NATIVE NOTES

Kate’s Mountain Clover

Bill Grafton – Editor Daniel J. Grafton – Assistant Editor

WEST VIRGINIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY NEWSLETTER

VOLUME 14: 3 DECEMBER 2006

Seasons Greetings!

By the time you are reading this, the Christmas and New Years holidays will be over. And as the snow falls and melts through the winter, botanical enthusiasts turn their thoughts to a more colorful time of the year: Spring!

Last spring the WVNPS Tri-State Chapter started the botanizing season with a field trip to Grayson Lake State Park. Through the course of the summer we visited botanical hotspots in the rich mesic woods around Fort Gay, KY, the oak-hickory forests of Wayne National Forest in Ohio and the oak barrens and rock bluff communities of Lynx Prairie and Buzzard Roost, both Nature Conservancy properties in Adams County, Ohio. We ended the 2006 field season with a spectacular annual meeting and botanizing trip to the Point Pleasant area; home of Mothman and interesting wetland plant communities.

To combat the lack of botanical thrill that may exist in the winter I suggest three remedies.

1) Seek comfort in learning how to identify trees and shrubs in dormant form. The world of leaf scars, vascular bundle scars and false terminals is a fascinating field of study. Not to mention how much your friends and family will be impressed when you tell them, “No, no, no that can’t be a walnut tree because walnuts have chambered piths!” A good, cheap reference for starting this endeavor is William Harlow’s Fruit Key and Twig Key to Tree and Shrubs published in 1946 by Dover Publications, Inc. Despite its out-dated nomenclature, I find it to be a reliable key with good photos. The best part about it is that you can buy yourself a brand-spankin’-new copy for $4.95 on the internet!

2) The second remedy I suggest is to seek companionship in fellow botanical confidants at this year’s exciting WVNPS lecture series at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. This year’s series features talks about orchids, gardening, outdoor recreation and more! Please check out the schedule of talks included in this issue of Native Notes.

3) Explore the newly re-vamped WVNPS website at www.wvnps.org. Jeff Patton has worked tirelessly to update and festoon the website with pictures, new information and exciting links to other exciting botanical websites.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and that you can partake of the above items to get you through the winter. When spring is around the corner, remember to keep your eyes open for postings about WVNPS summer hikes. If you have an idea for a place that would make a good hike, contact your chapter leader to get it booked as a 2007 field trip.

Happy Winter Botanizing,

Chad Kirschbaum, WVNPS President

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

WINTER LECTURE SERIES – Hosted by: TRI-STATE CHAPTER

Public Welcome! Please join us for a series of talks about plants, gardening, outdoor recreation and more!!!

Effects of Nitrogen Pollution on Plant Diversity

Dr. Frank Gilliam, Marshall University

Thursday, November 16^th

Propagation Techniques for Native Plants

Dr. Frank Porter, Porterbrook Native Plants

Thursday, December 7^th

Hallucinogenic Plants Used in Healing

Dr. Dan Evans, Marshall University

Wednesday, January 17^th

Wayne National Forest: From the Land Nobody

Wanted to Southern Ohio’s Unique Natural Treasure

Gloria Chrismer, Wayne National Forest

Thursday, February 15^th

Native Orchids of West Virginia and Beyond

Bernie Cyrus

Thursday, March 15^th

Each talk will also feature “Botany on the Web: Useful websites for E-Botanizing: By Forest Service botanist Chad Kirschbaum

Join us: 6:30 – 7:30 P.M.

Science Hall – Room 376

Marshall University

Annual membership meeting

The Annual Membership meeting was held in Point Pleasant at the Lowe Hotel on the evening of September 23, 2006. Chad Kirshbaum presided.

The following items were discussed and actions agreed to by the members, are listed.

• Decided we would write a letter to WV legislators in support of adding new invasive plants to the Noxious Weed law. Lawrence Beckerle will draft the letter.
• Decided to write and distribute a press release for the upcoming 25^th Anniversary of the WV Native Plant Society. Mary Sansom and Lois Kuhl will lead this effort.

Editor’s Note: I hope many of you have seen these releases. Please let me know,

so a summary can be included in the Spring newsletter.

• Decided to write a “History of Botany in West Virginia” to be posted on our website. Action: Bill Grafton has written 2 drafts and the final version should be written by January 10^th.
• Decided to post the “worst of the worst” invasive plant list on the WVNPS website. Lawrence Beckerle will send this to Jeff Patton for posting.
• Successfully elected new officers and Board of Trustee members.
• The money from the disbanded Eastern Panhandle Chapter will be invested in a Certificate of Deposit which could be partially or entirely returned to a future chapter that might be formed in the Eastern Panhandle.
• Decided to send all members an insert (enclosed in this newsletter) that includes the 2007 dues notice and the option to receive newsletter and other information by either email or US Postal Service. Please make your choice and return to Steve Mace.
• Voted to donate $250 total to the herbaria at WVU & Marshall University. Also voted to donate $100 to help build a “botany” kiosk along the Monongahela River Rail Trail in Morgantown.
• Frank Porter, owner of Porterbrook Nursery in Racine, Ohio, offered to present a propagation workshop and field trip for a future WVNPS meeting.
• Will investigate participation in a newly formed Cooperative Weed Management Area (CWMA) in Ohio and a potential CWMA in West Virginia.
• Will plan a Bryophyte Workshop in conjunction with the January 20, Board meeting to be held in Charleston, WV.
• The Tri-State Chapter will organize another lecture series at Marshall University for Nov. 2006 – March 2007. Note: Two of the workshops have been held already but there are 3 more to come.

January 20, 2007 Bryophyte Workshop and Board of Trustees Meeting

The workshop can accommodate 15 people and will start at 9:30 am and end at 2:30 pm

Instructor: Ray Showman, Ohio Lichen All-star – co-author of Lichens of Ohio .

Chad Kirschbaum (email: ckirschbaum@fs.fed.us ,is the contact to register and get more details.

The board meeting will be from 3-6 pm and all are welcome!!

Tri-State Field Trips for 2006

What an interesting group of plants the Tri-State Chapter saw during 2006. If you live close to the area you really should go on the trips. Listed below are some of the rare or interesting plants you missed this year. Don’t let it happen in 2007. Join in the fun!!

Trip 1: Mills Creek near Fort Gay, WV on May 6, 2006

List compiled by Jeff Patton

Green dragon Walking fern Cynthia

Twinleaf Wild comfrey Filmy fern

Giant chickweed Veiny skullcap False mermaidweed

Cranefly orchid Yellow lady’s slipper Bloodroot

Celandine poppy Greek valerian Goldenseal

Long-flowered Heuchera

Trip 2: Binion Branch on Wayne National Forest, Ohio on June 3, 2006

List compiled by Jeff Patton

Southern water-plantain Fox grape

Spreading dogbane Wild cucumber

Young’s Branch on Wayne NF, Ohio 6/3/06

American beak grass American ipecac

Fire cherry Climbing prairie rose

Narrowleaf cattail Sweet low blueberry

Trip 3:Buzzard’s Roost (BR) and Lynx Prairie (LP) ; Adams Co., Ohio 8/5/06

List compiled by Jeff Patton

Note: Ohio “State listed plants” followed by (E) Endangered, (T) Threatened or (P) Protected

Texas sandwort –BR (P) American aloe –LP (P)

Green milkweed – LP (P) Shale barren aster – BR (T)

Blue-hearts – LP (T) Flat-stemmed spikerush – LP (T)

Rattlesnake master – LP (P) Hairy milk pea – LP (T)

Western sunflower – LP (T) Crested coral-root – LP (T)

Cylindrical Blazing Star – BR (T) Scaly Blazing Star – LP (P)

Angle-pod – LP (P) Plains Muhlenbergia – BR (E)

Few-flowered Nut-rush – LP (T) Southern Blackhaw – LP (T)

Whorled milkweed – BR, LP Side Oats gramma – BR

Bristle-leaved sedge – BR, LP Mullein Foxglove – BR

Stiff-haired sunflower – LP Green violet – BR

Goldenseal – BR False boneset – BR, LP

Carolina buckthorn – BR Prairie rose – BR

Cup-plant – LP Prairie dock – LP

White blue-eyed grass – LP Stiff goldenrod – LP

…………………………………………………………………………………………….

PLAN NOW FOR YOUR SPRING PLANTING

Spring is not “just around the corner”, but it is time to plan what your needs will be for those warmer days of April and May when we like to dig in the soil. It might even help you to get on the web sites of our native plant nurseries. See what they have listed and get your plant list together. Some of the nurseries have catalogs that you can request and be sure to share with you friends, kin folk, and fellow native plant enthusiasts.

Listed below are some sources of native plants for our area. If you know of others, please let me know so we can compile a complete list for the spring issue of Native Notes.

Doyle Farm Nursery

158 Norris Road

Delta, PA 17314

Phone/FAX : 717 862-3134

Email: jld@doylefarm.com

Web site: doylefarm.com

Doyle Farm Nursery specializes in native perennial grasses and herbs. They have a large variety of plants to choose from. All plants are grown outside so they do not have to acclimatize when first planted.

Located in York County Pennsylvania. Plants are high quality and most are sold in “pots” that are quart or gallon size. They will ship but it is cheaper to pick up gallon size containers at the nursery. Prices are generally $5-6 for quart size and $8-13 for gallon size.

Note: Emily ordered several plants last year and had excellent results.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Elk Ridge Nature Works, LLC

Ron Boyer & Liz McDowell

Phone: 301 895-3686

Email: info@elkridgenatureworks.com

Web site : elkridgenatureworks.com

A very nice selection of native plants grown on site in Garrett County in western Maryland. Ron and Liz are very helpful and have a nice selection of Mid-Appalachian wildflowers, grasses and rushes. You can purchase the plants at the nursery (by appointment), at local festivals & farmers markets, as well as, several plant events in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Note: We have bought plants from Ron and Liz and found them to be vigorous and hardy.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Enchanter’s Garden

Peter Heus

HC 77, Box 108

Hinton, WV 25951

Phone- FAX: 304 466-3154

Enchanter’s Garden offers a wide variety of wildflowers, grasses, sedges and about 30 trees/shrubs. Most plants are in quart size containers. A listing of plants by common & scientific names and the prices, can be mailed to customers. To buy plants you need to make an appointment and visit the nursery. Plants are no longer sold by mail order as they were a few years ago.

Note: I have bought plants from Peter several times and always found them to be high quality and quite vigorous.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Porterbrook Native Plants

Dr. Frank Porter

49607 St. Rt. 124

Racine, OH 45771

Phone: 740 247-4565