The Dangers of Botany

APRIL 1st NEWS ITEM: Shawnee State Park and Forest issues a HIGH DANGER Alert for preoccupied botanical enthusiasts (PBEs.) Several botany types have been found road-killed along forest road #1, where they were worshiping the first buds of spring, unaware of oncoming traffic. Please be alert while driving through Ohio's natural areas, and be on the look-out for the unpredictable behaviors of PBEs. ................................................photos provided by Greg Cornett Two unclaimed bodies, were found along forest Rd. # 1 in Scioto county. If you or someone you know is missing a botany enthusiast, please notify local officials. These unidentified nature lovers wander about, taking photos and sniffing flowers... completely unaware of traffic.

If you must take close up botanical photos- please use the buddy-system:

have a fellow botanist watch for on-coming traffic.

Only you can prevent roadside botanical tragedies!!

Botanists Discover New Species in Appalachia

Thanks to a recent trek in Adams County, a botanical best find is in the making. Several amateur botanists were out for an afternoon stroll, and discovered a stunning plant with distinctly marked and heavily veined leaves. Held above the foliage on a downy stem was a six-petaled lavender flower just about to unfurl.

John Howard, Janet Creamer, Jeff and Jessica Huxmann carefully keyed it out in the field guide, alas- it was no where to be found! This rarity is too unusual for our casual field guides, but group consensus declared it to be the Rattlesnake-liver flower, Goodyera hepiflora a southern disjunct, previously unknown to Ohio.

Results from Ohio’s Heritage botanist are pending: Happy April 1st.