Meetings are held on the first Thursday of each month (unless otherwise announced) at various locations TBA. Watch for information through e-mail postings from the Wild Ones e-net. Please place our domain name "for-wild.org" in your safe senders list.

Members and friends of our club who have questions about gardening with native plants in central Kentucky can ask us for advice via e-mail. A Wild Ones member will respond to you and address your issue.

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March 2010 Finally it's March, the month when we can expect to see our first wildflowers. The trails that will lead us to them may be muddy, and it may still be cold, rainy and windy as we go out in search of them, but we know they are out there, waiting to emerge from the ground and launching our state on its long wildflower season. The photo to the left shows a bloodroot, an ephemeral and one of the earliest plants to bloom in Kentucky woodlands. Our Wild Ones chapter is planning two wildflower hikes in April. On Saturday, April 10, our group will join the Cincinnati Wild Ones chapter at the Curtis Lloyd Wildlife Management area in northern Kentucky. The next day, April 11, Tom Barnes, truly an expert on Kentucky native plants and known to many of us as the author of a number of books with stunning wildflower photography, will lead our group on a hike in Jessamine Gorge, south of Lexington. While March launches the season, April is the great month for the ground-hugging flora of our forests. The wildflowers respond to the abundant sunshine that warms the soil before trees have leafed out and before their canopy creates the dense shade that arrests growth and sends much of the rich vegetation of the forest floor into dormancy. The lush April cover of our woodlands with wildflowers results from this cycle of nature and is part of the ecology of our region. Our February program engaged us with a completely different set of plants. Neil Diboll from Prairie Nurseries in Wisconsin gave a most animated presentation about the sun loving flowers and grasses characteristic of many areas in North America before the arrival of European settlers. The praries of the midwest owed their existence to the land management practices of native Americans who suppressed woody vegetation through fires in order to sustain large animal herds for hunting. Based on his nursery and landscaping experience of nearly 30 years, Mr. Diboll discussed the growing conditions of many prairie plants as well as the challenges involved in establishing and managing a prairie eco-system. -- Beate Popkin, Vice President

    Apr 10, 2010 (Sat)    

Spring Ephemerals Hike at Curtis Gates Lloyd Wildlife Management Area at 10:00 am, Sponsored by Greater Cincinnati Chapter of Wild Ones.
Curtis Lloyd (as in Lloyd Library), said 20 of his acres “had never had an axe in them," and to this day, his trust agreement stipulates that nothing gets cut, nor hauled out, on those 20 acres. Curtis Gates Lloyd Wildlife Management Area would not exist if the eccentric Mr. Lloyd had not written a twenty-four-page will that thoroughly outlined the future management plan for his 365-acre farm. The farm is now part of a 1,179-acre wild area. Lloyd Wildlife Area has 4 miles of dirt roads and trails for hiking and bird watching. Walking sticks may be handy; expect no restrooms or drinking fountains.

Dan Boone, a top tier field botanist, fun fellow & veteran trip leader will guide us through lush woods and it will be early enough to beat the garlic mustard! Dan says LWMA has good flowers and is the best old growth forest in the Bluegrass.

Directions: From Ohio: I-75 S to Crittenden, KY Exit 166(26 miles south of the OH River). Go left off I-75 exit then left into the McDonalds parking lot. We’ll meet in the McDonald’s parking lot at 10am and caravan from there.

For possible carpooling email Ann Bowe.

    Apr 11, 2010 (Sun)    

SPRING EPHEMERALS HIKE

Start Time: early afternoon, exact time tba
Duration: about 3 hours
Location: Jessamine Gorge, an absolutely gorgeous location with an amazing display of spring ephemerals.
Directions: will be posted shortly

Note: The terrain can be a bit challenging, as there are steep sections with several spots that require jumping off rocks, so participants need to be in pretty good shape. Due to the terrain and the limited parking, this event will be limited in numbers, with Wild Ones members getting the first opportunity to sign up.

Please note that there is a Cincinnati Wild Ones hike the day before this event, in a location which also offers a wonderful display of spring ephemerals. So there are two excellent opportunities for hiking on this spring weekend.

    May 06, 2010 (Thu)    

The very popular Annual Plant Exchange! 7 PM at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church.

    Jun 03, 2010 (Thu)    

Tour of Gainesway Farm - a certified State Arboretum. 7 PM,details to follow.

    Aug 14, 2010 (Sat)    

Shakertown tour of prairies & other nature areas – meet at 9:15 for a tour start at 9:30. More details coming soon.

    Sep 12, 2010 (Sun)    

Tami Sanderson garden tour – located near Keeneland – 9 AM.

    Oct 07, 2010 (Thu)    

7 PM - Tree topic with Dave Leonard.

    Nov 04, 2010 (Thu)    

7 PM - Katie Clark will speak about medicinal plants.

    Dec 04, 2010 (Sat)    

Holiday Party!

In celebration of Wild Ones 30th year, all new members and those renewing at the "wilder" or "wildest" level will receive a free DVD of the newly updated how-to film Wild About Wildflowers.

Contact Linda Porter for more information about Membership.

These are some places you can visit in and around Central Kentucky to see native habitat and vegetation. Some are only open by appointment. Others have scheduled guided tours. If you know of another place that belongs on this list, send it to Eve Podet.

Do you have a favorite to recommend? Let me know the title and author and I'll add it.

Bringing Nature Home by Douglas Tallamy
A strong argument for planting urban natural landscapes to ensure biodiversity and thereby the well-being and possibly the survival of the human species.

Native Trees, Shrubs, and Vines by William Cullina
Growing and Propagating Wildflowers by William Cullina
Both are excellent sources of information about growing and propagating.

Trees & Shrubs of Kentucky by Mary E Wharton, Roger W Barbour
A classic reference.

Wildflowers and Ferns of Kentucky By Thomas G. Barnes and S. Wilson Francis
Rare Wildflowers of Kentucky by Thomas G. Barnes, Deborah White, Marc Evans
Indispensable for anyone interested in Kentucky's native plants.

Gardening for the Birds by Thomas G. Barnes
An easy-to-use guide to transforming your yard into an oasis for urban wildlife.

President: Ann Bowe
Vice President: Beate Popkin
Treasurer: Mary Carol Cooper
Secretary: Kate Noye
Public Relations/Publicity: Larry Grannis, Betty Hall
Website maintenance: Eve Podet

Team Leaders
Membership: Linda Porter
Hospitality: Ann Blevins