MAY 2015 NEWSLETTER OF THE UPSTATE CHAPTER OF THE SC NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY

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UpcomingEvents

SCNPS: Working to preserve, protect & restore native plant communities in South Carolina

± Approximate Times

Please note our May meeting location!! See below.

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Tim LeeSC State Park Interpretive Ranger/Naturalist • Mountain Bridge Wilderness

Tuesday, May 19, 7:00 pmBuck Mickel Center Auditorium: Greenville Tec

(Directly across Pleasantburg from our usual Greenville meeting place!)

216 (not 225) South Pleasantburg Dr, Greenville

www.scnps.org

Spring is a wonderful time of year! It brings pleasant temperatures, blue skies, warm rains, and – perhaps best of all – spring wildflowers. Many of our prettiest species bloom in the spring. Of course all of our native flow-ering plants are special, particularly because we get to see them for only a short time each year. But a few are especially exciting to find in the wild, and at the May meeting we will learn more about one genus that is always a thrill to see in the woods. In May, Tim Lee, Interpretive Ranger/Naturalist for the Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area, will present the program “Trillium of The Carolinas.” Trilliums are of special interest not only because of their delicate beauty and their brief bloom time but also because of their growth patterns. A trillium plant may take seven years or longer to develop from seed to blossom and can then bloom for more than 75 years! While the trillium flower you find today may not have been open yesterday, it cer-tainly didn’t just pop up overnight. As you might expect of a plant that can take seven years or more from seed to flower, trillium has an interesting natural history. It is pollinated primarily by bees and dispersed by native ants and yellow jackets, which eat the fat found around the seed. Ants generally disperse seeds a small distance resulting in concentrated populations, while yellow jackets can disperse seeds up to 20 meters from the parent plant. Large populations may have also escaped heavy browsing by deer and wild hogs, and, of course, the loss of habitat. Tim will describe the general characteristics of the trillium, illustrat-ing the interesting anatomy and general characteristics of this genus. He also plans to bring us up to date on current debate over trillium’s botani-cal classification. We will see photos of the 15 trillium species found in South Carolina and learn a bit about the natural history of each, with an emphasis on those found in the mountains and Piedmont. Finally, Tim will tell us about the “mystery” trillium – a plant found only at Jones Gap State Park. This particular trillium has a flower like that of a well-known species but also has important structural differences and a different bloom time. Its classification is currently a subject of botanical debate — stay tuned!

of the CarolinasTrillium_________________________________

Saturday, May 2, 9am - 1pmWater “n” Wildlife Workday • Keowee Toxaway SP (Potluck picnic & guest speakers!)Projectsaboundforvolunteers:CarolinaFence,plantingnativeplants,removingexot-ics,trailmaintenance,andmore!ContactCathyReasFosteratcreas@clemson.edu_________________________________Saturday, May 9, 10am - 3pm±Field Trip to see Rocky Shoals Spider Lilies and to Stevens Creek HPCarpools meet at 8am • Group limit 15Leader: Dr. Judy Gordon, Professor Emerita, Biology, Augusta Regents Univ.Dr.JudyGordonhasstudiedtheprotectedRockyShoalSpiderLily(Hymenocallis coronaria) overmanyyears.ShewillleadustothepopulationofliliesonStevensCreeknearPlumBranch,SC. Afterlunchontheoldmillporchatthesite,we’lldrivetoStevensCreekHPandhikethetrail.Bringwater,lunch,andsnacks.Carpoolswillformat8amatHomeDepotat1339S.PleasantburgDr.(nearAugustaRd.)andatHardeesoffHwy123atHwy178exittoLiberty.Toreservespace,emailJudySeeleyatjudy_see-ley@hotmail.com.Indicateifyouwillcarpoolandatwhichsite,andgiveacellphonenumberforlastminuteinformation._________________________________Tuesday, May 19, 7pm, GreenvilleSpeaker: Tim Lee“Trillium of the Carolinas”NOTE:ThismeetingisattheBuck Mickel Center AuditoriumdirectlyacrossPleasantburgDrivefromourusualGreenvillemeetingplace.(See article on this page.)_________________________________Saturday, May 23, 10am - NoonPropagation Workshop ($10 materials fee)Location:MillerPutnam’sgreenhouse,180LakewoodDrive,GreenvilleInstructor: Ryan Merck with assistance from Joe Townsend and Betsy George Haveyoueverwantedtoknowhowtoprop-agateplantsfromseeds,divisions,andwoodycuttings?Ryanwillgivehands-oninstructiononpropagationtechniques.Bringalunch/drinkforasocialtimeaftertheworkshop. E-mail judy_seeley@hotmail.com toreserveaspot.Pleaseincludeyourcellphonenumber._________________________________Tuesday, June 16, 7pm, Hatcher Garden(Spartanburg) • Come at 6pm for a tour!Speaker: Dan Whitten“Edible and Medicinal Plants”_________________________________Saturday, June 20, 9:30am - 4pm±Field Trip: Whitewater Falls to Sloan Bridge on the Foothills Trail F

THANK YOU

VOLUNTEERS!!

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PAIDCLEMSON, SC

29631PERMIT NO. 7

UpcomingEvents (continued from page 1)

South CarolinaNative Plant SocietyPO Box 491Norris, SC 29667Upstate Chapter

Address Service Requested.

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Trillium — Tim Lee

A native South Carolinian, Tim Lee has studied and taught as a naturalist and biologist throughout the Southeast for more than 25 years. For the past 15 years he has been the Interpretive Ranger/Naturalist for South Carolina State Park Service’s Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area where he conducts research and provides educational programs for children and adults. Tim is the South Carolina Park Services coordinator with the South Carolina Master Naturalist Program and is an Educational Leadership Partner for the South Carolina Aquarium. In addition, Tim is a member of the National Association of Interpreters and the Environmental Education Association of South Carolina. — Amy Fendley

Leader: Dan Whitten Meetat9:30atthegravelparkingareawheretheFoothillsTrailcrossesNC281.(Ashuttlewillbearranged.)Thisone-wayhikeof4.7milesclimbs600feetoverGrassyKnobandRoundMtn. Thefeatureisachancetoseeandpho-tographtherareAsh-leafGolden-banner,Thermopsis fraxinifolia.AlsofeaturedaretheviewsofLakesJocasseeandKeoweefrom3000feet!ContactD.Whittenatsdwhit10@aol.com to register._________________________________Saturday, July 18, 9:30am - 4:30±Paddle/Hike Cascade Lake and DuPont Forest waterfall trailsLeader: Dan Whitten MeetatfishingaccessparkingjustnorthofWildcatWaysideattheintersectionofSC11andUS276byS.SaludaRiverat9:30tocarpooltoCascadeLakeCampground. FlatwaterpaddlingaroundCascadeLakeandtoHookerFalls.HiketoTripleandHighFallsthenbacktoboats.ThendownLittleRiverbacktoput-in.Sit-on-topkayaksandstand-uppaddleboardsavailablefor$10/per-sonorbringyourownboat. ContactDanWhittentoregisteratsdwhit10@aol.com.Limitof12forkayakrentalsand6forpaddleboardrentals.Smalladditionalfeeforcampgroundaccess.

THANK YOU!(all 500 of you... well, it seemed like that many!)

Attn: Plant Sale Volunteers

in honor of DNR bear-ologist Skip Still continues at the SC Department of Natural Resources in Clemson. Native prairie grasses and forbs such as bushy bluestem and blazing star were planted on this work day in mid-March. Special thanks to our NPS volunteers, SC DNR and Skip Still, Master Gardeners, Master Naturalists, Clemson Wildlife Society, and Clemson Students for Environmental Action.

A Meadow Restoration

Our spring plant sale was over the top!! And it could not have happened without a wonderful group of NPS volunteers. Since last January, the plant sale committee put in countless hours to make sure everything was planned and ready for April 18. The com-mittee included Rita Lance and Judy Seeley, co-chairs, Miller Putnam, Diane Coiner, Betsy George, Bill Stringer, Dan Whitten, Steve and Cheryl Holding, Katie and Bob Healy, Susan Lochridge, Bill Sharpton, and Rick Huffman. Others helping preparation were: Karen Burnett, Elyse Langholtz, Jessica Harwood, and Melissa McIntyre, plant preparation; Janie Marlow, Janice Weakland, and Johnathan Johnston, flyer and publicity; and Lisa Lord, plant photo cards.

During sale week, more volunteers joined the crew. Those folks included Jeff Beacham, Georgia Connon, Lowrie Glasgow, Jan Jackson, Donna Landau, Denise and David Frick, Jerry Lambert, Robert Cullen, Steve Marlow, Dave Wilder, Joyce Snyder, Kevin McIntyre, Ted and Bette Thern, Sandy Lipe, Jean Wilder, Jim Corey, Kitty Putnam, Caroline Erdrich, Mary Walter, Pat Joyner, Janson Paul Joines, Sam and Eva Pratt, Axel Acevado, Mary Margaret Dragoun, Sharon Stringer, Sherry Yarnell, Frank Holleman, Jan Haldeman, John Goodman, Mary Nettles, Hillary Thompson, Wes Burnett, and Denise DuPon. The new plant sale location at Conestee Park brought challenges but worked out very well. Rita and I could not be more pleased to be part of such a great team of dedicated volunteers. The sale never would have been possible without all of you. — Rita Lance and Judy Seeley, Plant Sale Co-Chairs