Events

TNPS/Wild Ones Mid TN - Field Trip 2019

Arnold AFB (AEDC) and May Prairie SNA, Coffee County TN

June 1, 2019 (Sat.)    10:00 am CENTRAL Time

Meet at Wendy’s in Manchester TN

Leader: Dennis Horn 931-461-0262 [email protected]

Description: This is a joint hike with the Tennessee Native Plant Society and our Wild Ones Middle Tennessee Chapter. For those that missed the 2016 TNPS trip, this is your opportunity to again see orchids and other rare plants. The “Oak Barrens” of Coffee County provide some of the best examples of TN rare plants that also occur in the Gulf Coastal Plain and the prairies of the Midwest. As a result Coffee County is one of only three counties in Tennessee with 50 or more rare plant species. We will visit the AEDC first to see native orchids: Calopogon tuberosus, Cleistes bifaria (now Cleistesiopsis), and possibly Platanthera lacera and Pogonia ophioglossoides. We should also find Death Camas (Zigadenus leimanthoides, now Stenanthium tennesseense), Whorled Loosestrife (Lysimachia quadrifolia), and Hyssop Leaved Skullcap (Scutellaria integrifolia). After lunch time permitting we will visit May Prairie. We should see Mock Bishop’s Weed (Ptilimnium costatum), Enyngo (Eryngium integrifolium), Coppery St. Johnswort (Hypericum denticulatum), Marsh Pea (Lathyrus palustris), Horned Bladderpod (Utricularia cornuta), and Swamp Candles (Lysimachia terrestris).

Directions: Leave I-24 at exit 114 in Manchester TN. Turn left coming from Chattanooga (right from Nashville) onto US 41 heading NW toward town. Turn right at the 1st traffic light (Raceway at that intersection) beyond the interstate. Wendy’s is half a block on the right.

Easy to moderate walking in low vegetation. Facilities at meeting place. Bring water, insect repellent, sunscreen, snacks, and camera. Lunch in Manchester.