Spring 2012 A Publication of the Maryland Native Plant Society Volume 3, Issue 1 Art by Tina ieme Brown White Oak (Quercus alba L.) Beech Family (Fagaceae) Official State Tree of Maryland Tina ieme Brown Letter from the President A Publication of the Dear Members, Maryland Native Plant Society For the first issue of 2012, I’ll give you an overview of the Society’s activities in 2011. We started what we hope will be a tradition, to focus on a single plant group for the entire year. We picked ferns, those ancient, ubiquitous, and hard-to-distinguish species. Ferns were featured in seven field trips, three monthly meetings, and two issues of Marilandica. Dwight Johnson’s Key to the 25 Common Ferns of Maryland proved indispensable throughout the year; it’s available on our website. Members responded enthusiastically, and for 2012 we’re focusing on Oaks. www.mdflora.org Field trips are our core activity. Last year the Society sponsored over 30 field trips, plus a P.O. Box 4877 Silver Spring, MD 20914 field excursion to the Pocono Plateau, and additional field trips at the conference. We thus enabled hundreds of people to experience the deep satisfaction of going outside and paying close CONTACTS attention to what we see. anks to Cris Fleming and Bob Yacovissi, plant lists from many field Membership trips are now posted on the website. Attendance at our meetings and field trips is at an all-time Karyn Molines,
[email protected] high. e annual fall conference is a highlight of the year. Our 2011 Conference at LaPlata in Marilandica Editor Charles County focused on Southern Maryland’s rich plant communities and the urgent necessity Carolyn Fulton,
[email protected] to protect them from encroaching development.