Registration now open!

 In case I haven't mentioned it, and in case you haven't noticed I have been missing of late- let me explain.  Flora-Quest registration is now open! 

Some of the envelopes get pretty creative!

It is the busiest week of the year for me, with letters coming in and the phone calls requesting information.  

The "regulars" are getting a jump on the game. They know to get their registrations in quickly so they will not be shut out of their preferred "Quest". 

Andrew Gibson provided the photo for this year's card. 

We have prepared the advertising "hotcards" and we are ready to cart our display to all those great Ohio nature events!  The trips have been planned, the guides are dreaming about new botany...

Rick Gardner and Janet Creamer Martin browse the botanical list.

and hope you are too!

So, don't delay, and get that registration in soon. Details are found at www.flora-quest.com .  Geico Insurance could  feature a commercial with these two and the caption:  "Our customers are happier than a 'botanist at Flora-Quest'!"

Sign up and see just how happy we are!   

Ohio Botanical Symposium

If you are a big fan of Ohio's natural areas, you have probably heard of the Ohio Botanical Symposium. About 415 of Ohio's native plant people gathered in Columbus for an educational day of programs, vendors and the latest plant news. A special gathering of Sedge-heads were there to hear the great Tony Reznichek talk about one of the most confusing genus of the plant world, sedges.

One of the best places to look for rare plants is near rare habitats, and Richland county's Five-Finger Bog is a land trust property and frequent haunt of mine.

Today Jim McCormac presented the program on "Best Finds" from all over Ohio, including the Bog Willow, Salix pedicellaris, and Five-Finger cinquefoil, Potentilla palustris found at Five-finger Bog by a couple of the best botanist in Ohio: Rick Gardner and Steve McKee. I was honored to be along on that trip and photo documented the great day as shown above.

Others were credited with "Best Finds", too. Friends like Jason Larson, Daniel Boone, Janet Creamer, Tom Arbour and loads more- that I can't remember! I will try to get my hand on the list and post it in its entirety later. These are the people adding to our Ohio Heritage data base, and the important work of the Ohio Heritage botanists.

Another speaker was the well-known author Dr. Douglas Tallamy- if you don't own Bringing Nature Home yet, please click on the link and get it! I might help you re-think your whole perspective on landscape plants - and the species trying to make a living on them: caterpillars, spiders, bees, birds, frogs, bats and many mammals as well. Think about adding native plants to your landscape, and as Tallamy wrote in my copy of the book: "Garden as if life depends upon it!" Because, it does!

Shawnee Forest Foray

Shawneee State Forest near Friendship, Ohio is one of our state's most scenic treasures, filled with unusual botany, winding forest roads and drop-dead overlooks. The bluff from Picnic Point overlooks the river valley below which stretches all the way to Portsmouth.

Our State Heritage Botanist, Rick Gardner led a formidable foray into Shawnee on Wednesday. With his personal paparazzi to shoot photos and write down every scientific name, we scoured the earth for rare finds and hung on the master's every word. This elite corps of botanical bloodhounds document new finds and re-confirm the best of older discoveries. Setting all time records, this crew of 21 was made up of local experts and thrill seekers from across our state. Thanks to Tom, Melissa, Ray, Dave, Jenny, John, Kasmira, Janet, Nina and many others, for sharing the day.

All kidding aside, our Ohio State Parks and the people who protect, preserve and monitor them do an amazing job- and deserve all the praise and support we can give them. Remember to buy a Wildlife license plate or do a tax check-off to support Ohio's biodiversity.

Checking our list

Silene caroliniana Walter var. wherryi, Wherry's Catchfly photo by Cheryl

Unusual plants abound in Adams County and in the Shawnee Forest. In fact, there are so many we keep a comprehensive check list of the plants we have seen, or hope to see. It is a bit mind blogging for many of us, but the experts do this every day. Sorting the sedges and rarities call for an expert, and Rick Gardner, our state Heritage Botanist is one of the best!

Rick Gardner and Janet Creamer check the list of species and add a few more.

With a total of 454 plant species, you would think we were covered! But Rick has found some more to add to our future lists. Nothing gets past these two sharp-eyed botanists!

Ferns
Asplenium rhizophyllum, Walking fern
Cystopteris bulbifera, Bulblet Fern
Ophioglossum engelmannii, Limestone Adder's-tongue
Pellaea atropurpurea, Purple Cliff-brake
Pellaea glabella, Smooth Cliff-brake
Pleopeltis polypodioides, Resurrection Fern

Forbs
Asclepias verticillata, Whorled Milkweed
Coreopsis major, Forest Tickseed
Cypridedium candidum, White Lady's-slipper
Delphinium exaltatum, Tall Larkspur
Draba cuneifolia, Wedged-leaf Whitlow-grass
Jeffersonia diphylla, Twinleaf
Hybanthus concolor, Green Violet
Leavenworthia uniflora, Leavenworthia
Manfreda virginica, American Aloe
Silene caroliniana var. wherryi, Wherry's Catchfly
Sisyrinchium albidum, Pale Blue-eyed-grass
Sullivantia sullivantii, Sullivantia
Thalictrum revolutum, Skunk Meadow-rue
Trillium flexipes, Drooping Trillium
Trillium nivale, Snow Trillium
Triosteum angustifolium, Lesser Horse-gentian

Sedges
Carex crawei, Crawe's Sedge
Carex pedunculata, Long-stalked Sedge

Keeping this list is no small effort, but Miss Paula is up to the job. I am sure she will have the updates cranked out in no time at all!