i Sempervirens Summer 2018 The Quarterly of the Virginia Native Plant Society 2018 Annual Meeting Set for Sept. 14–16 Register now for Williamsburg gathering Article by Cortney Will, John Clayton Chapter e the members of the The conference opens Friday W John Clayton Chapter are evening with an interactive excited to be hosting this year’s presentation by the nonprofit Virginia annual meeting, “Sustaining Center for Inclusive Communities Nature, Sustaining Ourselves,” (VCIC). The center’s work has its over the weekend of Sept. 14–16 roots in the 1930s, when it was at the William & Mary School of organized as a grassroots movement Jessica Hawthorne Kevin Bryan Education in Williamsburg. responding to religious intolerance. environmental justice, and grassroots We have arranged roughly a It has evolved and expanded in the conservation organizations that dozen options for field trips and intervening 80 years, and today the pursue a shared vision of a more plant walks, in addition to excellent center provides programming that diverse and inclusive culture in food and innovative speakers. Walks helps Virginia’s schools, businesses, managing and preserving the will offer a diversity of habitats and communities achieve success nation’s public lands. and local features, including tidal through inclusion. We will welcome While the conference formally salt marshes, hardwood forests, Jessica Hawthorne, director of begins on Friday night, we’re hoping cypress swamps, vernal pools, and programs, who designs and facilitates you’ll join us beforehand for dinner at the William & Mary herbarium, VCIC’s assemblies, one-day youth the Corner Pocket before the program. greenhouse, and College Woods. forums, and multiday retreats for Located not far from meeting Lest we forget Williamsburg’s middle school, high school, and headquarters, the restaurant is owned incredible history, we are also college students across the state. by longtime VNPS member Lynn featuring a walk in Colonial On Saturday we look forward Allison, who has graciously agreed to Williamsburg, which leader Phillip to hearing keynote speaker Kevin host as many of us as can make it. Merritt notes is basically “a 300-acre Bryan, senior policy director The Annual Meeting is botanical garden.” (Field trips, p. 3) at the Keystone Policy Center generously supported by William & in Washington, D.C. Kevin is a Mary’s Committee on Sustainability, passionate, accomplished leader which this year awarded the John with extensive experience in the Clayton Chapter a Green Fee Grant development of organizational to sponsor William & Mary students strategies and structures designed at the conference and to highlight to address issues pertaining to a sustainability efforts on campus. range of environmental, energy, More information and and conservation issues. Kevin registration can be found at vnps.org. leads Keystone’s environment, We expect the sweltering summer energy, and climate practice area. temperatures will have cooled off in He also provides strategic direction September, with highs in the 80s and Among the plants that participants might encounter in Williamsburg is the Smooth and leadership for the Next 100 lows in the 60s, making for (fingers Yellow False Foxglove (Aureolaria flava). Coalition, a group of civil rights, crossed) an excellent weekend. We (John Clayton Chapter photo) can’t wait to see you! v 2 Sempervirens, Summer 2018 From the President Membership brings floristic opportunities ne of the benefits of membership During one of the field trips the Grayson Highlands State Park for Oin our Society is the opportunity group split up, and Caitie and I a week of floral adventures. We to visit areas of great floristic interest followed different leaders. I followed saw a number of rare plants and and biodiversity in the company of Chris Ludwig and Stephen Grayson, showy wildflowers. My highlights experts. So far this year I have taken Southwest Region steward, as our included the stunning displays of advantage of two such opportunities small botanical group sought the Flame Azalea (Rhododendron that I am excited to share with you. Wild Hyacinth, Camassia scilloides, calendulaceum), Small Purple Harry and I were fortunate to in bloom. We found them to be Fringed Orchid (Platanthera participate in the Celebrate The teeming with insect life. On the psycodes), and the globally rare same hillside we also observed Roan Mountain Bluets (Houstonia splendid displays of Fire Pink montana). We also had a magically (Silene virginica), Dwarf Larkspur misty morning walk along a section (Delphinium tricorne), and Green of the Appalachian Trail. My Violet (Hybanthus concolor). In remarkable cell-phone camera was addition to the field trips, Heritage on overdrive during the entire trip. had arranged for presentations Now it’s your opportunity to about the unique aspects of The participate in some field trips! The Cedars, and we had a chance to meet John Clayton Chapter has assembled members of its friends group. a variety of outings for our annual In this issue, Bob Pickett writes meeting as well as lectures and about the VNPS field trip to the discussions. And if you’re inspired by Balsam Mountains in June led by the plants, perhaps you’ll be inspired Gary Fleming and Mary Jane Epps to take a leadership role in your and coordinated by Sally Anderson. chapter or at the state level. It takes a I roomed with Pocahontas Chapter number of volunteers to manage the president Leslie Allanson, an organization and offer these events intrepid seeker of flowers who has to our members. I hope to see you in Misty morning walk along a secton no qualms about stopping on the Williamsburg next month! v of the Appalachian Trail. side of a highway Cedars event in early May. Rob to investigate a Evans, natural areas protection bloom. What manager with the Virginia Natural great eyes she Heritage Program, arranged a has for spotting fabulous public event, and a number interesting plants! of our members drove to the farthest With a nightly reaches of the commonwealth to base at a hotel in participate. Did you know that Abingdon, our Lee County, Virginia, is farther group carpooled west than Detroit? Caitie Cyrus, to Whitetop one of our website administrators Mountain, the and a Facebook guru, wrote a blog Mount Rogers about the trip for our website and National Teamwork on a plant identification with Tana Herndon, Mary Jane I recommend it to you (see https:// Recreation Epps, Sally Anderson, Gary Fleming (back), Dwight Johnson, and vnps.org/vnps-news-updates/). Area, and Karen Sheffield. (Nancy Vehrs photos) Sempervirens, Summer 2018 3 Annual Meeting Field Trip List • Blackwater Ecological Preserve • Butterflies of Williamsburg • Dragon Run • Downtown Williamsburg • Grafton Ponds • Local Ferns and Mosses • New Kent Forestry Center • White Oak Trail, Newport News Park • Tidal (Fresh and Saltwater) Marshes, Colonial Parkway • Virginia Living Museum • Wahrani Nature Park • William & Mary Campus Woody Species • William & Mary College Woods • William & Mary Herbarium and Greenhouse Field trip particpants might choose to visit an area cypress swamp. (John Clayton Chapter photo) Support VNPS, get a tax break hose of us who attended the your retirement vehicle (401K or Of course, anyone can make a TCedars field trip sponsored traditional IRA), any funds that donation at any time. You can raise by the Virginia Department of you designate to be directly donated your level of membership or send Conservation and Recreation saw to VNPS will be distributed tax a donation to celebrate a milestone firsthand what our benevolence can free! This is about the only way in your life (such as finally getting do. By partnering with The Nature most of us can get a tax reduction some trilliums to survive the winter Conservancy, the Virginia Native for our charitable giving, so we and bloom). You don’t need to wait Plant Society raised funds to assist might as well use it and do some for RMD times. DCR in purchasing parcels of land good. Designating that the funds Our projects have included for inclusion in The Cedars Natural go directly to VNPS relieves you protecting and restoring sensitive Area Preserve, a biological hot spot, of the burden of proof. You just wilderness areas and providing so labeled for its wide variety of need to ask your fund manager to grant money for research at several species, both flora and fauna, many send the amount or percentage you Virginia colleges and universities. All endangered or with a very small desire to VNPS. If you need the tax have been most appreciated. “There range that includes The Cedars. ID for VNPS, you can get it from ain’t much money in botany these If you are of a certain age the state headquarters at Blandy days,” and we are in a position to (70 years and 6 months or more) Experimental Farm. The maximum address that issue! and needing to take a required you can withdraw in this way per —Peggy Troyer, VNPS Fundraising minimum distribution (RMD) from year is $100,000. Chair and Kathleen Stasulis, VNPS Treasurer 4 Sempervirens, Summer 2018 Longleaf Pines protect rare plants and habitats ire-maintained Longleaf Pine From Your For these reasons, DCR’s Fcommunities (flatwoods, Natural Heritage Natural Heritage Program is woodlands, savannas) once occupied Program investing heavily in Longleaf Pine over a million acres in southeast By Chris Ludwig restoration on Southeast Region Virginia, forming the northern range and Rick Myers state natural area preserves. The limit of this keystone species and its objective is to re-establish Longleaf associated plant communities. Forests bogs)—locations where fire occurred Pine as the dominant tree species of containing Longleaf (Pinus palustris) rarely, infrequently or at low intensity. various fire-maintained communities, historically extended across over 90 Loblolly Pine is killed by fire in its by planting it and applying prescribed million acres from Virginia south to seedling and young sapling stages.