No Title

N A TIVE NOTES

Kate’s Mountain Clover

BILL GR A FTON – EDITOR

WEST VIRGINI A N A TIVE PL A NT SOCIETY NEWSLETTER

Volume 15:2 AUGUST , 2007

September 22 & 23 – A NNU A L MEETING

Saturday , Sept . 22

10 A M Forked Run State Park , Botanical Foray , meet at parking lot : 63300

State Route 124, Reedsville , Ohio

4:30 PM Dinner in Pomeroy , Ohio at Bob Evans

6 PM Membership Meeting at Ohio State Univ . Extension Ofc . in Pomeroy

Information about and directions to Forked Run SP :

www . dnr . state . oh . us / parks / forkedrn . html

http :// www . stateparks . com / forked_run . html

Sunday , Sept . 23

8 A M Porterbrook Native Plant Nursery , a tour of Dr . Frank Porter’s nursery , landscaping , and a workshop on native plant propagation .

Lodging options :

1 . Meigs Motel – 740 992-5531. It is located right behind Pomeroy on Oh . Rt . 7

2 . Super 8, Ripley , WV 1-800-403-4176 or 1-304-372-8880

3 . Best Western – McCoys , Ripley , WV 1-304-372-9122

4 . Holiday Inn Express , Ripley , WV 1-304-372-5000

5 . There is also camping available at Forked Run State Park .

WEST VIRGINI A – 2007 BOT A NIC A L HOTSPOT OF THE YE A R

Three nationally known botanical organizations held meetings in West Virginia this year .

1 . North A merican Rock Garden Society - June 14-17 at Canaan Valley .

2 . Joint Field Meeting of the Botanical Society of A merica – Northeastern Section , Torrey Botanical Society , and Philadelphia Botanical Club – June 17-21 at Davis and Elkins College .

3 . Delaware Valley Fern Society – July 8-11 at Canaan Valley State Park .

The North A merican Rock Garden Society ( N A RGS ) had about 170 participants from the US and Canada . Martha Oliver ( Scottdale , P A) who is one of our WVNPS members was the primary coordinator of the event and did a fantastic job . Charles Oliver ( Martha ’s husband ) was always present and helping organize trips , setting up A V equipment , and troubleshooting where needed . They along with Bill Grafton were leaders on most of the tours along with another 10 or so leaders . Martha presented the opening talk about the exploitation of Dolly Sods and Canaan Valley in the opening address titled , “ A Series of Unfortunate Events” . Bill Grafton presented information on flora of Dolly Sods and the WV Shale Barrens in a talk titled “Dolly Sods & Shale Barrens : One degree below tree line and one step above desert” . Fields trips were taken to Blackwater Falls State Park , Dolly Sods and Larenim Shale barren .

Bonnie Isaac from the Carnegie Museum of Natural History talked about the ecology and phytogeography of Canaan Valley plants . Bill Cullina from the New England Wildflower Garden presented two talks on rare plant introductions and woodland plant propagation , that were excellent .

Note from your Editor : This was one of the best organized conferences I have ever attended . It was very exciting to be around people with such a love for our native plants .

The “Joint Meeting” at Elkins must have been fabulous . Hopefully we can get a report from one of our attendees .

Elizabeth Byers presented “High elevation wetlands of the A llegheny Mountain region” .

Elizabeth and Jim Vanderhorst led an all day field trip to Cheat Mountain .

Kathy Gregg ( WV Wesleyan College ) presented “Do orchids hedge their bets ? ”

Kathy and Brian Streets led an all day field trip to Dolly Sods .

Bill Roody presented “Mushrooms : a world of wonder” .

Elizabeth Byers and Leah Ceperley led an all day field trip to Canaan Valley .

Rodney Bartgis ( WV TNC ) presented “Dry limestone communities of the upper South Branch” .

The Delaware Valley Fern Society explored for ferns and wildflowers in Tucker , Grant and Mineral Counties . Most of the field trips were led by Bill Grafton and Mike Breiding . A field trip between Parsons and Hendricks resulted in seeing Goldies shield fern , 3 Cystopteris species ( protrusa , tenuis , and bulbifera , royal fern , interrupted fern , walking fern , glade fern , Polypody Fern ( Polypodium appalachianum ), and maidenhair spleenwort . We also found Maianthemum stellatum ( Star - flowered Solomon’s Seal ).

The next stop was Big Run ( Olson ) Bog on top of Backbone Mountain . Our goal was to see the Bog clubmoss , and the larger A ppressed Bog Clubmoss , which we did . We also saw about 200 Pogonia ophioglossoides ( Rose Pogonia ) in bloom . Pitcher plants and

Round - leaved Sundew were everywhere . The Pitcher Plant population has literally exploded during the past few years . Where there were several hundred there are now thousands of plants .

And then we hit a bonanza !!! Tom Weiboldt ( Curator at Virginia Tech , Chip Morgan , Mo Stevens , and Mike Breiding found a small patch of Bog rosemary . This is only the second population known from WV ( the other is in Cranberry Glades ).

I ( Bill Grafton ) had to see this rarity . Fortunately , Tom W . had taken a GPS reading of the location . We walked around a large clump of Winterberry where we expected to find the Bog Rosemary , but instead I saw a large clump of a shrub I had never seen before . Tom was familiar with it and named it Leather - leaf (Chamaedaphne calyculata ). A second smaller clump of Leather - leaf was a bout 2 0 feet away . A s I started toward it , I saw another evergreen shrub that I have seen in Canada and New England . It was Pale or Swamp Laurel ( Kalmia polifolia ). I was so happy that it took me several minutes to see the Bog Rosemary that was literally mixed in with the Pale Laurel .

The last native shrub I can recall being found in WV was Prairie Redroot ( Ceanothus herbaceus ) found by Rodney Bartgis well over a decade ago .

To find two new native shrubs in an area that has been heavily botanized and located within 20 feet of each other and mixed with the very rare Bog Rosemary was a once in a lifetime experience for the five of us .

Our next field trip was along the Dobbin House Trail in Blackwater Falls SP and on US Forest Service lands . The objective was to locate and make a definite identification of Lycopodium lagopus ( One - cone Clubmoss ) which was found here about 3 years ago . We accomplished our goal and then spent considerable time discussing the hybrids and varieties of Lycopodium clavatum , L . lagopus , L . annotinum , L . digitatum , L . obscurum and L . hickeyii that were all growing in close proximity to each other .

The next field trip was to A bes Run in Canaan Valley SP to look at unusual wildflowers such as Showy Ladies’ Slipper , Swamp Saxifrage , Purple A vens , Purple Fringed Orchid , Kidney - leaf Twayblade , glade spurge , and Jacob’s Ladder . We also saw the rare Cranberry Bush ( Viburnum trilobum ) and A lder - leaved Buckthorn .

Before we even got our feet wet , Mike Breiding spotted a nice stand of Meadow Horsetail ( Equisetum pratense ). This was also a new state record .

Later field trips took us to see Oak Fern ( Gymnocarpium dryopteris ), Long Beech Fern (Phegopteris connectilis ), Wood Horsetail ( Equisetum sylvaticum ), and Ostrich Fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris ).

Note : The next weekend Emily and I were back in Canaan Valley teaching classes to the CV Master Naturalists group . While on a short fern hike near the Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge headquarters , I found a very weird Brackern fern . It has long black sori on the underside of the leaves that are vaguely similar to the sori of Lady Ferns .

FUTURE FIELD TRIPS & EVENTS

September 22 & 23 ( Sat . & Sun .) WVNPS A nnual Membership Meeting at Pomeroy , Ohio . Field trips , workshop , and business meeting .

September 8 ^{th

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Check these websites :

WV Native Plant Society : www . wvnps . org

Wayne Nation al Forest : www . fs . fed . us / r 9/ wayne / events

Ohio Wildflower Pilgrimage : www . highlandsanctuary . org / CalendarOfEvents

Kentucky Native Plant Society : www . knps . org / knps %20 events

G A S WELL CONTROVERSY IN K A N A WH A ST A TE FOREST

Senate Bill 460 was passed by the Legislature and signed by Governor Manchin to protect the forests and vegetation of Kanawha State Forest and all of our 9 state forests from poorly located and maintained gas well roads . Unfortunately , during the negotiations efforts to reclaim all roads and well sites with native plants was deleted . Public input recently ended and DNR will now write the “rules” to implement the law . It is hoped that reclamation with native plants can be reinstated in the rules . Considerable input has been provided by a number of our WVNPS members , such as , Bill Hall , Julian Martin , and Mae Ellen Wilson . Helen Gibbins wrote the following letter to represent views of WVNPS .

WEST VIRGINI A N A TIVE PL A NT SOCIETY

6 128 Gideon Rd .

Huntington , WV 25705

3 04-736-3287

gibbins @ verizon . net

July 25, 2007

Kenneth Caplinger , A cting Chief

Parks and Recreation Section

Division of Natural Resources

Building 3, Room 714, Capitol Complex

1 900 Kanawha Boulevard East

Charleston , WV 25305-0662

Dear Mr . Caplinger :

I am writing on behalf of the West Virginia Native Plant Society membership to support the proposed regulations for oil and gas well drilling and road construction / maintenance in West Virginia’s state forests . We believe the new rules represent a major step forward in protecting the special ecological and recreational environments of our state forests . We commend you and the DNR for this effort and welcome the opportunity to provide input into the development of the final document .

We recommend adding requirements to ensure the seeding of plant species native to West Virginia in the reclamation of areas disturbed or damaged by well sites or access roads . This is vital to prevent the introduction and spread of invasive species which are destructive to West Virginia’s long term biodiversity and health of wildlife populations . There are several sources in adjacent states of native seed mixes that would be effective in erosion control as well as promoting the sustainability of the forest ecosystem .

We also urge a requirement for an inventory of plant species and wildlife habitats , especially with respect to rare species that might be found in proposed well sites . While consulting a list of previously identified threatened or endangered species is also highly recommended , a current survey further assures no adverse impacts to rare plant and animal species would occur .

A thorough survey conducted by field botanists and / or biologists would allow environmentally sound decisions regarding location of new drilling projects and potential mitigation by the developer for damages to the natural forest community .

Once again we are grateful for the advances in preserving the integrity of our state forests delineated in the proposed rules . Please consider our comments in formulating the final draft and advise us if further consultation would be helpful in this process .

Sincerely ,

Helen Gibbins , Recording Secretary

West Virginia Native Plant Society

CR A NBERRY GL A DES FIELD TRIP : by KEVIN C A MPBELL

During the weekend of June 22-24, 2007, the WV Native Plant Society , Kanawha Valley Chapter had an outing to the Cranberry Glades region of Pocahontas County . In attendance were ; Elizabeth Byers , Chris Gatens , Bill Hall , and Kevin Campbell . We stayed at the Handley Wildlife Management A rea near Edray , WV . The weather was fantastic and during Saturday we observed and identified sixteen sedges” and ten orchids . I should clarify that “we identified” for the sedges means Elizabeth Byers . A mong the discoveries were Heart - Leaved Twayblade in Cranberry glades and Early Coralroot in a small bog in Handley WM A.

Orchids

Cypripedium acaule Pink Ladies Slipper

Listera cordata Heart - Leaved Twayblade

Goodyera pubescens Downy Rattlesnake Plantain

Habenaria clavellata Green Wood Orchid

Habenaria orbiculata Round - Leaved Orchid

Habenaria psycodes Purple Fringed Orchid

Pogonia ophioglossoides Rose Pogonia

Calopogon tuberosus Grass Pink

Liparis loeselii Loesel’s Twayblade

Corallorhiza trifida Early Coralroot

“Sedges”

Scirpus cyperinus Woolgrass

Eriophorum virginicum Cottongrass

Rynchospora recognita Beaked Rush

Dulchium arundinaceum Three - Way Sedge

Carex atlantica Prickly Bog Sedge

Carex echinata Star Sedge

Carex plantaginea Plantain Sedge

Carex prasina Drooping Sedge

Carex torta Twisted Sedge

Carex crinita Fringed Sedge

Carex gynandra Nodding Sedge

Carex utriculata Beaked Sedge

Carex lurida Sallow Sedge

Carex baileyi Bailey’s Sedge

Carex intumescens Greater Bladder Sedge

Cymophyllus fraserianus Fraser’s Sedge

HIGHLIGHTS OF BO A RD MEETING ON M A Y 5, 2007

Meeting held in Canaan Valley . Present were : Chad Kirschbaum , Lawrence Beckerle , Kevin Campbell , Donna Ford - Werntz , Bill Grafton , Chris Gatens , Bill Hall , Steve Mace , Jeff Patton and Helen Gibbins .

TRE A SURER ’ S REPORT :

Income $1,107

Expenses $577.40

Balance $2,933.60

T - shirt sales amount to $646. We agreed to subsidize this project up to $200 if needed . Chad Kirschbaum was commended by the Board for his efforts .

Finances discussion : We may have a deficit budget unless :

1 . We finance fewer projects ..

2 . We increase our membership . Present membership is 85.

3 . More members get the newsletter by email

4 . Increase dues $3 for members who prefer postal mail rather than email

Note : The Native Notes will continue to be sent by postal mail unless you specifically request sending it by email .

Public Relations :

· Cultivate members of the press such as Scott Shalaway ( send names & email to Helen Gibbins )

· Target at least two members of the press

· Ask Frank Porter to write a press release for the 2007 annual meeting

· Develop a display featuring native plants for the 2008 Bee Keeping convention to be held in Huntington .

Helen Gibbins agreed to chair the Nominating Committee . She will ask Lois Kuhl and Romie Hughart to serve again .

Wilderness : Helen Gibbins reported that , in the name of WVNPS , she sent a letter to WV ’ s Congressional delegation asking them to desiginate more wilderness areas in WV . The emphasis of the letter was on stopping invasive plants from moving into special areas .

Invasive Plants : Lawrence Beckerle said that he had contacted the Forest Service , asking what plan it had to eradicate Japanese stilt grass from the Cranberry Wilderness . He emphasized the need to take aggressive action early on . From his conversation he gathers this is a new activity for Forest Service employees .

It was agreed that WVNPS would sponsor a winter workshop on eradicating invasive plants . The workshop would include speakers and a display to help identify invasive plants . Proposed speakers were Kent Karriker , David Dick , Scott Eggerud , Cindy Huebner , Chad K . and Lawrence B will contact individuals who might be willing to make presentations at the workshop . Date and place to be determined later .

The board approved Chad Kirschbaum using our name on grant applications .

The WV Legislature passed new rules that update the WV List of Noxious Weeds .