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40TH ANNUAL Mertensia virginica SPRING WILDFLOWER 2009 Pilgrimage PILGRIMAGE GEORGIA April 03 - 05, 2009 BOTANICAL Rome SOCIETY Floyd County, Georgia Rome, Georgia Stylophorum Northwest Georgia is home to some of the most spectacular wild- diphyllum fl ower displays in Georgia and in fact, in the whole southeastern United States. In particular, the areas blessed with limestone derived Trillium decumbens sweet soils, such as Black's Bluff, Whitmore's Bluff, Carter's Lake, the foot of Cloudland Canyon and Pigeon Mountain, are rewarded with a suite of plants that put on a tremendous show in early spring. We will also visit other great wildfl ower displays from sites with more acidic soils, such as Little River Canyon, the upper portion of Cloudland Canyon, Pocket Recreation Area, Keown Falls and John's Mountain. And, who knows what they'll fi nd on the exploration trip to the Horn mountain "pocket" formation above the Girl's Scout Camp in northern Floyd County. In fact we will be visiting all the great early spring wildfl ower locations in northwest Georgia and northeast Alabama. All of this awaits you at the 40th Annual Spring Wildfl ower Pilgrimage in Rome. Please come and join in the fun! Pilgrimage Schedule Friday, April 3 9:30 am - 3:30 pm Cloudland Canyon State Park, led by Rich Reaves. 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm Registration and welcoming social - Trinity Methodist Church, Rome. 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm Evening presentation at Trinity Methodist Church Fellowship Hall: "Northwest Georgia - A Dendrologist’s Lure" by Ron Lance. 9:30 pm Late Registration. Saturday, April 4 7:30 am - 8:15 am Early registration at Days Inn. 8:30 am Field trips assemble at Days Inn and depart for destinations. 1:30 pm Afternoon fi eld trips assemble at Days Inn and depart for destinations. 4:30 pm - 5:00 pm All fi eld trips return. 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm Mini-social at Trinity Methodist Church Fellowship Hall. 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm Banquet dinner at Trinity Methodist Church (catered by Ms. Annie Morgan). 7:45 pm - 9:00 pm Evening presentation at Trinity Methodist Church Fellowship Hall: "Changes in Our Understanding of the Flora of Georgia: Is Change a Good Thing?" by Alan Weakley. Sunday, April 5 8:30 am Field Trips assemble at Days Inn and depart for destinations. Have a safe trip home! 1 Evening Programs: Friday, 7:30 pm Northwest Georgia: Ron Lance A Dendrologist’s Lure Abstract: Amongst the diverse landscapes and geology of Georgia’s northwest corner, a myriad of plant species meet and mingle. The fl ora there has drawn many generations of botanists seeking unique, rare and common species alike and continue to yield surprises with new explorations. This program will present a dendrologist’s view of the situation: a look at signifi cant woody plants of the region and the sometimes-peculiar natural habitats that they help to defi ne. Unique occurrences, disjunct ranges and simply nice places where interesting plants grow will be described through the experience of one plant-hunting visitor who has been regularly exploring the region for 22 years. Biographical Information: Ron Lance has been employed in the fi elds of biology, forestry and horticulture since 1975. Receiving an Associate Degree in Wildlife Management from Haywood Community College and immediately employed as biological technician there, 33 years later his array of job experiences have included consecutive decades in education, forestry and lumber trades, and horticulture/resource management. He has served Board and offi cer posts for the Inter- national Oak Society since 1997, including Conference Chair, President, Secretary, and Journal Editor. Four books were prepared: Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge (Haywood Community College Press, 1994), Hawthorns of the Southeastern United States (self-printed, 1995), A Surveyor's Guide to the Trees of North Carolina (North Carolina Association of Surveyors, 2000), and Woody Plants of the Southeastern United States, a Winter Guide (University of Georgia Press, 2004). He has co-authored Hawthorns and Medlars with James B. Phipps and Bob O'Kennon (Timber Press, 2003) and the pyracantha treatment for the Flora of North America in 2007. Numerous crataegus treatments have been supplied for various botanical publications since 2001. Presently he is preparing two publications on the native woody plants of the Southeastern United States using his own illustrations and keys. Currently he is employed as Senior Naturalist and Land Manager at Balsam Mountain Preserve in Sylva, NC. Saturday, 7:30 pm Changes in our understanding of the fl ora of Georgia: Alan Weakley Is change a good thing? Abstract: Since its publication in 1968, Radford, Ahles, and Bell's Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas has been the primary fl oristic used by Georgia botanists. But 40 years of botanical exploration and taxonomic inquiry (in- cluding the widespread application of new-fangled systematic tools, such as molecular phylogenetics) have resulted in many changes, additions, emendations, and corrections to the Manual and to the fl ora of Georgia (which, of course, the Manual was never intended to cover). We will explore the nature and scope of these changes and their implications for fl oristics, Georgia botany and conservation. We will touch on some of the following questions: How many trilliums ARE there in Georgia, the center of Trillium Universe and how fast can trilliums walk? How have the last billion years shaped Georgia's fl ora? What does an alien species have to do to be recognized as a naturalized component of our fl ora? What happened to Aster (I liked Aster)? Why did it take a century to raise another cane? Why are the new names always longer and harder to pronounce than the old ones? Was John Kunkel Small right? Is change good? Biographical Information: Alan Weakley grew up in Virginia and is a plant systematist, fl oristician, and community ecologist specializing in the Southeastern United States. He holds a B.A. in Botany and Comparative Literature (UNC at Chapel Hill) and a Ph.D. in the Environment (Duke). He has had an extensive and varied career in botany, ecology, and conservation, including work as a botanist, ecologist, and assistant coordinator for the NC Natural Heritage Program, Senior Regional Ecologist and later Chief Ecologist for The Nature Conservancy and NatureServe. Since 2002, Alan has been Curator of the UNC Herbarium of the NC Botanical Garden, and Adjunct Assistant Professor at UNC-Chapel Hill in the Curriculum of Ecology and Department of Biology. He serves on the Flora of North America’s Board of Directors, as Trustee of the NC Natural Heritage Trust Fund, Chair of the NC Plant Conservation Program Scientifi c Committee, Chair of the NC Natural Heritage Program Advisory Committee, and is a co-founder of the Carolina Vegetation Survey. He is a regular reviewer of articles for Castanea, Sida, Vulpia and other regional and international journals. His primary research interests include eastern North American fl oristics, plant systematics, and phytogeography, classifi cation and mapping of vegetation types, bioinformatics, conservation planning theory and practice, conservation biology, and natural lands management and restoration. Alan is working on several fl ora projects, including a new Flora of the Carolinas, Virginia, Georgia, and adjoining areas and the Flora of Virginia Project. 2 Pilgrimage Field Trips at a glance... Friday Field Trip - unlimited participation Fri all day FT# 1 Cloudland Canyon State Park led by Rich Reaves Saturday Field Trips - each Saturday trip will be limited to 20 participants. Sat morning FT# 2 Black's Bluff and Lock & Dam Park led by Richard & Teresa Ware Sat morning FT# 3 Armuchee Elementary School Trail led by Terrell Shaw & Jim Drake Sat morning FT# 4 James H. Floyd State Park led by Tom Patrick Sat morning FT# 5 Dr. Ken Davis' Farm led by Stu & Anita Smith & Max Medley Sat afternoon FT# 6 Black's Bluff and Lock & Dam Park led by Richard & Teresa Ware Sat afternoon FT# 7 Armuchee Elementary School Trail led by Terrell Shaw & Jim Drake Sat afternoon FT# 8 James H. Floyd State Park led by Tom Patrick Sat afternoon FT# 9 Dr. Ken Davis' Farm led by Stu & Anita Smith & Max Medley Sat all day FT# 10 Pigeon Mountain trip led by Steve Bowling Sat all day FT# 11 Pigeon Mountain trip led by Lisa Kruse Sat all day FT# 12 Whitmore's Bluff led by Tom Govus Sat all day FT# 13 Pocket Recreation / Keown Falls / John's Mountain led by Hugh & Carol Nourse Sat all day FT# 14 Little River Canyon, AL led by Al Schotz Sat all day FT# 15 Explore the Pocket of Horn Mountain led by Rich Reaves Sunday Field Trips - each Sunday trip will be limited to 20 participants. Sun morning FT# 16 Whitmore's Bluff led by Steve Bowling Sun morning FT# 17 Pigeon Mountain led by Mike Christison Sun morning FT# 18 Richard Wilson's Farm & Barnsley Gardens led by Richard Wilson Sun morning FT# 19 Carter's Lake Rereg Dam Trail led by Tom Patrick & Max Medley Sun morning FT# 20 James H. Floyd State Park led by Linda Chafi n Sun morning FT# 21 Berry College, Buckeye Trail led by Richard & Teresa Ware Sun morning FT# 22 Black's Bluff and Lock & Dam Park led by Malcolm Hodges Illustration of twinleaf (Jeffersonia diphylla) by Jean C. Putnam Hancock in Field Guide to the Rare Plants of Georgia 3 Friday Pre-Pilgrimage Trip (unlimited participation) Trip # 1 Cloudland Canyon State Park Leader: Rich Reaves Date and Time: Friday 9:30 AM - 3:30 PM Meeting Place: Meet at Cloudland Canyon State Park Overlook parking area on right by the restrooms.