Table Of Content

NEWSLETTER OF THE TENNESSEE NATIVE PLANT SOCIEPr I Volume 36, Number2 June2012 TNPS Big Plans for Has Hand Annual Meeting in Trillium Discovery Sept. 14-16 Programs, field trips, and fel- BART JONES lowship will highlight the TNPS Annual Meeting Sep- 7t all startedwith a simple email to ourwebsite onApril 15, “My hus- tember 14-16 at Carson Springs band and I found a trillium growing on ourproperty, which appears to Baptist Conference Center near be the yellowform ofthe lanceleaftrillium. All ofthe field marks point Newport at the edge ofthe Smoky to this flower, however, it has not been reported in this county Is itpossible Mountains. for someone to review the attached photos and give us apositive ID? I have Everyone is urged to register, many more photos ifyou need them. Thankyou foryour time, Marci Dun- using the form onpage 3 The form . away,” should be mailed to I get two or three ID Lorie Emens at her ad- requests a month through dress inMemphis, the website and most ofthe whichis listed on the time they are relatively form. easyto identify So I Carson Springs pro- opened the photos thinking vides modern accom- Td have a quick answer, modations and meeting but although theplants did rooms in the natural remind me of Trillium lan- setting atop English cifolium, therewas some- Mountain. It’s the per- thing that didn’t quite look fectjump-offpoint for right, it looked more like a field trips to rich sites yellow-flowered cross ofthis section ofthe between T lancifolium and Appalachians. T. recurvatum. I forwarded State BotanistTodd the email to Todd Crabtree Photo byMarciDunaway and Dennis Horn for their Trillium oostingii? Continuedonpage 8 insight. Dennis, also perplexed, sent it to Tom Patrick. Tom replied back that it did look like a hybrid, but it also looked like a newly described species endemic to the Wateree Riverwatershed in South Carolina, Trillium oostingii. He included a link to a Flickrpage ofphotos of T oostingiiand the Tennessee Don’t Miss the plants in question did look like an awfully good match. Marci, a clinical psychologist, and her husband Mark, avertebrate zoolo- Annual Meeting gist, moved to theirproperty in Hamblen County and began documenting the wildflowers on theirproperty. They searched for trilliums inplaces they Sept. 14-16 Continuedonpage 6 1 2 TNPS Newsletter A Letter from the President June2012 Vol, 36, No. 2 t’s so hard to believe thatwe are almost halfwaythrough the year. We have Ihad some great field trips, some ofwhichyou can read about in this issue, and This newsletteris apublication ofthe the second half ofthe yearpromises to give us more ofthe same. Tennessee Native Plant Societyand is Speaking ofthis issue ofthe newsletter, we have a story about some new apps published fourtimes ayear, generallyin created by Chris Fleming for the nature lover in all ofus, an article detailing the February,June,August, andNovember. discovery ofavery significantpopulation oftrillium in Fdamblen County and TheTennessee Native Plant Society TNPS’ role in it, a mid-yearfinancial overview, field trip reports, the registration (TNPS) was foundedin 1978. Its pur- informationfor our annual meeting inNewport, and some very informative poses are to assist in the exchange ofin- book reviews. I want to thank everyone who contributed to the newsletter as itis formation andencourage fellowship you who make it one ofthe best newsletters in the area. amongTennessee’s botanists, bothama- And finally, I want to express my thanks and appreciation to all ofyouwho teurandprofessional; to promotepublic once again contributed to our annual fund drive. We collected a total of education aboutTennessee floraand wildplants in general; to provide, $2063.48, money that the boardwilluse wisely to further the cause ofconserva- tion, education, andpromotion of our society You guys are simply amazing! throughpublication ofanewsletteror 1 journal, aformalmeans ofdocumenting information onTennessee floraandof See you on the trail. informingthepublicaboutwildplants; andto promote theprotection anden- hancement ofTennessee’swildplant communities. Dues for each calendaryearare; Regular; $20 Report from the Treasurer Student; Complimentary Institution; $50 Darel Hess and Bart Jones Life; $250 Dues maybe sent to; F irst, we send a BIG “thankyou” to the membership foryour continuing generous support ofthe Annual Fund Drive. This yearwe received Tennessee Native Plant Society P.O. Box 159274 $2,063.48, money thatwill ensure TNPS will be able to meet all budgeted Nashville,TN 37215 expenses for the year and support items that will come up as 2012 progresses. Officers TNPS’ financial standing is on avery firm Bank Accounts BartJones, President foundation. The two society accounts are Book CDs -$12,174.02 Todd Crabtree, Vice-President solid. Our checking account maintains the Book Savings - $17,338.09 Margie Hunter, Secretary functions ofthe society, based on our bud- Checking- $5,424.39 Darel Hess,Treasurer geted income and expenses and contributions Savings - $9,072.50 Directors to the annual fund drive. This account is at its Total- $44,009.00 Bertha Chrietzburg highpoint as most membership renewals have Lorie Emens come in, but many expenses are still to be Michelle Haynes paid. The savings account is our safetynet and a resource forunbudgetedproj- Dennis Horn ects or donations that the board feels worthy ofourparticipation. LarryPounds MaryPriestley As you can see, the majority ofour money (“Book” accounts) is related to funds thatwere earmarked for ourportion ofthe Flora 2001 Project, granted by Susan Sweetser the state legislature and donations from individuals or groups. Our responsibili- ties were to produce the official colorpictorial wildflower field guide (whichwe Latham Davis, Editor spectacularly accomplished!), assist in the production ofthe checklist ofthe Flora Please sendcomments ormaterial for the newslettertoTNPS Newsletter, P.O. ofTennessee (completed), which is beingused as a startingpoint in thepublica- Box 856, Sewanee,TN 37375 or tion ofthe official technical manual ofthe Flora ofTennessee, whichwe were [email protected] also chargedwith supporting. This work is nearing completion, and much ofthe accumulated bookrevenuewill be used as publication commences. TNPSWebsite; www.tnps.org/ 3 TCV TNPS Issues 2012 Annual Meeting New Legislative September 14-16, 2012 Scorecard T Please complete and return by August 31 ennessee ConservationVot- ers (TCV) has just released its annual scorecard, which provides factual non-partisan informa- Registration fee per person $15.00 # @ $15.00 tion about how each member in the Room: Single per night $63.00 state legislaturevoted on a range of Double per person, per night $31.50 conservationissues. TCV is a statewide non-partisan, Those sharing a room should register nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the state’s environment together. Two checks may be sent. and preserving natural resources through effective legislative and ad- Friday Supper @ $ 7.75 ministrative advocacy. TCVleads a Saturday Breakfast @ $ 7.75 coalition ofstate-based conservation Lunch @ $ 7.75 and environmental organizations Saturday Supper @ $ 7.75 that seeks to turn conservationval- Sunday Breakfast @ $ 7.75 ues into priorities by advocating for strong environmental policies, en- dorsing conservation candidates, and TOTAL holding elected officials accountable. The annual scorecard is one ofthe Registrant #1 Information: ways TCV creates accountabilityfor state legislators. Name To compile this scorecard, TCV workedwith environmental leaders, Address including member groups, to select the most important conservation ac- TCV Telephone tions ofthe year. and the conservation community then clearly Email communicate the importance of Special Needs these bills to legislators. TCVfocused onfour major leg- Registrant #2 Information (if sharing a room): islativepriorities for the 2012 session: • Protections against mountaintop Name removal mining. Address • Maintaining real estate transfer taxfunds for land acquisition and Telephone preservation. • Expressing concern about hy- Email draulic fracking. Special Needs • Deregulation and fundingfor TDEC. Mail check(s) payable to TNPS to: See the scorecard for other legis- Eorie Emens lation thatwas tracked byTCV and 557 N. Mendenhall Rd. #6 the conservation community. See the TN Memphis, 38117 complete scorecard atwww.tncon- servationvoters.org 4 Exploring Nature in the Digital Age Chris A. Fleming and images to more people so that this information would Some TNPS members are already hiking with wild- be readily available inthe field. flowerguides in theform of “apps” on their iPhones or When the first iPod Touch and iPhone were introduced other mobile devices. So, it seems apropos (and about in 2007 along with the idea of mobile applications, it soon time)for us to explore what’s going on with this new became apparent the vehicle for providing interactive refer- technologyandputit intoperspective. ence data had arrived. These thoughts were further solidi- Also, some members may already have met Chris fied in 2008 withthe introduction ofthe Android operating Fleming, who has been a guidefor severalyears at the system, which runs on numerous mobile devices, and the Smoky Mountains WildflowerPilgrimage. Chris isa bi- development ofAndroid-specific mobile applications. BDY ologist, botanist, andprincipal in Environmental, Since the introduction of these devices to the market- a consulting firm based in Nashville. Mary Priestley place, their use has become widespread and enhancements buttonholed Chris at this year’s pilgrimage, and he to hardware and software are continually occurring. agreed to write about his development ofa wildflower As a guide at the annual SpringWildflower Pilgrimage at app titled Guide to the Common Wildflowers of the the Great Smoky Mountains (GSM) for over ten years, I Great SmokyMountains. was commonly carrying several guides along to show the participants information regarding the plants that we ob- n recent years there have been incredible advances in served and photographs of flowers when only leaves were mobile computing with the pro- present. Through these experiences, I liferation of powerful handheld realized in late 2009 that a mobile ap- devices and mobile phones. plication for the wildflowers of the Mobile computing technology has Great Smoky Mountains would be historically been restricted to only both extremely useful and an excel- the most savvy users. Today’s user lent first project to undertake. Our friendlydevices possess extremelyin- goal was to produce an informative tuitive interfaces accessible to almost application suitable for use by both anyone. the scientist and layman that allowed As these devices have evolved, forinteractive searches and basic key- they have begun to integrate many ing of species using easily observable newfeatures, such as globalposition- morphological attributes. ing systems (GPS), digital cameras, After several months of develop- and standard data processing and ment, we launched GSM Wildflow- storage. While conducting botanical ers, our first application for iOS field work only a few years ago, it (Apple) operating systems, in early was not uncommon for me to utilize 2010. While we are constantly work- three unique devices for all of these ing onways to tweak and enhance the end uses. application, it currently includes 172 As a graduate student at the Uni- ofthe most commonwildflowers one versity of Tennessee, Knoxville, I might encounterwithin theparkwith worked extensively onthe herbarium narrative descriptions and over 600 website (www.tenn.bio.utk.edu) to representative photographs. incorporate images into the interac- Through a partnership with Dis- tiveplant checklistforTennessee, Eu- cover Life in America (DLIA), the gene Wofford, curator of the UT GSM Wildflowers application also herbarium, and I were always dis- educates people about DLIA’s mis- cussing ways to distribute these data 5 sion while providing some monetary support by donating a TNPS Board Approves Funds portion ofthe application sales proceeds. Subsequentto the development ofthewildflower applica- for Conservation Group tion, we partnered with Dr. Ed Pivorun at Clemson Univer- New sity to develop Mammals ofthe Great Smoky Mountains & and Guide Book Southern Appalachians for iOS (iPhone and iPad). We are T currently in the development and testing phase for several he TNPS Board ofDirectors, meetingJune 9, ap- other applications and are working to develop all of our approved a donation of$500 forthe Tennessee Inva- plications for the Android operating system in the next few sive Pest Plant Council. months. This is the latest ofannual gifts made to Tennessee or- In addition to our applications, there are several others ganizations that are doing significant work in conservation available that provide a wealth of Information for both pro- locally. LastyearTNPS gave $500 to the Swan Timst. fessional and amateur naturalists. While the intended uses of The Board also approved future support of$5,000 to many of these applications is identification, there are some assist the publication ofA Winter Guide to WoodyPlants new applications on the market thatutilize social interaction ofKentuckyand Tennessee by Eugene Wofford and Ron Jones. to share nature observations, provide interactive mapping A Dennis Horn said the book, referred to informally as tools, and assist field biologists withdata collection. list of the “twig book,” is “sumptuously illustrated” with photo- these applications is included below forreference. graphs by Professor Wofford, curator oftheUniversity of Tennessee Herbarium. The text and keys are being done While it is not possible to reference all of the mobile ap- by ProfessorJones, who is curator ofthe herbarium at plications offered, I hope that this article at least provides an Eastern Kentucky University and author ofPlantLife of informative introduction to mobile tools available for explo- Kentucky. The twig bookpublisherwill be the University ration ofthenatural world. Itis not ourintentionto discour- Press ofKentucky, which has agreed to give TNPS a 50 age the use of available printed guides and taxonomic keys, percent discount and 50 free books for our contribution. but instead to provide a supplemental tool that allows for Fundingis also being provided by the KentuckyNative UT quick, regionally specific reference in the field for beginning Plant Society and the Botany Department. and experienced naturalists. If you have any questions, sug- The board also heard updates on editorial work being gestions, or recommendations for existing or projects in de- done on the technical manual ofTennesseee flora, with velopment, feel freeto contact me [email protected]. whichTNPS is helping financially. Dennis Horn, referring to progress made at the editorial committee meeting in May, said revisions should be completed by August i. By Digital Nature Guides this fall, the committee will begin seeking a publisher, be- — • Audubon Nature Guides digital format ofmost ginningwith the University ofTennessee Press. popularfield guides TNPS funds for this book will come from revenue gen- • Fungi—interactive identification ofcommon fungi erated bytheTNPS guide book Wildflowers ofTennessee, • Wildflowers AlongThe Way: Central and Southern the Ohio Valley, andthe Southern Appalachians. Appalachian—includes 240 species Actionwas also taken at the board meetingto form a • iBird—includes all species within North America nominating committee thatwill present a slate ofnew officers and directors at the annual meeting. While discussing this year’s annual meeting at Carson Interactive Nature Guides Springs, President BartJones informed members of • ProjectNoah- suitable for adults and children; utilized progress made in plans for the 2013 annual meeting, which in classroom curriculums will be held at Lake Barkley Lodge at Lake Barkley State Resort Park in Kentucky. The meetingwill be held jointly Mapping — with the Kentucky Native Plant Society. Meeting dates • Google—Earth mobile version ofdesktop software will be announed later. • ArcGIS mobileversion ofdesktop reader TNPS had displays at both the Nashville Lawn and — • iGIS fully featured GIS application Garden Show and the Memphis Area Master Gardeners Spring Fling. It was reported that more than 30 books Data Collection were sold, and TNPS attracted new members. 35 • EcoMap-highlyadaptable tool forfield data collection 6 TNPS FIELD TRIPS Recent Trillium Discovery — continued Cane Creek Canyon Preserve thought were good habitats, but no trilliums were there. April 21, 2012 Later in the season, they did spot a plant at the edge ofthe Y woods, but it appeared not to have flowered. They made a ou’d thinkwith the warm springwe enjoyed I’d note to visit next spring. Fast forward to this April and the have no worry about cool weather for our trip to visit to their lone plant, there itwas in flower. Further into Cane Creek Canyon Preserve innorthwestAla- the woods they found dozens, ifnot hundreds, ofthese bama—WRONG! A temperature that remained in the odd trilliums. They scoured their field guides, including lower 50s under cloudy skies and a stiffbreezeput a chill our own Wildflowers ofTennessee, the Ohio Valley, and inthe air, butnot to the enthusiasm ofthe nine TNPS SouthernAppalachians, which they hadjustpurchased a members and guests. Whatever chillwe feltwas soon alle- couple ofmonths before. Since theywere unsure ofthe viated by the warmwelcome givento us byJim and Faye identity ofthe plant, they decided to contactTNPS Lacefield. through the website mentioned in the book and, unbe- Cane Creek Canyon is the passion ofthe Lacefields and knownst to us. Dr. Ed Schilling atUT. Dr. Schilling for- over the years they have assembled several hundred acres warded everything to Dr. Susan Farmer, who had done the under the trust ofthe Nature Conservancy, lands which DNA analysis on the South Carolina T oostingii. She in protect many rare plants inAlabama. What makes this site turn contacted Dr. Chick Gaddywho described T oostingii special is the cap ofHartselle sandstonewhich Cane Creek in 2008. cuts through. The area is quite reminiscent ofmany areas Tom Patrick continued his look as these plants and also ofthe Cumberland Plateauwith sheer cliffs and rock- contacted Dr. Gaddy, so now everyonewas talking to each houses overlooking the creek and limestone barrens at the other trying to figure outwhatwewere dealingwith. bottom ofthe canyon. Although there is still some debate about some characteris- As we ventured into thewoodlands we were met by tics being different inthe Tennessee plants and sequence some beautiful patches ofEastern bergamot {Monarda analysis to be done, the consensus is these plants are Tril- hradhuriana) and a couple ofoutstanding specimens of lium oostingiior a closely-related undescribed species. nettle-leafsage {Salvia urticifolia). As the trail descended We’ll have to be patient andwaitfor the final answer, but toward a waterfallwe encountered gold star grass {Hypoxis one thingis for sure, there’s something special growingin hirsuta), partridgeberry {Mitchella repens), eared tickseed Hamblen County. Marci summed up the experience very {Coreopsis auriculata), Solomon’s plume {Smilacina race- eloquently, “We were hoping to find trilliums on ourprop- mosa), and the firstAlabama azalea {Rhododendron alaha- erty, and it looks like we got ourwish in a bigway. It’s mense). The trail led backup to a gorgeous overlook sur- always fun to find a rare plant, however, this is beyond rounded by mountain laurel {Kalmia latifolia) inpeak anythingwe could have imagined. We liken it towinning bloomwith large-flowered tickseed {Coreopsisgrandiflora) the lottery.” and an atypical form ofwild garlic {Allium canadense) that had no bulbils in the flower head, just flowers. Immedi- ately down the trail from the lookoutwas false flowering spurge {Euphorbiapuhentissima) looking for all the world like awimpy flowering spurge. On to the rockhouses and our highlightplant ofthe trip, French’s shooting star {Dodecatheonfrenchii). All along the drip line ofthe rockhouses patches of shooting stars thrived. These are much smaller, more gracile plants than the more familiarDodecatheon meadia with smaller flowers. Also, located here was cliffmeadow rue {Thalic- trum clavatum). As we arrived at Cane Creek, the habitat became much moister and several small meadow-like openings appeared supporting a riot offlowers including leather vase vine {Clematis viorna), smooth carrion flower {Smi- lax herhacea), Seneca snakeroot {Polygala senega), smoothphlox {Phloxglaherrima), long-sepal beard- tongue {Penstemon calycosus), veinypea {Lathyrus veno- Nettle-leafsage (Salviaurticifolia) PhotobyBartJones sus), American columbo {Frasera caroliniensis), spinypod 7 Jackson Bend Hike OApril 14, 2012 n April 14, 13 people from bothTennessee Citi- zens forWilderness Planning and TNPS joined for a hike alongTVA's Tellico Lake. The usual springwild flowers were mostly gone butwe did see some interestingplants, Easternpricklypear cactus {Opuntia humifusa), yellowfruit horse-gentian {Triosteum angusti- folium), baby blue eyes {Nemophila aphylla) and nettle- leaved sage {Salvia urticifolia). There was a mysteryplant lateridentified on a returnvisit as Campanula americana. (The early confusing basal leaves were gone.) Hikers could adapted their stamina level, and a shuttlewas used to shorten the return hike. Alabamaazalea (Rhododendron alabamense) Larry Pounds {Matelea carolinensis), and a couple ofbeautiful thicket You can readmore aboutLarry'sfieldtrip andabout other hawthorn {Crataegus intricata) bushes. adventures in natureatthe very entertaining website Making ourway along the wooded areas ofthe creekwe WWW.benandlarryincumberland.com saw some lovely bigleafsnowbell {Styraxgrandifolia) and a few sweetshrubs {Calycanthusfloridus). Though notin Annual Meeting Field Trips and flower,Jim and Fayepointed out some good stands ofAla- bamawarbonnet (Jamesianthusalabamense). Ascending Program by David Haskell backup to the top and the completion ofourloop hike, D one more treat awaited us: a rescued southern lady’s slipper avid Haskell, author ofthe newly released book {Cypripedium kentuckiense) from the Birmingham area. It TheForest Unseen, is likely to beguile listeners, not seemed to be quite happy in its adopted home. onlywith his knowledge and observations ofna- Cane Creek Canyon Preserve is awonderfulplace and ture but also with his subtle poetic style and English into- the Lacefields are informative and gracious hosts. Ifyou nation, when he speaks at the SeptemberAnnual Meeting. get the opportunity to visit, I highly recommend you do. Davidwillprovide theprogram on Saturday the 15th, Just giveJim and Faye a call, you won’t be disappointed. and he mayjoin members for ahike earlier on Saturday. TheForest Unseen is a collection ofHaskell’s observa- BartJones tions ofa small section offorest at Sewanee known as Shak- erag Hollow. Those observations can be broad but are frequently microscopic and detailed, oftenpulling into his field ofvision recent biological research by other scientists. One reviewer compares Haskell to Leopold, Muir, and Thoreau, adding, “For those who are lookingfor inspiration to spend more time in thewild, this book is the perfect companion. Haskell’s vast knowledge ofthe forest and all its creatures is the perfect guide to exploringwilderness.” Upcoming TNPS Field Trips •June 30, 10 a.m. Clingman’s Dome park- ing area. Guides: Allen and Susan Sweetser. • August4, 10 a.m. Welcome Center at The Farm, Summertown. Guide: BartJones TNPS Members andstudentlisten to PaulDavison, during the (901-726-6891) spring Micro-SafarinearSewanee. Annual Meeting Fast Approaching — continued Crabtree and TNPS chartermember Dennis Fiorn are among a number offield trip leaders. David Haskell, Sewanee professor and author ofthe new book TheForest Unseen, willprovide theprogram on Saturday night ofthe meeting. Also that evening, President BartJones will preside at the business session; the annual ConservationAward will be presented; and the election ofofficers and directors will be held. The programfor opening nightwill be announced later. Davis Carson Springs is equipedwith 34 motel-style rooms, a large dining room, large meeting rooms and smaller lounge areas, and Latham a store. More information about Carson Springs and directions can be by found by doing an internet search for Carson Springs Baptist Photo Conference Center. Questions about registration may be addressed to Lorie Asteron Roan Mountain. Emens [email protected]. CheckYour Dues Date? — Checkyour mailing label the year throughwhichyou havepaid dues is printed at the top. Ifthe date’s 2011 or2010, please send a checkpromptly to Darel Hess, our treasurer, TNPS, P.O. Box 159274, Nashville, TN 37215. NX ‘99UBM9S xog -oa J3U3|SAV9^ SdNX