2008 STATE FIELD TRIPS

The Virginia Native Plant Society announces a series of field trips for 2008 to some of the most botanically interesting preserves the state has to offer. We are making these trips yearly events to allow our members to visit some of our preserves, parks and Registry sites with expert guides.

Trips vary in level of difficulty so please read descriptions carefully. Space is limited and registration is required at least 10 days before the hike. There is a fee of $10 per hike a limit of 20 participants. Only heavy rain will cancel trips.

This year we are offering the following field trips:

May 17 (Saturday), 10:30 am to about 3:30 pm. Easy to moderate. Reddish Knob, in the George Washington National Forest is one of the highest peaks in the state at feet, with sweeping views and mountain flora. Members of the Shenandoah Chapter will lead us on a trip along FR 85 South and the side road that leads up to the peak. Both roads are veritable arboreta and are lined with ferns, heath shrubs and many mountainwildflowers such as turkeybeard, Clintonia, gaywings, painted trillium, black cohosh, dwarf crested iris, stargrass, and much more. It was at Reddish Knob that former President Clinton delivered remarks at a "Roadless Lands" event in 1999, when the Roadless Rule in the National Forests was being deliberated.

June 28 (Saturday), 10 am to about 1 pm. Easy to moderate. Blackwater Ecological Preserve in Isle of Wight County, with an area of 318 acres, is situated on dry to mesic sand ridges and has two of Virginia's rarest plant communities - longleaf pine-turkey oak flatwoods and longleaf pine savannas. These and other communities at the preserve were once more common in southeastern Virginia, but are now limited to a few precious stands. Preserve Steward Darren Loomis will lead this trip, which will also feature a stop at the Chubb Sandhill Natural Area Preserve's longleaf pine restoration site and a drive through the red cockaded woodpecker habitat at The Nature Conservancy's Piney Grove Preserve.

October 11 (Saturday, time tbd). Difficulty depends on water level. Cypress Bridge Forest is the fairly recently discovered site of many state and national champion cypress and swamp tupelo trees. In 2006, Fleming and Patterson reported in our newsletter that at least 12 individual swamp tupelos, and six individual bald cypress exceeding eight feet in diameter were measured. The largest individuals are between 10 and 12 feet in diameter. All of the large trees are hollow, which appears to be one of the principal reasons this forest has never been cut. Purchase of this land as a Natural Area Preserve is being negotiated. Byron Carmean will lead us on a trip to see these magnificent giants. We hope for low water at this time of year in order to be able to walk among these trees, but will likely need to be paddle a short distance to the site, and be prepared for wading and possibly for paddling depending upon conditions at the time. This may therefore be a more difficult trip.

For more information, contact the VNPS office at 540-837-1600 or vnpsofc@shentel.net.

Field Trip Registration

For all hikes, wear sturdy shoes or boots and be prepared for bugs and sun. Bring water and lunch or snacks.

Directions and meeting places will be provided to registered participants. Please provide your email address for this purpose, or request directions by mail on the form.

Please mail your registration with your field trip choice(s) and check to:

VNPS FIELD TRIPS, 400 Blandy Farm Lane, Boyce VA 22620.


Name _____________________
Address ____________________
City _______________________
State/ Zip Code ______________
Telephone __________________
email ______________________
_____ please mail directions to me

Field trips ($10 each):

____ Reddish Knob
____ Blackwater Ecological Preserve
____ Cypress Bridge Forest

____ Total