the serious wild flower enthusiast,
though I have not included them here. Good mail-order catalogues also pro-
vide helpful advice on less common plants.
Let's see. . . what does it say about pH for that Fothergilla, and just when
does it bloom? . . . Do I want the tall kind or the shorter one? . . . Gosh, is it
OK to put it in that low spot?. . . Sorry, gotta go.
Growing and Propagating Wild Flowers (1985, Harry Phillips, UNC Press,
Chapel Hill, NC). Without hesitation, my first choice for any level of wild
flower gardener. Our most used book. Thorough discussions of each plant
including how seed heads look when ripe, what to do with seed, specifics on
best methods of propagating including commercial recommendations, culti-
vation, garden uses and related species. Basic wild flower gardening is
discussed in detail and special sections on carnivorous plants and ferns are
included. Appendix includes a calendar of bloom dates, production time-
tables and much more. The principles taught here will take you a long way
down the road of wild flower gardening and enjoyment.
<*• Nursery Sources ofNatiue Plants of the Southeastern United States (1993, Jan
Midgley, Available from: Wildflower, 2292 Dunster Lane, Rockville, MD
20854). A brand new source of sources for nursery propagated wild plants.
Lots of plants and useful for individuals or professionals.
Wymans Gardening Encyclopedia (1986, Donald Wyman, Mcmillan Pub-
lishing Company, New York, NY). One of the best sources of general horticul-
tural help available. Packed from cover to cover with facts and guidance on
just about anything you can think of that has to do with plants and garden-
ing. You'll become an instant expert. Not cheap, but worth it.
Reader's Digest Illustrated Guide to Gardening (1978, Carroll Calkins,
editor, The Reader's Digest Association, Inc., Pleasantville, NY). One of a
number of complete gardening guides available. It just happens to be the one
I chose years ago and still find it very useful. It provides as much detail as
you will find on most of the basics of gardening. A more up to date edition
than mine will, I hope, offer a more holistic approach to pest control, but
other than that, I think beginners will find many answers in this hefty source.
Handbook of Wildflower Cultivation (1963, Taylor and Hamblin, Macmil-
4
Ian Publishing Company, Inc.). One of the best of the older guides to gardening
and simple propagation of wild flowers. Many species are covered, including
numerous line drawings. An appendix of useful groupings and a glossary are
quite handy as quick references.
if Growing Wildflowers: A Gardener's Guide (1974, Marie Sperka, Charles
Scribner's Sons, New York, NY). Highly recommended, especially for wood-
land species. A very detailed and practical guide to the culture of these plants
including helpful sketches.
if Garden in the Woods Cultivation Guide (1986, Brumback and Longland,
New England Wildflower Society, Inc., Framingham, MA). Another good nuts-
and-bolts reference to the basic cultural requirements of may woodland wild
flowers. Good guide for soil pH.
if Taylor's Guide to Natural Gardening (1993. Roger Holmes, editor,
Houghton Mifflin Company, New York, NY). A good general reference to
native plants and the many aspects of their use and propagation in gardens
throughout the United States. Informative essays, a large plant encyclopedia,
excellent photographs and a helpful guide to resources make this a good choice
for beginning and intermediate gardeners. (Look for new guide on Specialty
Nurseries!)
if Growing and Propagating Showy Native Woody Plants (1992, Richard E. Bir,
UNC Press, Chapel Hill, NC). A much needed source of current information on
the culture and propagation of our native eastern woody flora. Dick Bir knows
his stuff and has included many pearls of wisdom to aid the novice and profes-
sional alike. A must if you're at all interested in caring for or propagating these
choice plants. Many beautiful color photos.
if Perennials: How to Select, Grow & Enjoy (1985. Pamela Harper and Fredrick
McGourty. HP Books, Tucson, A Z). An excellent basic guide to perennial
gardening including many natives and near-natives. Lots of color photos.
if Herbaceous Perennial Plants: A Treatise on their Identification, Culture and
Garden Attributes. 1989. Allan M. Armitage. Varsity Press, Inc., Athens, GA.
I highly recommend this for the perennial gardener's library. Plants are thor-
oughly covered, including more information than usual on their propagation.
The information is current and especially useful for our region. He is clearly
sympathetic to natives which are generously discussed.
if Perennials for American Gardens. 1989. Clausen and Ekstrom. Random
House, Inc., New York, NY. One of the more recent and complete guides to
standard perennials. Natives are treated rather lightly, but overall it is one of
the better sources for cultural advise on dependable perennials and includes
many helpful color photos.
if Pioneering with Wildflowers (1935, George D. Aiken, The Countryman
Press, Taftsville, VT). My first wild flower book. I bought it for my mother
(yeah, right!) in '79, though I promptly devoured it
and somehow it has migrated to my bookshelves. A
superb guide to gardening and identification of
most of our common woodland wild
flowers including many fine color
photos.
if Propagation of Wildflowers
(1986, Curtis, Brumback, New
England Wild Flower Society, Inc.
Framingham, MA). A great little
nuts and bolts pamphlet that is a
quick how-to guide to help you
increase your woodland wild flowers.
Very handy.
if The New Seed Starters Handbook
(1988, Nancy Bubel, Rodale Press, Em-
maus, PA). A very thorough reference
for beginning and intermediate gardeners
of all sorts. If you just want to start a few
Continued Page 6
Native Plant Sale
In Chattanooga
Reflection Riding, an arboretum
and botanical garden in Chat-
tanooga, will hold a spring native
plant sale April 9 and 10 in conjunc-
tion with the Wildflower Festival at
the Chattanooga Nature Center. A
variety of native wildflowers,
shrubs, and trees will be offered.
Anyone wishing to obtain a pre-
order form may call 615/821-9582.
Lichterman Center
Headquarters
Destroyed by Fire
At the TNPS board meeting Febru-
ary 26, Larry Wilson, a board
member from Memphis and the
naturalist at the Lichterman Nature
Center, announced that the main
building at the Lichterman Center
was totally destroyed by a fire the
day before.
The Lichterman house, a large
log and masonry building, lay at
the center of a large estate donated
to the City of Memphis and housed
exhibits and offices of the nature
center. The grounds contain hiking
trails and gardens, including many
native plant areas, preserved and
developed by Larry Wilson and his
volunteers. □
5
Kickoff the 1994
Season with Field
Trip to Cumberland
River Bluffs
Margret Rhinehard will lead the first
field trip of the season to the Cum-
berland River Bluffs near Gainesboro
on April 9.
This is an area rich in spring flora.
The group will be looking especially
for Isopyrum, Trillium recurvatum.
Dicentra, and Jeffersonia.
Everyone is asked to meet at 1
p.m. (Central) at a convenience store
on the bluff of the Cumberland
River. Anyone traveling 1-40 should
exit north on Highway 56 toward
Gainesboro. Before crossing the
river, stop at the convenience store
on the hill.
For more information and to alert
Margret you are coming, call her at
946-2381.
Franklin Forest
Trip April 16
Margret Rhinehart will once again
be the leader for a trip to the
Franklin Forest near Sewanee.
Everyone is asked to meet at 1
p.m. (Central) at the Sewanee Inn.
Sewanee is about five miles from
Monteagle off 1-24 between Nash-
ville and Chattanooga. □
Short Springs
Hike April 17
Short Springs near Tullahoma is in
the process of being designated a
Class I Natural Area by the State
Legislature. And the dedication hike
is scheduled for April 17.
Join Dennis Horn and Milo Pyne
for hikes through this 420-acre area
rich in spring flora. Hiker can meet
at the water tower at the edge of
Short Springs, but if you don't know
the way, meet at the Tullahoma
Dairy Queen at 9:30 a.m. (Central) or
1 p.m. to catch one of the two hikes.
The Dairy Queen is on the left of
Highway 55 as it enters Tullahoma
from the north and 1-24 at Manch-
ester. □
Rainy Day Gardening— Continued
vegetables or grow giant trees, you will find it here. Geared toward the home
gardener, it includes many easy ways to grow just a few plants or how to
manage a small greenhouse. A plant encyclopedia discusses techniques for
starting and growing many specific annuals, perennials and woody plants.
<* Park's Success with Seeds (1978, Ann Reilly, published by George W. Park
Seed, Co., Greenwood, SC). A good, basic course in starting all sorts of plants
from seed. Good color photographs, too.
rt- Natiue Gardening in the South (1992, William R. Fontenot, A Prairie Basse
Publication, Rt. 2, Box 491F, Carencro, LA 70520). Though written by a true
Cajun, the information is cross-cultural. This spiral bound, in-house produc-
tion is chock full of wit and wisdom of a biologist-naturalist-gardener on all
sorts of fringe subjects along with good solid native gardening and steward-
ship advice. Not your run of the mill, fluffy gardening guide. Available
directly from the above address. Especially useful for warmer west Tennessee.
rt- The Wildflower Meadow Book (1986, Laura C. Martin, Fast & McMillan
Publishers, Inc., Charlotte, NC). To date, I think this is the only complete
reference on the subject of naturalized meadows. The information is still very
useful, though much has been learned in the meantime. You may yet have to
feel your way on this subject, but this will give you a good start.
rt- Common Sense Pest Control: Least toxic solutions for your home, garden, pets
and community (1991, Olkowski, Daar, Olkowski, Taunton Press, Newtown,
CT). An excellent, up to date resource for all gardeners. In depth information
on alternatives to highly toxic solutions to many pest problems. No fluff here!
Again, not cheap, but truly a lifetime investment in peace of mind.
rt- Manual of Woody Landscape Plants: Their Identification, Ornamental Charac-
teristics, Culture, Propagation and Uses (1983, Michael Dirr, Stipes Publishing
Company, Champaign, IL). A standard for professionals, but written for
anyone curious about growing or caring for most of the woody plants used in
landscaping. I highly recommend this book (or latest edition) for anyone
seriously interested in propagating or using a variety of woody plants. The
scary part is that Michael Dirr really does know all of these plants and, in most
cases, his facts are based on personal experience. Many, many natives are
covered, and he clearly has a fondness for them. Cold hard facts laced with
wry wit and distilled personal opinion make this one of the well worn treas-
ures of my library.
rt- Native Shrubs and Woody Vines of the Southeast: Landscaping Uses and
Identification (1989, Foote and Jones, Timber Press, Portland, OR). A very good
resource including botanical descriptions and suggestions for landscape use.
Good lists of plants by form, habit, cultural requirements, etc. and very nice
color photos.
<*■ Native Trees, Shrubs and Vines for Urban
and Rural America. A Planting Design Manual
for Environmental Designers (1988, Gary L.
Hightshoe, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New
York, NY). Intended more for professional
designers, but, if you can afford it, it is
very useful for finding quick answers to
such things as plant characteristics,
shade and moisture tolerances, disease
susceptibility, urban tolerance, and
similar and associated species. Good
black-and-white photos and sketches
of form, bark, flower, and fruit. Lots
of charts and tables for comparison
of various characteristics.
— Ed and Meredith Clebsch
Greenback
6
1994 TNPS Field Trip Schedule
Date
Location
Description
Leader
Place/Time
April 9
Cumberland River
Bluffs, Gainesboro
Rich spring flora: Isopyrum,
Trillium recurvatum, Dicentra,
Jeffer sonia
Margrct Rhinehart
615/946-2381
Hwy 56 market
before river
1 p.m.
April 16
Franklin Forest,
Sewanee
Trillium catesbaei and pockets of
northern-like flora
Margret Rhinehart
615/946-2381
Sewanee Inn
1 p.m. (CT)
April 17
Short Springs,
Tullahoma
Dedication hikes in new State
Natural Area; area rich in flora
Dennis Horn
615/454-5742
Milo Pyne
Dairy Queen
9:30 and 1 p.m
(CT)
April 23
Frozen Head /Panther
Creek Trail
Rich spring flora; Disporum
maculatum, etc.
Dennis Horn
455-5742
Larry Pounds
Visitors Cntr
10:30 (ET)
April 28-30
Wildflower Pilgrimage,
Gatlinburg
Annual series of Smokies wild-
flower hikes along with exhibits
May 1
Post Pilgrimage Hike,
Smokies
TNPS hike to be announced at
Sugarlands Visitors Center
Sugarlands
9:30 (ET)
May 7
Sunnybell Glade,
Rutherford Co.
Sunnybell Glade and other glades
in Rutherford. See Schoenolirion
croceum and other species
Bertha Chrietzburg
615/896-1146
1-24 Stuckeys at
Almaville exit
10 a.m. (CT)
May 21
Tennessee River Gorge,
Marion Co.
Find Scutellaria montarm, S. pseu-
doserrata, S. ovata, Waldsteinia
parviflora
Margret Rhinehart
615/946-2381
Check later
issues
June 11
Pickett State Park, ,
Pickett Co.
Silene rotundifolia, Passiflora lutea,
etc.
Milo Pyne
615/532-0440
Check later
issues
July 9
Goose Pond, Pelham
in Grundy Co.
See oft-damaged pond where
Nelumbo lutea and other species
survive
Milo Pyne
615/532-0440
Check later
issues
Aug. 6
South Cumberland Rec.
Area, Grundy Co.
Wide variety of meadow and
stream-side flora
Bertha Chrietzburg
615/896-1146
Check later
issues
Aug. 13
Oak Ridge Barrens
See tall larkspur and other species
Maureen Cunningham
615/481-8727
Check later
issues
Sept. 10-11
Clinch River Canoe
Trip, Oak Ridge
—Second-day shoreline
exploration continued
See rare spreading false floxglove,
Aureolaria patula and other
species. Second day: Earleaved
foxglove (Tomenthera auriculata)
Maureen Cunningham
615/481-8727
Milo Pyne
615/532-0440
Check later
issues
Sept. 23-25
Annual Meeting,
AEDC, Manchester/
Tullahoma
Many unusual meadow or prairie
species to be seen on hikes
Kay Jones,
Coordinator
615/285-2777
Check later
issues
7
TNPS 1994 Field
Trip Schedule
— See Page 7 —
The TNPS Board of Directors has
approved a 1994 schedule of field
trips.
Most of these planned hikes will
be to new areas for most members,
while others are variations of some
excellent field trips held in the past.
Additional information about
these trips will be published in the
future. But you may want to clip out
or copy this schedule and post it as a
reminder of what is to come.
Make plans now to attend the
TNPS Annual Meeting set for AEDC,
September 23-25.
Time to Renew Your Membership
For your convenience, a membership form is included here, although
you may want to save the field trip schedule on the opposite side of
the page. If you are saving the field trip schedule, you may either
make a copy of the membership form or simply send you name and address
and check for dues to the TNPS address in Knoxville.
If you are in doubt about whether you are paid for the current calen-
dar year, simply look at the date on the mailing label of this newsletter.
Name
Address
City/State/Zip
Membership Categories: Regular $15, Student and Senior $10,
Institutional $20, Life Memberships $150
Mail To: Tennessee Native Plant Society, Department of Botany,
University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-1100
Vol. 17, No. 1; March 1994
Printed on recycled paper
Tennessee Native
Plant Society
Newsletter
Bulk Rate
U.S. Postage
PAID
Permit No. 54
Sewanee, TN
P.O. Box 856
Sewanee, TN 37375
Volume 17, Number 2
TENNESSEE NATIVE
PLANT SOCIETY
NEWSLETTER
June 1994
More Photos Sought for 2001
Flora Guidebook
Anew call for photographs is out in preparation for the TNPS wild-
flower guidebook.
More than 700 photographs are expected to be used in the book,
which will be published as part of the Tennessee 2001 Flora Project.
As many photographs as possible will be included, not only to show the
best known species but to include representative species from some of
Tennessee's special regions and habitats, like the cedar glades.
About 5,000 photographs were received in the first call last year, and those
were cut down to about 1,300 photographs.
Jack Carman, chairman of the photo selection committee, said those 1,300
remaining photos include many duplications, so that more will have to be
eliminated. More important, the selection process has shown that photo-
graphs of many species the committee had hoped to include have not been
received.
Therefore, a new want list has been sent to the photographers who submit-
ted the initial collection. Those photos are due by November. Anyone wishing
to have the new list may write to Jack Carman at 106 LaSalle Lane, Tullahoma
37388-3249.
Plant descriptions are being compiled under the guidance of the descrip-
tion committee, chaired by Dennis Horn of Tullahoma.
Publishing arrangements are still being made, and gifts will be sought to
publish the book at a cost of well over $100,000. The book is being published
in commemoration of the first comprehensive guide to Tennessee plants, the
Flora of Tennessee and Philosophy of Botany by Augustin Gattinger.
Candy Swan to be
TNPS Editor
Beginning with the August issue, the
TNPS Newsletter will have a new
editor. She is Candy Swan, a TNPS
member from Cookeville.
Candy was coordinator of the
state roadside wildflower project
when she was working with the
Tennessee Tech Agriculture Depart-
ment, which had a contract with the
state.
Previously she was a state park
ranger/naturalist at Big Ridge and
Standing Stone state parks. Cur-
rently she is teaching in the Putnam
School System.
In addition to her education in
biology and her experience as a
naturalist. Candy brings to the TNPS
Newsletter some editing experience.
She is the editor of the newsletter for
the Upper Cumberland Chapter of
the Tennessee Ornithological Soci-
ety.
Correspondence to the newsletter
should now be addressed to Candy
L. Swan,1172 Dry Valley Road,
Cookeville, TN 38501.
Also in this Issue
Photography
by David Duhl
Page 4
Annual Meeting
and Plant Conference
Page 7
TENNESSEE NATIVE
PLANT SOCIETY
NEWSLETTER
June 1994
Volume 17, Number 2
This Newsletter is a publication of the
Tennessee Native Plant Society and is
published six times a year, generally in
February, April, June, August, October,
and December.
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
education of the public 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 protec-
tion and enhancement of Tennessee's
wild plant communities.
Dues are $15 for the calendar year ($10
for students and senior citizens, $20 for
institutions, and $150 for life member-
ships). Membership privileges include a
subscription to the TNPS Newsletter.
Dues may be sent to the Tennessee
Native Plant Society, Department of
Botany, the University of Tennessee,
Knoxville, TN 37996-1100.
TNPS OFFICERS
Mary Martin Schaffner of Nashville,
President
Dennis Horn of Tullahoma,
Vice-President
Andrea Shea of Nashville,
Corresponding Secretary
Nita Heilman of Clarksville,
Recording Secretary
Karen Yarbro of Knoxville,
Treasurer
DIRECTORS
John Churchill of Johnson City
H.R. DeSelm of Knoxville
Shirley Nicholson of Knoxville
Bertha Chrietzburg of Nashville
Kay Jones of Columbia
Harold Scott of Columbia
Larry Wilson of Memphis
Sally Mirick of Knoxville
Latham Davis, Editor
Thanks for These Years as Your Editor
ne privilege an editor has is the opportunity to write an occasional
editorial, and now that I am at the end of my tenure — all three-and-a
half-years of it — I'll take advantage of the opportunity.
Mainly, I'd just like to say some good things about this organization and
thank everyone for the opportunity as editor to have had some fun.
I am relinquishing my responsibilities to Candy Swan, and I am happy to
have found a new editor who is both experienced at editing and has good
knowledge of native plants. I hope Candy will enjoy herself half as much as I
have these short years.
I have not resigned as editor very willingly. I have simply run out of time,
with two business ventures consuming all my waking hours and then some.
The pleasure of being your editor has not only come from the opportunity
to write about and edit information about native plants, but it has come from
my encounters with members of this organization. Whenever I manage to
race off to a TNPS field trip, I must admit I am not seeking out new native
plants so much as seeking the company of our members who know about
those plants. With difficulty I am restraining myself from mentioning
people's names, for I cannot name nearly all of them.
Part of the charm of this society is that its members have a single-minded
interest in native flora. Peripheral activities sometimes suffer. Our members,
somewhat obsessive by nature anyway it seems, don't have extra time in their
lives except to pursue beautiful, unusual, and rare native plants. And if on a
field trip you hang close on their shoulders you can pick up a lot of fascinat-
ing information about the incredible field of botany. I have tried to include in
the pages of our newsletter some of that information, as well as some of the
charm of those members, sometimes successfully, sometimes not. But if my
work for the fun of it has been of some service to TNPS, that is my bonus
reward.
I will not end this discourse without entering a plug for our society's major
people event.
If in the past you have been unable attend field trips, consider making a
special effort to attend the annual meeting September 23-25. For the second
straight year, the annual meeting will be held at Arnold Engineering Devel-
opment Center between Manchester and Tullahoma, southeast of Nashville.
Excellent accommodations will be available at the Forrest Inn and Arnold
Lakeside Club through our TNPS annual meeting coordinator Kay Jones. If
the inn fills up, excellent motels are available within a ten-minute drive.
Best of all, amateur and professional botanists will be providing formal
and informal programs on their favorite subjects. And the time of year should
be perfect to observe up close the rich meadow flora of the AEDC reservation.
I hope I will see you there. And if
not, I'm happy we have connected,
even in a small way, through this
TNPS Newsletter.
— Latham Davis
2
Why Cardinals Are Loved
by Hummingbirds
If you have become acquainted with the lobelias, you have probably
been struck by the differences in the species. Not that the existence of
those differences is especially unusual. To the contrary, the variations in
color, habitat, and structure are somewhat typical of vascular plant families
and genera. Nevertheless, the differences help us to remember and appreciate
them more.
The checklist of the Vascular Plants of Tennessee, edited by Eugene Wofford
at UT, lists nine species of lobelia in the state. Most field guides name no more
than three or four.
One of the most striking is the Lobelia cardinalis or cardinal flower. Its intri-
cate flower but vibrant red color can stop a group of hikers in their tracks. The
stop is almost always along a stream bank or marshy seep.
Gardeners and propagators say that cardinal flower is not so particular
about moisture in cultivation so long as the site is not allowed to dry out. But
in moist areas that persist well into late summer, cardinalis can be two or three
times as tall (up to five feet) and its tubular flowers can be twice as large
(more than an inch) as those planted in perennial borders.
The cardinal flower's leafy stem is topped by racemes of flowers. Toothed
leaves two to five inches in length alternate up the erect stem, with little or no
branching. Look for blooms in early July; they will persist into October.
The upper lip of each flower is split into two lobes, the bottom lip into
three, and the fused stamens form a red tube from which the anthers pro-
trude. The unusual shape and brilliant red color assures visits from the chief
pollinators — hummingbirds.
On this point, a difference between cardinalis and its cousin, the blue
lobelia, raises evolutionary questions.
Nell Blanchard in Nature's Garden notes that bees prefer blues, humming-
birds red. Thus the shorter-tubed blue lobelia elected to woo bees. (Blanchard
also says, "Our scarcity of red flowers is due ... to the scarcity of humming-
birds." Other authors blame the infrequency of cardinalis on collecting.)
Blue also predominates among the lobelias and those blue species, unlike
cardinalis, do well in drier and sunnier locations.
Cardinal flower can be grown from seed, by stem cuttings in summer, and
by division of the rosettes before or after the growing season. Each flower
produces a round capsule containing thousands of tiny reddish-brown seeds.
The capsules ripen from the bottom of the spike to the top, splitting open at
maturity to disperse their seeds. □
Flora of North America
Volumes Available
Flora of North America (first two volumes): A reminder of this first-ever com-
prehensive description of the plants growing naturally north of Mexico.
Volume I contains a series of introductory essays that provide a foundation
for the Flora. The essays, written by nearly two dozen botanical authorities,
discuss climate, geology, the histories of vegetation and its current status,
expeditions and research and discussions of overall classification and how to
use the book. Volume II contains taxonomic treatments of ferns and gymno-
sperms. In all, fourteen volumes of the Flora will be published over a period
of twelve years.
(Flora of North America; Oxford University Press; New York; 1993; $75/
volume.) Copies may be ordered by calling 800/451-7556. □
Preserving Historic
Landscapes
in the Garden
A New Book ,The Natural Habitat
Garden by Ken Druse:
In this colorful volume, Ken
Druse, both author and photogra-
pher, is joined by New York Newsday
garden editor Margaret Roach. They
set out to show how gardens can be
more than collections of plants; they
can be harmonious communities
made to resemble North America as
it was in the years before European
settlement. Druse writes, "When I
wrote The Natural Garden in the mid-
1980s, I proposed that nature be the
source of design. Now instead of
just making gardens that resemble
the earth, I want to change the
earth's diminished domain by
growing native-plant gardens
modeled on nature's original
communities."
Druse's goal is laudable and
attractive to most students of native
plant botany, but it may be beyond
the capacity of all but the rare gar-
dener. Gardens, by their nature, are
grown on altered landscapes in con-
trived environments. It is one thing
to grow Iris cristata, Trillium sessile,
and wild geranium. But how many
gardeners are able to maintain a
habitat that preserves the hundreds
of lesser known, sometimes delicate
species?
Nevertheless, Druse provides
valuable insights. For instance, "A
quarter of the earth's organisms may
become extinct in the next thirty
years. Only 1.4 million plant and
animal species have been recorded
so far by scientists, who estimate
that there are 10 million to 100
million out there. Gardening can
dramatically affect this biodiver-
sity."
The Natural Habitat Garden
presents more than 500 color photo-
graphs of gardens from all over the
country that are inspired by regional
habitat types. It is divided into
chapters on Grasslands, Drylands,
Wetlands, and Woodlands.
(The Natural Habitat Garden by
Ken Druse; Clarkson Potter Publish-
ers, New York, NY, 1994; 256 pages;
$40.) □
CULLOWHEE
Native Plant
Conference
July 21-23
The Cullowhee Conference on
Landscaping with Native Plants is
celebrating ten years of success-
fully bringing together enthusi-
asts on native plant landscaping.
This year's conference is being
held July 21-23, as always at
Western Carolina University in
Cullowhee, North Carolina.
Several Tennesseans helped
with the first conference in 1984.
Leo Collins was particularly in-
strumental, and Collins has
helped organize other native
plant conferences, including the
Mid-South Conference, being held
this year in Memphis.
Persons wishing more infor-
mation about this year's confer-
ence in Cullowhee may write to
Sue Deitz, Division of Continuing
Education, Western Carolina
University, Cullowhee, NC 28723
or call 704/227-7397.
Mint Protection
A note from the catalogue of Sun-
light Gardens of Andrea Sessions
and Marty Zenni (174 Golden Lane,
Andersonville, TN 37705):
Did you know that mountain
mint repels fleas, gnats, and ticks?
Pycnanthemum incanum is quite
effective at keeping those thirsty
little buggers off your legs. Rub
leaves on your socks or put some
branches in your boots when you
walk in infested areas. Try throw-
ing some leafy branches into the
dog house to relieve your pets. But
who has fleas anyway?! Be sure to
plant lots of plants! □
Photographing Wildflowers Part V -
Photographiing for the TNPS
WlLDFLOWER GUIDE- BOOK
In the winter of 1994, seven
sugar-crazed photographers
and one dedicated botanist
secluded themselves in a room for
four consecutive weekends, ate
lots of sweets, and looked at over
3,500 slides and prints. The
goal was to make the initial
photo selections for the NPS
guidebook. What follows are /
our observations and sugges- /
tions which might be helpful to /
those who wish to contribute
photos in the next round of submis-
sions. For simplicity, I've summa-
rized the most common difficulties
we had in selecting photographs, and some points to consider for each.
Sunlight. Many photographs suffered for being photographed in bright sun-
light. In photography, it is sometimes preferable to look for even lighting.
When it's not there, create it yourself by casting a shadow with your coat or
an umbrella. Doing this will most certainly eliminate bright spots and dis-
tracting highlights.
Go with the flow. Some photographers failed to match the format of the slide —
horizontal or vertical — with the image. In general, if the flow of the subject is
from side to side, consider a horizontal format. If it is from top to bottom, a
vertical photograph might be in order.
Foliage. In some cases, the most beautiful wildflower photograph was accom-
panied by the foliage of an entirely different plant — great for aesthetics, but a
questionable strategy for selection in a guidebook. It might be helpful to
consider photographing the wildflower with its own foliage so as to tell a
more complete story of the subject.
Foliage redux. On a similar note, many photographs were exceptional, but
showed the wildflower, disconnected with any foliage at all. This was a par-
ticular problem if the foliage was the key to identifying the wildflower.
Again, great for aesthetics, t>ut maybe not so for a guidebook.
Background. Sometimes an otherwise beautiful wildflower image was compro-
mised because the subject did not stand out from the background. The ideal
situation would be the subject completely in focus, the background not recog-
nizable at all. It's a trade-off: as you change the aperture from f/5.6 to f/8 to
f/11 I to get more of the flower in focus, more of the background will come
into focus as well. The solution may involve placing the camera parallel to the
subject (essentially placing the flower in a single plane), allowing for the use
of a larger aperture (f/8, for example). It's also helpful to find a subject that is
relatively far away from the background (a tall flower at the edge of a field,
for example).
The artist within. While we all try to be artistic with our photography, there is
a fine line between artistic and literal representations of wildflowers. For
guidebooks, you need to be on the literal side.
4
Color. On several occasions, the technical merits of some photographs were
quite high, but the color compromised selection. It's true that some films don't
record blue very well, some have greens that favor yellow-green, and some
reds that favor orange. Beyond these limitations, try to use your film before the
expiration date stamped on the box, and don't let it get too hot along the way —
you can't, imagine the colors you'll get. For literal photography, let nature
choose the palette. I don't even want to consider what "true" color is!
Overexposed whites. It seems like I read somewhere the adage that bright whites
are great for laundry, but not so for photographs. Many times we witnessed
breathtaking images that had overexposed whites. The reason is simple: film
can only record about two stops brighter than middle tone, and pure white is
beyond those two stops. The solution is equally simple: underexpose your
photograph 1/2 to 3/4 stops to bring those whites within the range the film can
handle.
You'll be hearing more about the re-submission procedure for the Tennessee
Wildflower Guidebook later. I hope you'll keep some of these points in mind. I
think it will help.
David Duhl
(David Duhl is a nature photographer living in Nashville and may be contacted at 817
Kent Road, Nashxnlle, Tennessee 37214.)
A Passion for the Passionflower
Mid-summer is blooming time of Tennessee's state wildflower, the passion-
flower or maypop ( Passiflora incarnata).
The passionflower is one of nature's most striking and unusual wildflow-
ers.
Early Jesuit missionaries attached religious meaning to the passionflower. It
became known as the flor de las cinco llagas, or flower of the five wounds — five
sepals, five petals — and special meanings were given to the other parts of the
flower.
Although potentially harmful in large amounts, native Americans and early
settlers used the passionflower medicinally. Native Americans
made a poultice with roots to soothe
bruises, boils, cuts, and earaches.
Pioneers made a soothing eyewash
and used the plant to treat insom-
nia, tension headaches, and
epilepsy.
Gardeners who wish to
propagate the passionflower
from seed may become
frustrated because germina-
tion takes two years, and
only a very small percent-
age of seed is viable. The
best way is to propagate
from stem cuttings six to
eight inches in length which
are kept under a mist spray.
Or order from native plant
propagators.
Eastern Native
Plant Alliance
Conference
August 25-27
The Eastern Native Plant Alliance is
sponsoring a three-day conference
in August, to spotlight the issues of
landscape planning, restoration, and
management.
The conference will be held
August 25-27 at Winterthur Mu-
seum and Gardens. Winterthur is
located in the Brandywine Valley on
Route 52, six miles northwest of
Wilmington, Delaware, and Inter-
state 95.
Registration costs $30, which
includes two refreshment breaks
and two box lunches. Other infor-
mation about registration, program,
and accommodations may be
obtained by contacting Greg Edin-
ger. Bowman's Hill Wildflower
Preserve, P.O. Box 103, Washington
Crossing, PA 18977 or by calling
215/862-2924.
ENPA membership is open to
organizations that promote or
demonstrate native plant conserva-
tion in the eastern U.S. or southeast-
ern Canada and to individuals com-
mitted to serving as liaison to an
appropriate organization. Annual
dues are $25. The address is Eastern
Native Plant Alliance, P.O. Box
6101, McLean, VA 22106.
Turtle Island
Bioregional
Meeting Emphasizes
Regional Issues
The sixth biennial Turtle Island
Bioregional Gathering will be held
August 14-21 at Camp Piomingo,
Kentucky.
The site is thirty miles southwest
of Louisville, Kentucky, at the mouth
of Otter Creek on the Ohio River.
Further information may be
obtained by writing to Shepard
Hendrickson, 341 N. Hamilton,
Indianapolis, IN 46201 or by calling
317/636-3977. □
5
The Department
of Transportation
Begins Planting
Alien Wild flowers
A pilot study, costing $150,000, was
completed last year for the Depart-
ment of Transportation.
The program established sites and
made recommendations for the
planting of native flora along inter-
state and state highways. Key recom-
mendations were that the state avoid
mowing certain areas where native
plants already existed and that
certain species of native plants be
planted in suitable areas.
This year the department began
planting about twenty species of
wildflowers along the interstate.
However, all but three of those
species are aliens. Thus the Depart-
ment of Transportation is substan-
tially ignoring the $150,000 study.
What is worse is that some of the
species — dame's rocket, for in-
stance— has proven elsewhere to be
invasive to native plants. Of course,
some of the alien species will live
only one season and not survive, but
others will spread.
Candy Swan, a TNPS member
and a coordinator of the roadside
wildflower project, was quoted
extensively in a story published
recently in the Nashville Tennessean.
Her work had successful shown the
promising potential of using wild-
flowers along highway rights-of-
way.
Candy pointed out that the new
plantings were initiated for the state
bicentennial, and the use of alien
plants to the exclusion of natives,
therefore, seems especially ludicrous.
In taking this course, the Depart-
ment of Transportation is also ignor-
ing the work of its sister depart-
ment— Environment and Conserva-
tion— which has been discouraging
the use of alien species in plantings.
DOT is also ignoring successful
highway wildflower projects in other
states, most notably Texas and Vir-
ginia. Those state have not only
beautified the roadways by allowing
native wildflowers to spread, but
they have cut expenses significantly
by reducing the amount of mowing.
Those efforts have also become part
of those states' tourist promotions.
6
Federal Listing for Tennessee's
Large Rock Cress
Arabis perstallata var. ampla in Rutherford County
Two varieties of Arabis perstellata are up for addition to the Federal List
of Endangered and Threatened Species. These perennial members of
the mustard family ( Brassicaceae ) have the common names of large
rock cress (var. ampla) and small rock cress (var. perstellata). They are known
from only a few populations in Kentucky and Tennessee.
A report of the Fish and Wildlife Service lists only two extant populations
of A. perstellata var. ampla, both in Rutherford County, Tennessee. Variety
perstellata is currently known from twenty-six populations in Kentucky —
twenty-four in Franklin County and two in Owen County.
According to the report, "The species is endangered because of either
potential or current threats from habitat alteration due to residential, commer-
cial, or industrial development; timber harvesting; grazing and trampling; and
competition with native and exotic weedy species, especially the European
garlic mustard ( Alliaria petiolata).
Both varieties have round stems and alternate leaves. Their stems and
foliage have a grayish coloration due to the large quantity of hairs. Their
stems arise from horizontal bases and grow more than 30 inches long, often
drooping from rock ledges.
There are six stamens, with two shorter than the other four. Flowering
occurs from late March to early May. Fruits mature from mid-May to early
June. Their oblong seeds are reddish brown; somewhat flattened, about one
mm or .04 inch long.
Both varieties have been associated with steep limestone cliffs or slopes
with limestone outcrops. The plants have definite shade-light requirements,
surviving in full shade or filtered light, but are not found in full sunlight.
Large rock cress was discovered in 1959 on steep limestone cliffs above the
Stones River in Davidson County by Dr. R. B. Channel. A year later these
populations were distinguished from the Kentucky populations by their
generally larger size, thinner and more entire leaves, and lesser pubescence.
The three previously known Davidson County sites have been extirpated,
and during the recent study, one of the two Rutherford County sites could not
be located. But one additional population was discovered in Rutherford
County. One consists of only about twenty-five plants, the other contains
several hundred plants scattered over about 2.2 acres. Both sites are on private
land and are threatened by competition by weedy invaders.
Listing on the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Species provides
for certain measures of protection by federal, state, and private agencies and
groups. Some additional protection against taking is also provided.
Further information about the study or Arabis perstellata may be obtained
by writing J. Allen Ratzlaff at the Asheville Field Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, 330 Ridgefield Court, Asheville, NC 28806 or by calling 704/665-1195,
ext. 229. □
z.
Get Ready for the TNPS
Annual Meeting
Return to Arnold Center September 23-25
June is not too early to begin planning your trip to the TNPS Annual
Meeting, set for September 23-25 at the Arnold Engineering Develop-
ment Center.
The AEDC reservation is home to thousands of species of late summer
wildflowers. Nearby are May Prairie, a state preserve, and other sites.
Details about prices are not available. But Kay Jones said that when those
details are announced, probably in August, be prepared to make your reserva-
tions promptly.
TNPS will have a joint meeting this year with the Kentucky Native Plant
Society and perhaps also the American Association of Field Botanists. The
usual rich schedule of lectures and illustrated presentations is anticipated.
Accommodations and facilities at AEDC are first class and are provided at
a reasonable price. Break-
fasts and evening meals
be available at the Forest
Inn and Arnold Lakeside
Club.
The Arnold reservation
is located near 1-24 between
Nashville and Chattanooga. The
AEDC exit is just south of Manch-
ester.
Anyone wishing to contact Kay
Jones may write to her at P.O. Box
193, Hampshire 38461 or call 615/
285-2777 evenings.
Native Plant Conference
in Memphis to Be Held
October 21-23
Plans continue to be made for the Mid-South Native Plant Confer-
ence to be held October 21-23 in Memphis.
TNPS is sponsoring the event along with the Memphis Horti-
cultural Society, the Memphis Botanic Garden, Lichterman Nature Center
and native plant societies from Arkansas, Kentucky, Illinois, and Missis-
sippi.
The conference will be held at the theater of Christian Brothers Uni-
versity. The steering committee reports that the theater, which seats 500
people, also has a lobby for exhibits, and classrooms are in a nearby
building for various programs. Meals will be available in the nearby cafe-
teria at a cost of $5 to $8 a meal.
The committee voted to set a registration fee of $75, with a special dis-
count price of $60 for early registrants. Money must be received by
October 1. Other details are still being worked out.
Larry Wilson of Memphis, a TNPS member, serves on the committee.
He may be contacted at the Lichterman Nature Center, 5992 Quince
Road, Memphis, TN 38119 or by calling 901 / 680-9756.
South Cumberland
Hikes August 6
Offer Abundant
Meadows, Mountain
Falls, and Orchids
Two very different hikes await
members on August 6 in Grundy
County on the Cumberland Plateau.
Bertha Chrietzburg leads the
way, and she asks that everyone
meet at 9:30 a.m. at the visitor's
center of the South Cumberland
Recreation Area. The center is
located three miles north of 1-24 on
Highway 56 between Monteagle and
Tracy City.
The first hike will take members
into a mixed meadow and lightly
wooded area behind the center. This
is an area that was once cleared for a
golf course. It includes ponds and
streams, as well as dry grassy slopes.
The hike will be moderate, appropri-
ate for the whole family.
Bertha says we can expect a wide
variety of summer meadow flowers.
She expects to find two species of
yellow fringed orchid. Platanthera
ciliaris is most frequently found and
sometimes P. cristata.
The group will return to the
picnic area at the visitors' center for
lunch; so be prepared by packing
something to eat.
After lunch Bertha will lead a
caravan to Foster Falls, about 20
miles away beyond Tracy City.
Foster Falls is the termination of the
Fiery Gizzard Trail and part of more
than 100 miles of trails connected to
the Stone Door and Savage Gulf
area. If you are not familiar with this
area, you have a treat in store.
At Foster Falls, Bertha said she
hopes to find the white fringeless
orchid ( Platanthera integra) along
with a variety of wildflowers grow-
ing along the rocky cliffs and
streams.
Make Your Plans to
Attend the Annual
Time to Renew Your Membership
Meeting of TNPS
at the Arnold
Center Reservation
September 23-25.
■ 'i or your convenience, a membership form is included here, although
IH you may want to save the field trip schedule on the opposite side of
-i- the page. If you are saving the field trip schedule, you may either
make a copy of the membership form or simply send you name and address
and check for dues to the TNPS address in Knoxville.
If you are in doubt about whether you are paid for the current calen-
dar year, simply look at the date on the mailing label of this newsletter.
Name
Address
City/State/Zip
Membership Categories: Regular $15, Student and Senior $10,
Institutional $20, Life Memberships $150
Mail To: Tennessee Native Plant Society, Department of Botany,
University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-1100
Vol. 17, No. 2; June 1994
Printed on recycled paper
Tennessee Native
Plant Society
Newsletter
Bulk Rate
U.S. Postage
PAID
Permit No. 54
Sewanee, TN
P.O. Box 856
Sewanee, TN 37375
■ : )k!)
TENNESSEE NATIVE
PLANT SOCIETY
NEWSLETTER
VOLUME 17, NUMBER 3
AUGUST 1994
ENVIRONMENTALLY AND ECONOMICALLY BENEFI-
CIAL PRACTICES ON FEDERALLY LANDSCAPED
GROUNDS
This was the topic of a memorandum from
President Clinton on April 26, 1994. This
was also the time when the Tennessee De-
partment of Transportation continued to
plant alien wildflowers on Tennessee
interstates and other sites. The following
is from the President's directive.
The Report of the National Performance
Review contains recommendations for a se-
ries of environmental actions, including
one to increase environmentally and eco-
nomically beneficial landscaping practices
at Federal facilities and on federally
funded projects. The memorandum defines
environmentally beneficial as utilizing
techniques that compliment and enhance the
local environment and seek to minimize the
adverse effects that landscaping will have
on it. In particular, this means using
regionally native plants and employing
landscaping practices and technologies
that conserve water and prevent pollution.
ANNUAL MEETING AEDC
SEPTEMBER 23-25 Call Kay
Jones at 615/285-2777 to-
day !
Please send all correspon-
dence to the TNPS Newslet-
ter to Candy Swan, 1172 S
Dry Valley Road,
Cookeville, TN 38506
615/528-4698
IN THIS ISSUE
How to Store Your Photo-
graphs
by David Duhl
Annual Meeting Reservation
Information
How to grow Asclepias
tuberosa
Plant Sales
TENNESSEE NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY
NEWSLETTER
August 1994
Volume 17 , Number 3
This Newsletter is a publica-
tion of the Tennessee Native
Plant Society and is published
six times a year, generally in
February, April, June, August,
October, and December.
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
education of the public about
Tennessee flora, and wild
plant 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 are $15 for the calendar
year ($10 for students and
senior citizens, $20 for
institutions, and $150 for
life memberships) . Membership
privileges include a subscrip-
tion to the TNPS Newsletter.
Dues may be sent to the
Tennessee Native Plant Soci-
ety, Department of Botany, the
University of Tennessee,
Knoxville, TN 37996-1100.
TNPS OPPICERS
Mary Martin Schaffner of
Nashville,
President
Dennis Horn of Tullahoma,
Vice-President
Andrea Shea of Nashville,
Corresponding Secre-
tary
Nita Heilman of Clarksville,
Recording Secretary
Karen Yarbro of Knoxville,
Treasurer
DIRECTORS
John Churchill of Johnson City
H.R. DeSelm of Knoxville
Shirley Nicholson of Knoxville
Bertha Chrietzburg of Nash-
ville
Kay Jones of Columbia
Harold Scott of Columbia
Larry Wilson of Memphis
Sally Mirick of Knoxville
Candy Swan, Editor
FROM THE EDITOR:
I look forward to serving as Editor
for the Tennessee Native Plant Society-
Newsletter. Latham has done a wonderful
job the past few years. I hope I can do as
well .
I know the Newsletter will be a lot
of fun. It has always been an invaluable
source of information for many people
interested in native plants and the public
education, protection and enhancement of
Tennessee's flora.
Although we could fill volumes on
the native plants of Tennessee; Latham,
myself and past editors have sometimes had
trouble filling the eight pages of the
Newsletter. The information is out there,
it's just sometimes difficult to get it
all together in a timely and interesting
manner .
The Newsletter is an intergral part
of the Tennessee Native Plant Society. As
important as field trips and meetings, it
is often the only connection for many
members to TNPS. Information contained in
the Newsletter should be of the highest
quality possible. For this to happen, the
newsletter needs as many members as pos-
sible involved in its creation..
Please send any information, ar-
ticles, artwork, field trips, native plant
tips, etc. for future newsletters. This is
a general plea to all members, since I
won't be able to contact you all by phone!
Remember, information not shared is
lost, so share what you know with the rest
of the native plant enthusiasts in TNPS. I
hope everyone had a wonderful summer. Hope
to see you at the Annual Meeting at AEDC
September 23-25.
Candy Swan
2
MID -SOUTH NATIVE PLANT
CONFERENCE UPDATE
Go Native! Using Native
Plants in the Landscape
will be the focus at the
Mid-South Native Plant Con-
ference in Memphis. This
year's meeting, October 21-
23, will be held at Chris-
tian Brothers University.
Topics this year will in-
clude: "Thoughts for Design
of a Woodland Garden", "Why
I Like Native Plants-the
Story of My Garden", "Native
Grasses in the Landscape",
"The Butterfly Connection : If
You Plant It, They Will
Come" and "Don't Stomp that
Caterpillar ! " .
Conference participants will
also have the opportunity to
visit a Virgin White Oak
Forest, survey the Landscap-
ing projects at the Memphis
Zoo and the Native Plant
Landscape at Lichterman
Nature Center .
Registration cost is $85.
Pre-registration, by October
1, is $70. Registration
includes the evening meal on
Friday and the noon meal on
Saturday, three snacks and a
limited edition 1994 MSNPC
T-shirt. Make checks payable
to: MSNPC and mail to:
MSNPC , LNC
5992 Quince Road
Memphis, TN 38119
PHOTOGRAPHING WILDFLOWERS-PART VII
STORING YOUR PHOTOGRAPHS
We've all come to appreciate discovering a
wildflower in a new location, and how its ap-
pearance changes with time. As time passes, it's
not there anymore, at least not as we remember
it. The same is true of memories. They fade and
we sometimes can't find them. Fortunately, this
does not have to be true of the photographs of
wildf lowers that we make. Like memories, photo-
graphs are stored and retrieved. How we store
them makes a big difference on how they last.
What follows are some points to consider.
Prints. The prints we get from the processor are
not made to be archival. It's understood that
any fading or color shift over the years can be
corrected by reprinting from the original nega-
tive. The are some things you can co to slow
down the process, though. Always store prints
under cool, dry (not humid) conditions in a
dust-free box. Try not to touch the printed
image, too. If you handle prints by their backs
or by the border (if there is one) , it really
does help.
Custom prints are a different story, entirely.
Prints for the wall are meant to be viewed in
the light, obviously. Therefore the prints need
to be made to last. To be sure, you can get
inexpensive color prints suitable for framing
from any negative. But, to do them justice--and
have them last--consider another choice.
Cibachrome prints are designed to be archival,
with not noticeable color fade or shift for at
least nine hundred years! In a future article
I'll discuss the other advantages of Cibachrome
prints. For now, I'll just emphasize that they
won't change in your lifetime.
No matter what print your have made, it's essen-
tial that it never touch the framing glass. Many
people give a lot of thought to picking a mat
that goes with the print or room decor. There's
a second advantage of matting the print. It
keeps the print from touching the glass which
prolongs its life. Purists will go even further.
They use backing and matting that are acid- free,
which means that it won't contribute to the
long-term decay of the print.
3
photos con't.
SLIDES. Slides made in past decades tend
to fade. Look at some and you’ 11 ’see the
colors shifted to the yellow end of the
spectrum and actually washed out. For a
long time, one truism held that Kodachrome
lasted, while other slides did not. Today,
they all last. It turns out that it's not
a property of the film, but of the pro-
cessing. Today's slide films --with the
exception of Kodachrome--are processed by
a procedure called E-6. E-6 processed film
is believed to last for at least 75 years,
compared to 100 years for Kodachrome. Like
negatives, it's important to keep them
stored in the dark under dry, dust-free
conditions .
Some people keep slides in the boxes that
the processor returns them in. Others pre-
fer slide storage sheets. Both work very
well. If you choose slide storage sheets,
be aware there are two types to choose
from. Some are not archival and will actu-
ally cause your slides to decay. You can
identify these because of a distinct
"plastic" odor that they produce. The kind
I would strongly recommend have no such
odor. They're usually made of polypro-
pylene. Now, you may wish to store these
sheets in hanging folders or in a three-
ring notebook stored upright (never store
slides in plastic sheets flat on a shelf).
In fact, several companies make individual
slide protectors. Many people prefer to
insert each slide into an individual pro-
tector, storing the protected slides in a
plastic sheet.
There's no doubt that slides and prints
have changed over the years . Fortunately
for us, they've changed for the better and
will last--maybe as long as our memories.
Of course for some of us, that's not say-
ing much !
David Duhl
NATIVE TREASURES
BUTTERFLY WEED
A sclepias tuberosa
Butterfly weed is a must in
every native wildflower
planting. One plant will
provide you with beautiful
color, a long season of bloom
and all the butterflies you
could ask for. It grows
throughout Tennessee on road-
sides and in dry fields. The
orange color makes it easy to
identify and makes it one of
our most beautiful roadside
wildf lowers .
Butterfly weed has the
characterist nasty taste of
the milkweeds, but not the
milky sap. Animals that de-
pend on the plant for food,
namely the monarch butterfly
caterpillar, develop the same
nasty taste and avoid being
eaten by predators. The flow-
ers attract many species of
adult butterflies and other
insects. I once had a two
year old plant, grown from
seed, that was 3 feet in
diameter and had over 100
blooms at one time!
This plant thrives in dry
soil and full sun. It com-
petes well with grasses and
can even stand to be mowed
(at the expense of seeds). If
your soil is on the moist
side, simply dig a hole for
the plant and replace the
soil with pea gravel. This
keeps the top of the taproot
dry and prevents it from
rotting .
4
asclepias con't.
The taproot, which seems
to go on forever on
older plants, will grow
into the surrounding
soil under the gravel.
Because of the extensive
taproot, Butterfly weed
should not be trans-
planted. Root cuttings
can be taken from estab-
lished plants .
Asclepias tuberosa is
actually very easy to
grow from seed, if you
are lucky enough to find
a plant that has seed.
Seeds benefit greatly
from even a short period
of moist stratification.
Place the seeds in a
ziplock bag with a small
amount of barely moist
potting mix or sand.
Keep in the refrigerator
for 2-8 weeks. Even two
weeks increases the rate
of seed germination
significantly. Sow the
seed in potting mix and
water lightly, keeping
the soil on the dry side
during all phases of the
plant's life. Do not let
the plants become root
bound in pots. There is
also some indication
that the seeds need some
light to germinate, so
barely cover the seeds
with the potting mix.
Seedlings can be planted
in the fall or spring.
Find a permanent spot,
with the right soil and
light conditions. But-
terfly weed usually
doesn't come up until
May, so mark the spot
well and be patient. The
summer show is worth it!
MAKE MEETING RESERVATIONS NOW!
Call Kay Jones now to make your reservations
for the annual TNPS meeting, September 23-25 at
the Arnold Engineering Development Center, lo-
cated between Manchester and Tullahoma. Leave
interstate 1-24 at Exit 117 just south of
Manchester and follow the signs to AEDC and the
Lakeside Club and Forest Inn. Members approaching
from Tullahoma should travel to the last traffic
light on Hwy. 55 and turn right. Follow the signs
to AEDC.
Rooms are located at the Forest Inn and Arnold
Lakeside Club. Each room has a coffee maker,
microwave oven and refrigerator. Two evening
meals will be $10 each and breakfast on Saturday
will be $5.50. A buffet dinner with ham and roast
beef will be available Friday night. Chicken
cordon bleu will be served Saturday night.
Saturday's breakfast will be a buffet.
Cost for the meeting will be $2 per attendee and
$8 per night for lodging (one or two per room) .
The total cost for the full weekend is $43.50.
Camping is also available nearby. Payment must be
made in advance. Kay must report to AEDC the
number of people who will be attending, so please
call her at 615-285-2777 (evenings) as soon as
possible . Kay ’ s address is P.O. Box 193 /Hampshire ,
TN/38461.
AEDC is home to thousands of species of late
summer and fall wildf lowers. May Prairie and
other botanically rich sites are nearby. Many
programs and field trips are scheduled for the
meeting .
ANNUAL MEETING RESERVATIONS
CALL KAY JONES
615/285-2777
5
/
memo con ' t *
NATIVE PLANT SALES
SEPTEMBER 24 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
Ijams Nature Center
will have their FALL
PLANT SALE. A number of
local nurseries will be
on hand with native
wildf lowers, trees and
shrubs. They also have
wonderful butterfly and
wildlife plantings
throughout the grounds .
Ijams is located on
Island Home Avenue in
Knoxville .
OCTOBER 1
Lichterman Nature Center
in Memphis will have
their annual fall plant
sale. Always a huge
selection of native
plants. Plant preview
will be Friday, Septem-
ber 30.
One who plants a garden
plants happiness--
Chinese proverb
These landscaping practices should benefit the
environment, as well as generate long-term cost
savings for the Federal government . For example,
the use of native plants not only protects our
natural heritage and provides wildlife habitat,
but also can reduce fertilizer, pes ticide , and
irrigation demands and their associated costs
because native plants are suited to the local
environment and climate, something that ecolo-
gists, environmentalists and others have been
saying all along.
Because the Federal government owns and land-
scapes large areas of land, our stewardship pre-
sents a unique opportunity to provide leadership
in this area and to develop practical and cost-
effective methods to preserve and protect that
which has been entrusted to us. Therefore, for
Federal grounds, Federal projects and federally
funded projects, I direct that agencies shall,
where cost-effective and to the extent practi-
cable :
(a) use regionally native plants for land
scaping
(b) design, use or promote construction
practices that minimize adverse effects
on the natural habitat
(c) seek to prevent polutionb, among other
things, reducing fertilizer and pesti
cide use, using intergrated pest manage
ment techniques, recycling green waste,
and minimizing runoff.
(d) implement water-efficient practices and
planting regionally native shade trees
around buildings to reduce air condi
tioning demands.
6
memo con ' t .
(e) create outdoor demonstrations incorpo
rating native plants, as well as pollu
tion prevention and water conservation
techniques, to promote awareness of the
environmental and economic benefits of
implementing this directive. Agencies
are encouraged to develop other methods
for sharing information on landscaping
advances with interested nonfederal
parties .
The Federal Environmental Executive shall
establish annual awards to recognize out-
standing landscaping efforts of agencies and
individual employees. To enhance landscaping
options and awareness, the Department of Ag-
riculture shall conduct research on the
suitablility , propagation and use of native
plants for landscaping. The Department must
make the results available to agencies and
the public.
TDOT and other agencies have until April of
1996 to advise the Federal Environmental Ex-
ecutive on their progress in implementing the
President's directive.
The Columbine, newsletter of the National
Council of State Garden Clubs, recommends
using native False Dragonhead Physostegia
virginiana and Pink Turtlehead Chelone lyonii
as alternatives to Lythrum sp. in the garden.
\s‘y'
PURPLE LOOSESTRIFE
Lythrum salicaria
Purple loosestrife is an
invasive exotic species
from Eurasia. There are
about ten known locations
in Tennessee, including the
Big South Fork Recreation
Area and the shorline of
Old Hickory Lake. It pre-
fers moist areas and
spreads rapidly,
outcompeting native cat-
tails, grasses, sedges and
rushes along marshes, river
banks, ponds and reser-
voirs .
Purple loosestrife, like
many exotic invasives, was
brought here in the early
19th century as a garden
plant and has now spread
over much of the temperate
United States. The plant
has attractive purple flow-
ers in late summer and many
cultivars are sold by nurs-
eries. Any of these plants
are potentially dangerous,
since the Lythrum species
cross-pollinates . The plant
has been outlawed in many
states and placed on the
Noxious Weed List. When
stands of Purple
Loosestrife are found, they
can be hand-pulled (before
the seed matures) and
burned .
7
TENNESSEE NATIVE
PLANT SOCIETY
NEWSLETTER
1172 S DRY VALLEY RD.
COOKEVILLE, TN 38506
Bulk Rate
U.S. Postage
PAID
Permit No. 86
Cookeville, TN
TENNESSEE NATIVE
PLANT SOCIETY
NEWSLETTER
VOLUME 17, NUMBER 4
OCTOBER 1994
NATIVE SEED SOURCES NEEDED
FOR TENNESSEE
TIPS
Native wildf lowers prove to be hardy, adaptable,
economical, persistent and beautiful. Why then are
so many states planting cosmos, bachelor's buttons
and poppies along the roadsides? One reason may be
that there really aren't that many commercial
sources that offer native seed in large quanities.
Native seed is out there though and many states
have found inovative techniques to get it.
Several states have adopted the "sowing instead of
mowing" attitude. Instead of mowing wildf lowers
during the peak of bloom, they wait until the seeds
mature and harvest the seeds. Using the resulting
seeds or hay to sow new areas .
Clean up your flower beds
and get ready for winter.
Mulch beds, divide plants
and remove dead and dis-
eased plant material.
Collect seed. Label and
store carefully in a dry,
cool area or statify seed
in barely moist potting
soil .and place in refrig-
erator for 4-8 weeks before
planting .
The Departments of Natural Resources and Transpor-
tation in Wisconsin have begun native seed produc-
tion on three prison sites. The Illinois Department
of Conservation grows seed for its own use and
shares with their DOT. Ohio has its own nursery,
sharing its seed with a local Park District . Texas
plants about 60,000 pounds of wildflower seeds
annually and have an 800 number to inform travelers
about where and when the flowers bloom.
Tennessee must keep trying to find ways to keep
native wildflowers on our roadsides and public
lands, as other states are successfully doing.
Use native grasses as
specimen plantings.
IN THIS ISSUE
Highlights of Annual Meeting
by Milo Pyne
Manipulating the Light
by David Duhl
Butterfly and Hummingbird
plants for fall planting
Eastern Columbine
TENNESSEE NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY
NEWSLETTER
August 1994
Volume 17, Number 4
This Newsletter is a publica-
tion of the Tennessee Native
Plant Society and is published
six times a year, generally in
February, April, June, August,
October, and December.
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
education of the public about
Tennessee flora, and wild
plant 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 are $15 for the calendar
year ($10 for students and
senior citizens, $20 for
institutions, and $150 for
life memberships) . Membership
privileges include a subscrip-
tion to the TNPS Newsletter.
Dues may be sent to the
Tennessee Native Plant Soci-
ety, Department of Botany, the
University of Tennessee,
Knoxville, TN 37996-1100.
TNPS OFFICERS
Mary Martin Schaffner of
Nashville,
President
Dennis Horn of Tullahoma,
Vice-President
Andrea Shea of Nashville,
Corresponding Secre-
tary
Nita Heilman of Clarksville,
Recording Secretary
Karen Yarbro of Knoxville,
Treasurer
DIRECTORS
John Churchill of Johnson City
H.R. DeSelm of Knoxville
Shirley Nicholson of Knoxville
Bertha Chrietzburg of Nash-
ville
Kay Jones of Columbia
Harold Scott of Columbia
Larry Wilson of Memphis
Sally Mirick of Knoxville
Candy Swan, Editor
FROM THE EDITOR:
On the back page you will find the new dead-
lines for the Newsletter. If you wish to sub-
mit articles, artwork, notices, fieldtrip
information, etc. in the future, please ad-
here to the schedule. Dated information must
be received by the stated deadline, either by
mail or by phone. For instance, if you are
leading a field trip in March, you should
send it to me by January 15, for the February
Newsletter. (Exception, December 1 is the
deadline for the next Newsletter) .
The schedule can be cut out of the Newsletter
and is suitable for framing, being magneted
to your refrigerator or tacked, stapled or
taped to your bulletin board, desk or dash-
board, wherever you spend the most time.
Again, everyone is invited to submit material
for publication in the Newsletter. Thank you
to those who already have.
2
NATIVE TREASURES
The native columbine is
easily grown from seed or
established plants purchased
from native plant nurseries.
The seed needs a short period
of moist stratification
(chilling in the refrigera-
tor) and must receive light
to germinate, so seed should
be sown on top of the soil or
potting mix and gently
pressed in.
Plants can grow from 1 to 3
feet tall, depending on
conditions, and have very
interesting red and yellow
nodding, spurred flowers from
March until June. The genus
name comes from the Latin
word for eagle, as the spurs
suggest the talons of the
eagle. Columbine usually
grows in calcareous soils but
will do well in any well-
drained soil, in light shade
to sun. Plants grown in the
sun appreciate extra mois-
ture. Plants reseed heavily
and make a good ground cover
in areas that receive little
traffic, or slopes and rocky
areas .
Columbine is a tough, beauti-
ful native that will with-
stand drought and thrive with
very little care. The flowers
are also a favorite of early
migrating hummingbirds .
ANNUAL MEETING OF THE TNPS, SEPT 23-25 1994
by Milo Pyne
The annual meeting of the Tennessee Native Plant
Society was held from 23-25 September at the Arnold
Engineering Development Center near Tullahoma. Lodging
and a venue for the evening programs were graciously
provided by the Forest Inn on the base. This meeting was
a joint one with the Kentucky Native Plant Society, our
sister organization to the north. Thanks are due to the
staff and management of the Forest Inn, to Dennis Horn
and Jack Carman for local arrangements, and to Kay Jones
for registration. Notecards, hats, tee-shirts and other
TNPS paraphernalia were available to those in attendance.
The meeting began Friday evening with a slide show
by Jack Carman of a series of images of wildflowers
submitted for inclusion in the Wildflowers of Tennessee
which is to be produced by the Society over the next two
years. These slides covered a great variety of the
state's flora, and seeing them was a great inspiration as
well as an opportunity to review the identities of many
of the state's plants.
Following a hearty breakfast on Saturday morning,
the principal activity of the weekend, the field trips,
commenced. One excursion, to Warren County, went to a
site to see the kidney-leaved grass-of-Parnassus
( Parnassia asari folia) . This species has its staminodes
(false stamens) shorter than the -stamens, and leaves
wider than long; it is found in mainly acidic soils. This
site also contains several orchid species, which were
past bloom. Members of TNPS brought it to the attention
of the Nature Conservancy and the Tennessee Natural
Heritage Program, who are working to conserve it.
With the help of Dr. Margret Rhinehart, this group
traveled in the afternoon to one of only two known sites
for the shadow-witch orchid ( Ponthieva racemosa) . This
species of the southeastern coastal plain is most unex-
pectedly found in a calcareous seep in the virtual shadow
of the Cumberland Plateau, at what is possibly its north-
ern limit in the interior of the continent. This site was
very colorful with a variety of Eupatorium as well as
cardinal flower ( Lobelia cardinalis) .
Under the leadership of Jack Carman and Milo Pyne,
another group visited various sites in Coffee County,
most notably May Prairie State Natural Area. This site
was one of the early acquisitions by the Natural Areas
Program, and remains one of the most important botanical
study areas in the state. Current efforts of the Natural
Heritage Program to employ controlled burning in its
management are an attempt to control an invasion of red
3
maple into the grassland. Another burn will be
conducted with the assistance of the Tennessee
Division of Forestry in November of this year.
May Prairie is an ever-changing mosaic of
different plants growing in wetter and drier
zones of this grassland. During our visit, the
dramatic blooms of the southern prairie-dock
( Silphium pinnatifidum) had declined, but many
other plants were still evident. One of the
rarest plants in Tennessee is a coastal plain
disjunct, the false asphodel ( Tofieldia
racemosa) . Its only station in the state is at
May Prairie. It shares this distinction with the
snowy orchid ( Platanthera nivea) . Other notewor-
thy plants seen that day included two gentians,
soapwort gentian ( Gentiana saponaria) and
Sampson's snakeroot (G. villosa) . On a personal
note, I owe an apology to Jack for my insistence
that the former gentian was G. clausa. This
latter plant is not known from Coffee Co.; my
error in keying. The blue gentian in May Prairie
opens up a little in the afternoon, as I ob-
served the other day on a repeat visit. The
unusual white- flowered swamp lousewort
( Pedicularis lanceolata) was also in bloom on
the edge of the Prairie; prairie milkweed
( Asclepias hirtella ) was seen in fruit.
Also seen were so many different species
of Agalinis that I my head is still reeling.
This pink-flowered genus of the Scrophulariaceae
is easy to distinguish from other genera, but
trying to key them gives me a headache. The
rarest one in Tennessee is Agalinis
pseudophylla, which has very short leaves. One
can spend so much time looking at the wildf low-
ers that one forgets that the grasses, which
provide most of the biomass in the ecosystem.
The most dramatic-looking grass there is the
giant plumegrass ( Erianthus giganteus) . In addi-
tion, the four best-known elements of the west-
ern tall- and mixed-grass prairies are at May
Prairie; these are big bluestem ( Andropogon
gerardii) , little bluestem (Schizachyrium
[Andropogon] scoparium) , Indian grass
{ Sorghastum nutans) , and switchgrass ( Panicum
virgatum) .
We finished up the day with a visit to two
forested sites, Rutledge Falls and the Short
Springs State Natural Area. Rutledge Falls is
privately owned, and the gracious landowners
permit public visitation, with signage encourag-
ing visitors to stay on trails and not to lit
ter. The trail to the creek was
bordered with the goldenrod Soli-
dago flexicaulis , and a careful
examination of the moist shaded
zone under a limestone overhang
revealed a population of the
bulblet bladderfern ( Cystopteris
bulbifera) . On a seep along the
creek, we saw the other
Parnassia , the large-leaved grass
of Parnassus ( P . grandi folia) .
This species is restricted to
calcareous sites has leaves about
as wide as long arid stamens which
are longer than the staminodes.
It is listed as a plant of Spe-
cial Concern in Tennessee. Also
seen here were Barbara ' s-buttons
( Mar shall ia trinervia) , and other
wildf lowers of moist sites.
A quick visit to the upper
reaches of Short Springs permit-
ted us to view several ferns,
including Christmas fern
( Polystichum acrostichoides) , New
York fern (Thelypteris
noveboracens is) , cinnamon fern
( Osmunda cinnamomea) and royal
fern ( Osmunda regalis) . We hoped
to see the blooms of the monks-
hood ( Aconitum uncinatum) , but we
were early and only saw the foli-
age.
The meeting concluded with
a program given by Landon
McKinney of our sister organiza-
tion, the Kentucky Native Plant
Society. His program concentrated
on the rare plants of Kentucky
and their associated plant commu-
nities, with information on ef-
forts being made to protect them
by the Kentucky Nature Preserves
Commission, by whom Landon is
employed .
The concept of joint meet-
ings with the Kentucky Society
was enthusiastically received,
and we are looking forward to
meeting with them in the Fall of
1995. Watch future issues of the
Newsletter for more details.
4
FALL GARDENING
SCENIC AMERICA
The Tennessee Scenic Byways Workshop was
held in Murfreesboro on June 29, 1994. On
this matter, as in many, there seems to be
little communication or coordination among
state agencies. Most byways programs have
come into effect since the Intermodal Sur-
face Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA)
of 1991.
Here are some of the suggestions that came
from the workshop:
Fall is the best time for
planting most native perenni
als. Now is also a good time
to get into your gardens and
get them ready for winter.
Divide plants, get rid of
dead and diseased plants and
mulch if necessary. Many
seeds are mature and ready
for harvesting. Label seeds
as you collect them and put
them in small plastic or
paper envelopes, not in your
pocket and into the washing
machine as I sometimes do.
★
★
★
★
★
★
★
★
★
★
★
there should be a state inter-agency
commission
more combined uses, such as bike/
pedestrian, trail and coordination in
signage should be featured
design standards should respect the
roads and their resources
the program should reveal the "real"
Tennessee
TVA and Parks and Recreation should
be involved
public participation is key
improved billboard controls and en
f orcement
program should be sustainable
public must feel they own byways
statewide interpretive plan should be
created to "make sense out of state"
for travelers
partners from TDOT , Envir. and Con
servation, Planning, Tourism, Eco.
and Community Development, TEC, gar
den clubs, etc.
Here are some butterfly and
hummingbird plants you might
think about adding this fall
Lobelia cardinalis
Cardinal flower
Asclepias tuberosa
Butterfly weed
Eupatorium fistulosum
Joe-pye weed
Liatris spp .
Blazing star
Lindera benzoin
Spicebush
Camps is radicans
Trumpet creeper
Aristolochia durior
Dutchman ' s pipe
Aesculus pavia
Red buckeye
If this makes as much sense to you as it
did to me, you'll probably want to call or
write for more information.
SCENIC AMERICA
21 Dupont Circle, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036
(202) 833-4300
Asimina triloba
Paw Paw
Silene virginica
Fire pink
Phlox divaricata
Wild blue phlox
Monarda f istulosa
Bergamont
5
TENNESSEE EXOTIC PEST PLANT COUNCIL
(TN-EPPC)
The TN-EPPC is a non-profit organization estab-
lished to:
* raise public awareness about the
spread of invasive exotic plants into
Tennessee natural areas .
The TN-EPPC is an affiliate of
the Tennessee Environmental
Council, which will give TN-EPPC
a voice on TEC's Policies and
Issues Committee. TN-EPPC will
promote awareness of "biological
pollution" through TEC.
* facilitate the exchange of information
concerning menagement and control of
invasive exotic plants.
* provide a forum for all interested
parties to participate in meetings,
workshops, and an annual symposium,
and to share the benefits from the
informaton provided by TN-EPPC.
* serve as an educational, advisory, and
technical support council on all as
pects of exotics .
The formation of the TN-EPPC
marks the beginning of a state-
wide coordinated effort that
addresses the issue of exotic
pest plants with specific atten-
tion given to protecting natural
areas. Public support and par-
ticipation is crucial to the
success of TN-EPPC. If you would
like more information, or if you
would like to join TN-EPPC,
write :
* initiate campaign actions to prevent
future introductions of exotic plant
species .
TN-EPPC
c/o Friends of Warner Parks
50 Vaughn Road
Nashville, TN 37221
Some TN-EPPC Projects:
* location of purple loosestrife popula-
tion on Old Hickory Lake, plants cut
by U . S . Army Corps .
* developing an exotic species list for
Tennessee, ranking exotics according
to degree of threat.
Up-coming events, photos and
slides of exotic species should
be sent to:
Darlene Panvini
1537-B
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN 37235
* developing a list of natives that
could be grown in state nurseries for
conservation purposes.
* completed a list of natives for land
scaping in Middle Tennessee to be
printed in a brochure, "Landscaping
with Natives " .
Warner Parks Exotic Removal
Volunteer Day
Nashville, TN.
November 12, 1994 8:30-12:00
Call (615) 352-6299 to volunteer
* presentations and training workshops on
exotics for groups.
6
PART VIII
photographing wildflowers --
By David Duhl
y
manipulating the light
Magicians are not suppose to reveal
their tricks. I still want to know how they
do it, though. With mirrors of course! At
least that's the answer I usually hear when nobody
really knows. Wildf lower photographers have tricks
up their sleeves too, only we use reflectors and
umbrellas. And we tell.
First, taka awav the light. Not all of it, of
course. The fact is, when the light is direct —
like on a sunny day — it is very contrasty.
Wildflowers look great in this light. They look
fresh when they're all awash in sunlight.
Unfortunately, the photographs do not fare so
well. The reason is that the film cannot handle
the bright areas the the shadowed areas at the
same time. The result is a contrasty image that
frequently loses its appeal because of the bright
(overexposed) areas and the dark (underexposed) ones.
It doesn't look that way to the eye, but the film gets
the last word here.
The solution is to even out the light by taking away the brightest areas. You can use a
jacket, or you can stand over the subject; making sure your shadow is cast over the area
you're going to photograph. If you really want to get some strange looks from passers-by,
use an umbrella to cast a shadow. Not just any umbrella mind you, but a white one. If it's
not white, the subject can actually take on the color of the umbrella. Again, the point is
to cast a shadow over the subject.
In some cases, it might be enough to cast a shadow over the background while leaving the
subject in the bright light. This works best for small subjects like Indian pipe or Beech
drops, where the inflorescence isn’t large enough to cast a small shadow upon itself. If
you use this technique, you'll find that the bright subject against the shaded background
really makes the subject stand out.
Now, add the light back. It sounds crazy, but just hear me out. Remember, we want the light
to fall where it's to our photographic advantage. We could do this b& reflecting light back
on the subject, exactly where we want it to be.
You can use a mirror, a white card or your handkerchief ; anything you carry that is white.
As in the case of the umbrella, the subject might take on the color of your reflector. It
doesn't have to be a bright, sunny day for this to work. You just want to bounce the ambi-
ent light where you want it to be.
You can also use a photographers reflector. This is a piece of cloth with an elastic border
so it folds up nice and compact. One side is white, the other gold (for "warm" light).
They're also easy to make. Just get one of those things that they sell to put in your
windshield to keep you parked car cool--the kind that folds up. Get some white fabric and
sew it on one side, gold lame' on the other. Total cost, about twenty dollars.
The point is, you want to use any trick you can think of to bounce ambient light onto the
subject. This works especially well with flowers that have a dark center, like T. sulcatum
or wild ginger. They could really use the help.
To summarize, take away the light you don't want and replace it with the light you do want.
It really is magic.
7
NEWSLETTER DEADLINES
December Newsletter
NOVEMBER 15
February Newsletter
JANUARY 15
April Newsletter
MARCH 15
June Newsletter
MAY 15
August Newsletter
JULY 15
October Newsletter
SEPTEMBER 15
A Word From the Society's Treasurers
Because the treasurer of TNPS serves without re-
muneration (as do the president and all other
TNPS officers, including the Newsletter editor),
we try to simplify the way dues are handled. Mem-
berships do not run for any 12 month period (as
do magazine subscriptions) but only from January
through December. The date on your Newsletter
address label indicates the last year, January
through December, through which you have paid.
It would be most helpful to the treasurer if you
would 1) check your address label to see how. up
to date you are, and unless your label reads 1995
or later, 2) send in a check for dues now, before
the Christmas rush.
Thank you! Karen Yarbro, Treasurer
Vol. 17, No. 4, October 1994 Printed on recycled paper
TENNESSEE NATIVE
PLANT SOCIETY
NEWSLETTER
1172 S DRY VALLEY RD.
COOKEVILLE, TN 38506
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