July – August 2013 NEWSLETTER OF THE MISSOURI NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY Volume 28 No.4 “ . to promote the enjoyment, preservation, conservation, restoration, and study of the flora native to Missouri.” Dues are Due: See paragraph on page 6. TURN SCREEN TIME TO GREEN TIME CHAPTER REPORTS Kansas City Chapter who helped, especially to Sue Hollis, Dan Rice, and Ed O’Donnell. Submitted by Hilary Haley, KC Chapter Representative th On April 27th the MONPS KC Chapter took a field trip to At the May 7 chapter meeting, Caleb Morse gave a the Martha Lafite Thompson Nature Sanctuary, located in presentation on his extensive lichen research. Caleb has Liberty, MO. This private, non-profit nature sanctuary is been working to collect and catalog lichen species from bordered by Rush Creek and is known for its Woodland Trail across North America, primarily within the Great Plains which boasts a variety of high quality spring ephemeral region. In his presentation, Caleb explained what lichens wildflowers. We practiced some tree identification and learned are, their morphology, and what roles they play in the the north facing slope is dominated by black walnut, with environment. The talk concluded with the group observing preserved lichen samples brought in by Caleb. other interesting specimens including Ohio buckeye, hop th hornbeam, and a shrub layer of bladdernut. Although the Saturday, May 18 , the weather was beautiful for a woodland is heavily infested with bush honeysuckle, a unique field trip to Crooked River Conservation Area. John threat to this woodland is blue squill (Scilla siberica). This traveled to this location in Ray County, Missouri to learn exotic member of the Liliaceae now covers at least a quarter more about the area. Oak and hickory trees are the acre and is increasing in size. Digging reveals that the leaves dominant trees in the over story, and the Crooked River was are sprung forth from a bulb buried an inch or more, making flowing well. Unlike smaller drainages in Ray County, this mechanical eradication shy of impossible for this population, river has sugar maples and cottonwoods associated with numbering in the hundreds of thousands. John Richter and riparian areas. Mostly a driving tour, John crossed a Hilary Haley witnessed the noticeable decrease in species wooden bridge over the river with his car and took a great diversity within the dense invasion. Based on John’s photo of the river. It is John’s opinion that this area likely observations from earlier trips here, this population has has some botanical treasures lurking in its remote acreage. doubled in size within the last ten years. Many spring ephemerals were found: false rue anemone, pale corydalis, Dutchmen’s breeches, bloodroot, wild geranium, dwarf Ozark Chapter larkspur, bellwort, toothwort, trout lily, and yellow, wooly Submitted by Liz Olson, Chapter Representative blue, and white violets. A single Billium sessile (the elusive At our April meeting, Ozark Chapter president Susan two-leaved trillium) was found growing among the large Farrington presented the beauty and wonder of Costa Rica populations of wake robin. Other fun plants found included: through her photographs from her recent trip to Costa Rica. columbine, golden seal, sweet cicely, maidenhair fern, and The tropical ecosystem came alive for us as Susan shared gooseberry. Those in attendance enjoyed playing scratch and her encounters with poison frogs and bullet ants, adorable sniff with sweet cicely and seeing the bright yellow yet shy kinkajous, and the kind hosts and local guides. underground portions of golden seal, gently using fingers to On April 20th, Liz Olson led a plant walk at Tingler excavate dirt until the buried stem was revealed. The hike was Prairie. While the prairie was still drab in winter brown, the concluded by learning about Missouri violets, prairie crab moist woodland species were beginning to bloom, including apple, and enjoying a plum thicket flush with aromatic may apple, spring beauty, violets, fire pink, and rue blooms. anemone. The highlight of the day was seeing the Ozark Plant sales were held on May 4th and 11th. Despite some trillium (Trillium pusillum var. ozarkanum) in bloom. unseasonably cold weather the first week of May, both sales For our May meeting, Peggy Skinner kindly opened her were largely successful. The KC Chapter raises the majority of property to our group for an enjoyable evening of its funds through these sales and a big thank you goes to all botanizing and socializing. Page 1 1 Osage Plains July to host a dinner and meeting then gave us a wagon-ride Casey Burks, Chapter Representative around his property to see the native flowers he continued Early Saturday March 30 Dr. Morton lead our caravan of to plant—especially the varieties of coneflowers and liatris. cars to a property that has prairie chickens. It was a cloudy As we rode on the wagon, we played “name that plant”. morning so the prairie chickens weren’t venturing out to cut Such a wonderful tradition he gave us. He will be dearly missed. loose and “boom” in the open area but with high powered th binoculars one could see several. Soon after arrival the rain May 20 : Osage Plains monthy meeting. Even through a started so we packed up with hopes of trying again next year. torrential downpour, several hearty soles arrived and Casey April 13th-14th Members Dr. Morton, Theresa Cline and encouraged “Butterfly Gardening” with information on Casey Burks found their way to the Boonslick Lodge near the larval development, host and nectar plants. With the decline SW corner of MO for the 2nd MONPS meeting and field trips in the Monarch population, many people are becoming at Big Sugar State Park. Allison Vaughn and Tim Smith, park interested in providing milkweeds to help them survive naturalist, gave an overview of this beautiful area with rich migration. Everyone went home with 2 purple milkweed history including the swinging bridge builder who began the seedlings. Several people brought plants to exchange which bridge by throwing a rock, wth a string attached, from one side is a great venue to try something new. th to the other. A huge effort, including fire regimen, to save the May 25 : Field Trip to Chapel View Prairie in Henry Ozark Chinkapin is going on here. It was almost wiped out by County. This was a new area that Bernie and Dan Henehan the chestnut blight and the blight continues to live in dead scouted out for us and it was fun to be challenged to learn wood. It takes at least 3 years before new sprouts produce new plants. Dorothy Harlan found a Mead’s Milkweed, nuts. The Ozark Chinkapins being monitored sprout then die then another and another!! Besides water, we need to carry after five to ten years then new sprouts start. We all are marker flags!! hopeful this important species which helped the Ozark people avoid starvation can survive. April 15th Osage Plains monthly meeting.Nancy Konkus shared her copy of “Tall Grass Prairie” with us. Produced by the Conservation Dept., it tracks the impact of civilization and shows why native plants survive so much better and how important the buffalo were to maintaining the ecosystem. Elections: Our wonderful President Emily Horner has been gently preparing us for her transition to the new St. Joseph chapter during this year. MDC Grassland Botanist, Elizabeth Middleton, has agreed to transition in as needed. Emily,Thank you for your leadership even after moving to Polo. Thank you, Annual tour /potluck at Dale’s home. (Dale is at the far left) Elizabeth, for adding this role to your full plate. Bernie Henehan and Daniel Henehan agreed be co-trip planners, Dale Jennings - Life Long Service In taking over for Jim and Dorothy Harlan. Jim and Dorothy needed to bow out of this position after 10+ years of doing a Promoting Native Wildflowers superb job checking out field trip areas for the group. We Submitted by Emily Horner appreciate their dedication and being at the Library parking lot at 9am so many Saturday mornings to lead the caravan. I keep Dale Jennings, a long and active member of the Osage wondering if I’ll be able to do half of what they do when I’m Plain Chapter passed away this May. He was awarded in my 80’s! Bernie Henehan, who knows Henry and the Blazingstar Award in 2007 for his work and that surrounding counties from his turkey hunting adventures, with of his family to promote the enjoyment, preservation, his brother Dan Henehan, who lives on the Kansas side and is conservation, and restoration of the flora native to practically a professional nature photographer, will also do a Missouri. Every year, for almost 2 decades, he planted great job of leading the group to field trip areas. We look thousands of seeds and live plants of many native forward to another year of camaraderie and learning. flowers on his property in Henry Co. This great April 20th Field trip to the Peterman property. Thirteen of diversity of plants and beautiful displays of blooms us returned to this 35Acres of pristine woodland that has been were enjoyed not only by Dale and his family, but by for sale for many years. How I wish MDC could buy this the many people traveling on Hwy 7 through Cole. property and save it from development bulldozers! It is an OP Dale loved to share so he brought fresh cut bouquets to custom to visit this place in the spring since it affords Sunday school, to Osage Plains chapter meetings, and incredible variety of early blooming plants on hills and by the to many others.