Tennessee Native Plant Society newsletter

2013·0.65 MB·English

by  Tennessee Native Plant Society

NEWSLETTER OF THE
TENNESSEE NATIVE
PLANT
SOCIEPT
Volume 37, Number3 September2013
ew Program Promote Annual Meeting
to
on the Banks
Native Plant Gardening
of Lake Barkley
A
is teaming up with the ChattanoogaArboretum and Nature n extra-full schedule ofevents
Center (CA&NC) and the TennesseeValleyWild Ones to estab- has been organized for the
lish a Certificate inNative Plants course of study. Patterned similarly to pro- TNPS Annual Meeting being
grams offered by the State Botanical heldjointly this yearwith the Ken-
Garden of Georgia and the Birming- tuckyNative Plant Society.
ham Botanical Garden, itwill con- The joint gatheringwill be Sep-
sist ofa set ofcourses inbotany, tember20-22 at Lake Barkley State
conservation, and plant communi- Park.
ties, and native plant gardening. New to the schedule are two pro-
The goal is to teach and promote grams by RitaVenable, whose guide
native plant gardening. As Dennis book to butterflies is scheduled to be
Bishop, curator ofthe Chattanooga published in October. Herprograms,
Arboretum and spearhead ofthe one at 10 a.m. and the other at 1 p.m.
programputs it, “We want the stu- Saturday (Sept. 21), provide an op-
dents to take this stuffhome and put tionformembers notjoining the
it into practice in their field trips.
communities. However, to do that The mainfield trip will be led by
the students need to first come to Tara Littlefield, rareplant botanist
know our native plants and how for the Kentucky State Nature Pre-
theywork in the naturalworld.” serves Commission. The destination
Courses in botany, plant conser- will be Mantle Rock/Livingston
vation, plant communities, and de- CountyNatural Area. The Mantle
signingwithnative plants will form Rock Preserve is aproject ofthe Na-
the core curriculum. Electives will ture Conservancy, which is working
include avariety ofclasses, such as to restore this area to a healthy
those onwildflowers (spring, sum-
Continuedonpage3
mer, and fall), trees, shrubs, and
bird and butterfly gardens. Field
trips to local Chattanooganatural Veronicastrumvirginicum (culver’s root)
areas to see nativeplants intheir Photo byBartJones
communities, as well as to native See Annual
plant gardens to showhow native plants can be used in landscaping, are also in
theworks. Meeting Schedule
The New England Wildflower Societywas the first to offer a Certification
inNative Plants curriculum, more than20 years ago. Like theirs, the TNPS- Page 3
Continuedon hackpage
2
TNPS Newsletter A Letter from the President
T
September2013 Vol. 37, No. 3 he time for the Annual Meeting is fast approaching. Even though the
deadline forpre-registrationhas passed, it doesn’t meanyou can’tjoinus.
This newsletteris apublication ofthe Ifyou’d still like to attend the meeting, just make your own room reser-
Tennessee Native Plant Societyand is vations at Lake Barkley. You will need to send your registrationfee of$15 to
published fourtimes ayear, generallyin
February,June,August, andNovember. Lorie Emens at the address listed on the registration form, or bring it to the
meeting. Youwill also need to arrange foryour own lunch on Saturday. Ifyou
TheTennessee Native Plant Society make your own reservations and plan to pay the fee at the meeting, please email
(TNPS) was foundedin 1978. Its pur- Lorie [email protected] to let herknowyouplan to attend.
poses are to assist in the exchange ofin- This is going to be a great meetingwithwonderful talks and exciting field
formation andencourage fellowship trips. In this edition ofthe newsletteryouwill also notice the designfor a special
amongTennessee’s botanists, bothama- T-shirt commemorating this meetingwith the KentuckyNative Plant Society. I
teurandprofessional; to promotepublic hope this will encourage you to send your registration, and ifyouplan to pur-
education aboutTennessee floraand
chase a T-shirt, please include that information on the form alongwith the size
wildplants in general; to provide,
shirtyou would like. Ifyou have already sent your form to Lorie Emens but
throughpublication ofanewsletteror
journal, aformalmeans ofdocumenting would like to order a shirt, send a checkfor $12 to Lorie and note the size on the
memo
information onTennessee floraandof line ofthe check.
informingthepublicaboutwildplants; Don’tforget, we have a field trip before the Annual Meeting. September 7 is
andto promote theprotection anden- the date ofthe Lost Cove hike in Sewanee. Check the details on the website and
hancement ofTennessee’swildplant Facebook. This trip will be quite interesting, so make plans to attend ifyou can.
communities. It’s hard to imagine that the yearis beginning towind down. It seems like just
a few shortweeks ago I was at the SpringWildflower Pilgrimage. Nowwe are
Dues for each calendaryearare; talking about fall displays ofpurple or golden composites and colorful autumn
RSetguudleanrt;; $C2o0mplimentary foliage. And beforewe knowit, we will beplanningnextyear’s field trips. We
need more field trip leaders. Those ofus who lead multiple hikes eachyear
Institution; $50
Life; $250 quickly run out ofnew sites tovisit and rely on newleaders to take the member-
ship to unexplored (at least forus) places. Ifyou know ofa greatplace forus to
Dues maybe sent to; have a field trip andwould like to lead it, please letus know.
Tennessee Native Plant Society
P.O. Box 159274 See you on the trail.
TN
Nashville, 37215
Officers
BartJones, President
Todd Crabtree, Vice-President
Margie Hunter, Secretary This is the illustrationforthe
Darel Hess,Treasurer special T-shirt that is on sale to
Directors members attending the annual
Bertha Chrietzburg meeting, which is being
Lorie Emens heldjointly with the
Michelle Haynes Kentucky
Dennis Horn
Native Plant
LarryPounds
at Lake Barkley.
MaryPriestley
Additional
Susan Sweetser
information can
hefound in the
Latham Davis, Editor
schedule on
Please sendcomments ormaterial for
the newslettertoTNPS Newsletter, P.O. page 3.
Box 856, Sewanee,TN 37375 or
[email protected] TNPS/KNPS Joint Meeting
TNPSWebsite;
www.tnps.org/ Sept. 20-22, 2013
3
Annual Meeting Provides Exciting Schedule TVC Releases New
—
Continued
Legislative Scores
prairie. The rare glade habitat here is home to many species that can survive only T
in these endangeredplaces. ennessee ConservationVot-
The featured speakers will be Edward Chester on Friday evening and Ron ers will be finalizing and dis-
Jones at Saturday evening. tributing a comprehensive
Members are encouraged to check in and receive a name tag andT-shirt be- Legislative Scorecard in the nextfew
A
tween 3 and 5 p.m. on Friday, September20. social hour is set to begin at4 weeks. Butwe already knowthat the
p.m., withdinner to be available between 5:00 and 7:00. adopted budgetfullyfunds land ac-
TNPS willhold a general membership meetingfrom 7:30 to 8:00. quisitionfor state parks, wetlands
Details ofthe schedule are listed belowfor easy reference. Drive safely. and agricultural conservation. And,
for a change, two items passed
Friday, Sept. 20 specifically mentioning nativeplants.
3:00-5:00 - Check In/Name Tag and Tshirt PickUp SenateJoint Resolution 111 and
4:00-5:00 - Social Hour/Mixer HouseJoint Resolution 132 are
5:00-7:00 -Dinner identical. Bothput the legislature on
record as urging the Tennessee De-
7:30-8:00 -TNPS General Membership Meeting partment ofEnvironment & Conser-
8:00-8:15 -Field Trip Info vation and the federal Office ofSur-
face Mining Reclamation and
8:15-9:30 -Dr. Edward Chester, “My Fife and Times in
Enforcement to work together
the Big Barrens of Kentucky and Tennessee”
Saturday, Sept. 21 “with thepurpose of studying the
7:00-8:30 - Breakfast feasibility ofreestablishingplant and
9:00-4:00 - Field Trip (Box Punches provided) animal species native to Tennessee’s
coalfield areas. The goal ofthis co-
Mantle Rock/Fivingston County Natural Area. Carpooling required. operation shall be to encourage ap-
http://www.nps.gov/trte/historyculture/mantlerockpreserve.htm propriate reclamation methods of
http://naturepreserves.ky.gov/naturepreserves/Pages/newmansbluff.aspx coal mined lands in order to maxi-
10:00-11:00 - RitaVenable, “A Home for Butterflies” mize the reestablishment ofnative
species and to promote the environ-
1:00-2:00 -RitaVenable, “Butterflies ofTennessee” mental stewardship ofreclamation.”
4:30-6:00 - KNPS Board Meeting
For furtherinvolvement and in-
5:00-7:00 -Dinner formation contact Tennessee Con-
7:00-7:20 - KNPS General Meeting servationVoters http://www.tncon-
servationvoters.org orfeel free to
7:30-9:00 -Dr. RonJones, “Woody Plants of Kentucky and Tennessee, Cur- contact Michelle Haynes, TNPS rep-
rent Status and Future Prospects in the Age of Climate Change” resentative to TCV
Sunday, Sept. 22
7:00-8:30 -Breakfast/Check Out
9:00-10:00 -TNPS Board Meeting
10:00-1:00 -Field Trip
There is a $15 registration fee for the meeting even ifyou have made your
own room reservations, and not gone through Forie Emens ofTNPS. You
will also be responsible for your own lunch on Saturday
during the field trips.
T-shirts are $12 and MUST BE PRE-ORDERED. Ifyou have already
registered or are handling your own reservations late, a check, with
the size listed on the check, can be sent to: Echinaceatennesseensis
TN
Lorie Emens, 9705 Kingsbridge Cove, Lakeland, 38002.
4
The
Needle for ''Sewing'' Seeds
Needle-grass (Piptochaetium avenaceum
LarryPounds andhis son Ben Pounds spenta month to-
getherhiking the Cumberland Trail Theyare currently
writinga hook aboutthe experience. Partofthe hook isa
series ofshortessaysaboutplants seen along the trail
following is one ofthose essays.
F inding needle-grass onthe Signal Mountain Section
ofthe CT (Cumberland Trail) should be easywhen
the needles are attached to the grass. It grows along
the CTinthe woodland openings on top ofthe plateau. It
likes recently burned areas. The needles are striking and
attaching, striking in appearance and attaching to your ecologist and grass speciapst, Hal De Seim, was skeptical of
clothes. The needle is the grass’s seed. Itis about two and the effectiveness ofthis mechanismfor seed sowing.
a halfinches long! Ifyou stray offthepathwhen the Someone could make ahorror movie about a person
seeds are ready to disperse, you may find that the grass swallowing a bunch ofneedle-grass seeds which then drill
has found you even ifyou have notyetfound it. into their intestines. Veterinarians actually dealwith some-
Oddly the sharp end ofthe needle is not the end that thing like this horrorwhen grazing animals have the bad
sticks out from the plant. Pick a needle from the grass and judgment to munch needle-grass. The needle seeds are
touch both ends to feel this fact. This arrangementwould clearly a problemwhen eaten. The problem may ormay
seem to make attachment to your clothes or the fur ofan- not be aggravated by twisting awns.
imals trickier. Still, we found the grass didwell at dispers- Needle-grass with needles attached gives novice grass
ing its seeds on our clothes. students an easy chance to put a name on a grass. On Sig-
There is another oddity about this grass. At the base of nalMountain it often grows with another grass that is also
the needles are structures called awns that can twist and reasonably easy to pick out. Downy oatgrass (Danthonia
are hygroscopic. Hygroscopic means water absorbing but sericea) is usually about three feet tall withvery hairy leaf
the important thingis that as the awns absorb water they sheaths. To find the sheaths look at the base ofthe leaves.
untwist and as they dry they re-twist. The sheath is where the leafwraps around the stem. So if
According to some authorities the twisting and un- youwant to start learning grasses try looking for the nee-
twistingwith different moisture levels helps the seed drill dles ofneedle-grass and the hairy sheaths ofdowny oat-
into the ground. The late University ofTennessee plant grass.
Epilogue
Also known as blackseed speargrass, needle grass, is na-
tive to the southeastern and northeasternU.S. in decidu-
ous hardwood thickets and drywoods, rocky slopes and
.outcrops.
The same action mentioned above about the twisting
ofthe awns that allow seeds to penetrate the soil is dan-
gerous to animals ifthe “foxtails” enter the nostrils or
ears (or even mouths), causing infection and, sometimes,
death.
On the other hand, some researchers have determined
that needle grass is avaluable food source. Drought tol-
erant, it is used in landscaping and in areas subject to
erosion.
5
Your Ideas, Opinions Put anotherway, whatwould you like to see more ofin
the Newsletter?:
Are Requested
1.
TNPS
was founded in 1978 by a small group offriends
and acquaintances with a love ofwildflowers and native
plants, and in manyways this remains an informal group, 2
.
butwith a larger membership. Interests vary, however, for
there are manyways to embrace the field ofnative plants.
To help us all understand the breadth ofinterest among our
members, we present here a survey. Wewould appreciate What other activities would help you enjoyyourpas-
yourparticipation. We hope to publish the results, which— sionforwildflowers?:
who knows—might influence the direction ofTNPS and
the ways we share ourpassionfor flora. n Workshops about Plant Identification
Mark one or more ofthe choices provided. You may cut n Workshops about Native Plant Gardening
out and return this page to the editor or email the answers. n Local TNPS Meetings with Members inYourArea
Elaborate on any ofthe questions. The editor’s addresses n Workshops on Photographing Plants
are onpage two. Thankyou. n
Workshops on Drawing and PaintingNative Plants
n
Participation in a Native Plant Survey
Which ofthe following special interests spuryourfasci-
nationwithwildflowers and other native flora:
n
And Something Else?
n
Taxonomy
n
Physiology
n Ecology Ifasked, howwould you like to assistTNPS?:
n
Art andAesthetics
n Gardening and Propagation n Write an Occasional Article for the Newsletter
n The Environment n Lead a Field Trip inYourArea
n
Serve on the Board ofDirectors
n
n Other Help Organize a Workshop or Conference
n
Help with a ConservationEffort
What methods do you use to explore your interest in n Make a GiftToward a TNPS Project
wildflowers?:
n
OrThis
n
Hikes and Field Trips
n
Journaling
n
Photography
n
Reading
n
Classes and Workshops
n
Conversations with Friends
What kinds ofmaterial do you like most to
read inthe TNPS Newsletter?:
n
General Articles about Plants and People
n Davis
Technical Articles about Species
n
Field Trip Reports
n
Material on Environmental Issues Latham
n
Letters fromMembers
n by
News ofthe Botanical World
n News aboutTNPS Photo
Stiff-hairedsunflower(Helianthus hirsutus)
TNPS FIELD TRIPS
loomisii), milkpea (Galactia volubilis), three species of
false foxgloves (Aureolariaflava, A.pectinata, andA. vir-
ginica), andwinged loosestrife (Lythrum alatum).
As we entered thewoodland trail that led to Cane
Creek, we were quickly surrounded by thickets ofgiant
cane (Arundinariagigantea) and the yellowflowers of
southern rosinweed (Silphium asteriscus) and woodland
sunflower (Helianthus divaricatus) dotted the edge ofthe
trail. On almost every clump ofthese flowers at least one
Lace-winged Roadside-Skipper butterflywas intentlyim-
bibing on nectar. This butterflyis usuallyuncommon, but
pq
due to the abundance ofits hostplant, giant cane, itwas
atypically common here.
jOq Once at the creek, we quickly arrived at the first ofthe
pin
Alabamawarbonnet (Jamesianthusalahamense) plants.
Lythrum alatum (wingedloosestrife) Unfortunatelywith the crazy cool spring and summer
we’ve had, there were no flowers, just afew buds. So on
Cane Creek Canyon Preserve, Alabama to the picnic pavilionwhere we enjoyed our lunch.Just as
August 3, 2013 wewere finishing, the roar ofapproaching rainwas heard.
EighteenTNPS members andvisitors arrived at Cane Luckily, thepavilionprovidedperfect shelterfor the
short-lived shower.
Creek Canyon Preserve just south ofTuscumbia, We continued on to an areawhere the exposed lime-
Alabama onAugust 3 for our second outing there.
stone along the creek generated some small glade-like
After enjoying a wonderful, but cool, springforay last
areas. Thesewere ablaze with flowers and accompanying
year, we thoughtwewould see what
butterflies. The standouthere was
late summer held forus.
culver’s root (Veronicastrum vir-
After a quickround ofvisits to
ginicum) that towered above the
the facilities, we hit the trail. The
other species that included purple
path to the waterfall held a few
coneflower (Echinaceapurpurea).,
plants ofinterest including false
whorled rosinweed (Silphium trifo-
flowering spurge (Euphorbia puben-
UT liatum var. latifolium), small-headed
tissima) which the Herbarium
sunflower (Helianthus micro-
USDA
site (unlike the page) lists as a
cephalus), dense hlazingstar (Liatris
synonym ofE. corollata, but looks
VERYdifferent. As we continued, spicata), rattlesnake master (Eryn-
giumyuccifolium), and cutleafprairie
we came to awetter, open area
dock (Silphiumpinnatifidum) though
where afew plants ofyellowfringed
not in bloom. At the farthestpocket
orchid (Platanthera ciliaris) greeted ofthe glades, I found a Golden
us. Though fairly common inTen-
Banded-Skipper in the clutches of a
nessee, especially on the Cumber-
crab spider. This is a rare butterfly in
land Plateau, this plant is rare inAl- the easternUS and was a county
abama. No matter, itis always a
record.
crowd-pleaser and was a very coop-
Another hoped-for highlight for
erative subjectfor many cameras.
this field trip was the extremely rare
Otherplants in this spotwere butterfly, swamp metalmark, discov-
round-leaved thoroughwort (Eupa-
ered here a couple ofyears ago and
torium rotundifolium)^ boneset (E.
disjunctfrom the nearestpopulations
perfoliatum), royal fern (Osmunda by several hundred miles. Again the
regalis), and rough goldenrod (Sol-
A cool year bitus, as there were no
idago rugosa). small barren area
adults, butwe did find several cater-
was adjacent and added Loomis’
Liatris spicata (spikedhlazingstar) pillars feeding on its hostplant, tall
mountain-mint (Pycnanthemum
7
TNPS FIELD TRIPS
thistle (Cirsium altissimum). The
areawhere they are found is an old
beaverpond and several species
that like moist conditions were
found here including bear’s foot
(Smallanthus uvedalius) and green-
headed coneflower (Rudheckia
A
laciniata). fewin the group went
into thewoods to see the butternut
trees (Juglans drierea) while the HIeO
H
rest ofus went back.
;
Many thanks go toJim and Faye
Lacefield who always welcome us
with theirwonderful hospitality
I’m sure this is not our lastvisit to
Cane Creek Canyon.
BartJones TNPSgroup onAugustfieldtrip at Cane Creek Canyon, Alabama PhotobyBartJones
A New
and Colorful Guide sity. He is the author ofPlantLife ofKentucky and lives in
Richmond, Kentucky.
for Winter Sojourns TNPS has contributed to the book’s publication by the
University ofKentucky Press.
fyou enjoy hiking the openwoods ofwinter and find
Iyourselftrying to identify theplants around you, with- 224 pages, 630 colorphotos, two maps, 7x10, $45
out blossoms and leaves but from the more subtle barks
—
and twigs, you should try this new arrival new, that is, WOODY
come October. PLANTS
WoodyPlants ofKentucky and Tennessee, the Complete
Winter Guide to TheirIdentification and Usewill come to OF KENTUCKY AND TENNESSEE
us from RonJones and Eugene Wofford, both familiar TheCompfeteWinterGuidetoTheirIdentificationandUse
names to most TNPS members. The bookwillfeature
color images ofmore than 400 species, andwillprovide
keys to the genera and species, as well as descriptions ofthe
genera.
Each species entrywill include information on Latin
meanings, common names, habitats and distributions, and
additional relavent notes. Whether taken into the field or Ronald L.Jones&
B.EugeneWofford
enjoyed at home. WoodyPlants ofKentuckyand Tennessee
promises to be a comprehensive and accessible resource for
professional and amateur botanists, students, landscapers,
homeowners, and outdoor enthusiasts.
Eugene Wofford is researchprofessor and director of
the herbarium at the University ofTennessee. He is the au-
thor of Guide to the VascularPlants ofthe BlueRidge and
coauthor of Guide to Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines of
Tennessee. He lives in Knoxville.
RonJones is foundingprofessor ofbiological sciences
and curator ofthe herbarium at Eastern KentuckyUniver-
—
Native Plant Program
Continued
CA&NC
programwill emphasize hands-on learning, andpar-
ticipants willproceed throughthe courses at their ownpace.
The costperclass is still being worked out, but itwill be in
the range of$10 per hour ofinstruction. Eight-hour core
classes would be $80 per student; four-hour electives and field
trips $40.
“This collaborative venture is a firstforTNPS and forTen-
nessee. We're thrilled to be partneringwith these two great or-
ganizations inwhatpromises to be aworthwhileprogram of
study,” commented TNPS president BartJones.
Mary Priestley is representing TNPS ontheplanning com- Jones
mittee. For more information, contactMary Bart
[email protected] or Dennis Bishop dbishop@chat-
by
tanature.org. Ifall goes according to plan, the first classes will
be offered inJanuary of2014. Lookfor details soon on the Photo
CA&NC
website http://www.chattanooganaturecenter.org,
or on ourwebsite atwww.tnps.org.