Wildflower Events in Kansas
Main Events Page Birding Kansas Wildflower Tours Canoeing Kansas

Penstemon grandiflorus
Shell-leaf Penstemon
Photo by Jim Mason

From mayapples in a woodland glade in Douglas County to Indian blanket along the roadsides of Meade County, Kansas offers an endless list of worthy destinations for botanizing throughout the growing season.  The Natural Kansas website lists over 100 of these destinations.  If you are looking for new places to go this year, start here to make your plans!

2012 WILDFLOWER EVENT CALENDAR
February  March  April  May  June
July  August  September  October

Kansas Wildflower Links

 

 



Enjoy the beauty of the fall prairie wildflowers in this
video from Mike Blair of Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks!
For more videos from this series, see the KDWP website.
 

Winter is a good time to get out the field guides and page through them to refamiliarize yourself with the wide variety of flora available in Kansas.  Re-reading the text entries will often yield surprising flashes of insight based on the experiences you had since you last read them.

Of course, one can never have enough field guides!  Don't limit your bookshelf to the "Kansas-only" books.  Often you will find species from Kansas in the field guides from neighboring states and other species that are not be listed in Kansas books that are also found here.  Every author brings a different suite of experiences to what they write, and different books may have different features of a species illustrated as well, so these too can provide you with valuable knowledge.  You can find a list of books on Kansas wildflowers and other natural history topics here.

Want a real identification challenge?  Try finding your favorite species in winter!  See if you can use the seed pods and vegetative structures to recognize a species.  This is a great way to broaden your familiarity with a plant.  There was a 1984 book useful for this purpose called "Pods: Wildflowers and Weeds in Their Final Beauty" written by Jane Emberton that is currently out of print (and really deserves a second edition), but you may be able to locate a used copy online or through your local bookstore.

Think Spring!

2012 Wildflower Programs and Outings

FEBRUARY

bullet

February 4: Kansas Native Plant Society Winter Board Meeting and Outing. The location and time have not been finalized.  Our backup date in case of inclement weather is February 11.
Please contact KNPS for more information. email@KSNPS.org or (785) 864-3453

bullet

February 7 @ 7pm: Workshop - Seed Collection and Preparation
Manhattan Church of Christ • 2510 Dickens Avenue • Manhattan, KS
Joc Baker, KNPS Board member, former science teacher, and “professional” seed collector will guide the group through the process. Sample dried-seed-heads of common Flint Hill native plants will be available, and at the end of the session, participants may take home the seeds they have worked with. It is recommended that, if possible, attendees bring a hand lens or magnifying glass to use for separating very small seeds from insects and other particles.
The meeting will be in the lower level of the Manhattan Church of Christ, located at 2510 Dickens Avenue (a few blocks south and west of K-State basketball and football facilities). Snacks will be available. All members in the counties of the Manhattan Region, friends and guests, and anyone interested in learning more about native plants are welcome to join us.
For more information contact Nancy Goulden at 785-776-2115
Sponsor: Manhattan Region of the KNPS

bullet

February 11: Kaw Valley Seeds Project Second Annual Fair, Lawrence, KS, 10am-3pm. The Seed Fair will include a seed exchange, exhibits, local producers, speakers throughout the day and a children's activity center. Admission is free. The first year's fair drew more than 300 visitors, and this year's is expected to more than double in size. The Kaw Valley Seeds Project is a nonprofit whose mission is to create a Local Living Seed Reserve by fostering a network of people committed to growing and eating, sharing and bartering, buying and selling primary seed varieties of the Kansas River Valley. In addition, our goal is to educate the general public on the pleasures of growing their own food by teaching them how to save, store and plant seeds from their own gardens, and where to obtain organic and local seed lines. Sponsor: Kaw Valley Seeds Project. Location: Douglas County Fairgrounds, Building 21, 2110 Harper Street in Lawrence.
Contact: Daniel Bentley at dan66044@yahoo.com or (785) 842-4418

bullet

February 18: Volunteers are needed for prairie maintenance and preservation projects. The Grassland Heritage Foundation Groundhogs meet on the third Saturday of every month except December.  Wear appropriate clothing. No special skills or tools needed.
For details, please contact Frank Norman, Kansas Native Plant Society Board Member fjnorman@sunflower.com or (785) 887-6775 (home) or (785) 691-9748 (cell).

Top of page

MARCH

bullet

March 10 @ 10am: Feel the Love: Pollinators and Flowering Plants
Overland Park Arboretum • 8909 W. 179th. St. • Overland Park, KS
The Kansas City Region of the KNPS invites you to a special presentation. Betsy Betros will speak and give a presentation “Feel the Love: Pollinators and Flowering Plants” Betsy has had a life-long love of nature, with bugs in particular which led her to a degree in entomology at Colorado State University. Her interest in butterflies led to writing the first book to provide an in-depth guide to butterflies of the Kansas City region: “A Photographic Field Guide to the Butterflies in the Kansas City Region”
Professionally, Betsy has been with the Johnson County’s Environmental Department for over 30 years and is currently the Pollution Control Director. Betsy's book will be available at the meeting. Members and visitors are welcome.
For more info, contact: Ken O'Dell 913 837-5112

bullet

March 10 @ 1-4pm: Plant and Nature Photography Workshop
Sedgwick County Extension Education Center • 7001 West 21st Street North • Wichita
Join professional photographer and native plant lover Jolene Grabill for an afternoon workshop and learn to improve your native plant and nature photography skills in 2012. Almost everyone has a fully automatic camera – what are the possibilities when we switch out of automatic mode? How can images be edited once they are downloaded to your computer? Strategies to enhance your images both as you capture them and once they are in the camera will be shared. Bring your camera, laptop, and card readers. We will plan to take outdoor photos during the workshop with your new knowledge and will then edit them. Class size will be limited to 20 - please make your reservation and payment by March 3. Contact Krista Dahlinger with any questions. Use the Workshop Registration link to pay your registration fee.
See Jolene's work at www.jolenegrabill.zenfolio.com and www.jolenegrabill.photoshelter.com
Contact: Krista Dahlinger 316-258-6341
More Info: Workshop Registration

bullet

March 17: Volunteers are needed for prairie maintenance and preservation projects. The Grassland Heritage Foundation Groundhogs meet on the third Saturday of every month except December. Wear appropriate clothing. No special skills or tools needed.
For details, please contact Frank Norman, Kansas Native Plant Society Board Member fjnorman@sunflower.com or (785) 887-6775 (home) or (785) 691-9748 (cell).

bullet

March 24 @ 10am to noon: Workshop: Growing Wildflowers from Seed
Overland Park Arboretum • 8909 W. 179th. St. • Overland Park
Ken O’Dell will show you how he gathers, cleans and stores some of his wildflower seeds. Ken will provide seeds he gathered for you to use in this class. You will learn what kind of soil to use, how much to water the pots, and how much light the seedlings need during and after germination. You will plant different wildflower seeds with a label for each pot. You may then take the flat of pots home and watch your wildflowers grow! Each of you will get 15 to 18 pots. Ken O’Dell grows all of the native plants for the Friends of the Arboretum spring plant sale each year. He is a long-time volunteer at the Overland Park Arboretum and serves on the Board of the Kansas Native Plant Society. Class is limited to 12 people, so register early. We will take the first 12 that respond via email to Ken O'Dell and say they want the class. This is a free class to members of the Kansas Native Plant Society only. Contact Ken O’Dell to register at 913 837-5112.

Top of page

APRIL

bullet

April 14: Kansas Native Plant Society Spring Board Meeting and Outing. The location and time have not been finalized.
Please contact KNPS for more information. email@KSNPS.org or (785) 864-3453

bullet

April 15: Overland Park Arboretum Wildflower Tour, 1pm-3pm., at 8909 W. 179th. St. in southern Overland Park. Google Map Link
Lynda Ochs and Ken O'Dell will lead the Kansas City Region of The Kansas Native Plant Society on a tour of the woodlands at the Overland Park Arboretum. A large wooded area is ripe with millions of spring woodland plants. Meet at the Visitors Center and we will leave at 1pm sharp. Both dirt and mulched path ways, some hills to climb. Plants we will see include Yellow Buckeye, Wild Ginger, Jack-in-the-Pulpit, Pawpaws, Bittersweet vines, Wild Geraniums, Bluebells, Mayapples, Jacob's Ladder, Solomon Seal, False Solomon Seal, Elderberry, Bloodroot, several varieties of wild violets in yellow, blue and purple. Sponsor: Kansas Native Plant Society.
Contact: Ken O'Dell at ken@springvalleynursery.com or (913) 837-5112

bullet

April 21: Volunteers are needed for prairie maintenance and preservation projects. The Grassland Heritage Foundation Groundhogs meet on the third Saturday of every month except December. Wear appropriate clothing. No special skills or tools needed.
For details, please contact Frank Norman, Kansas Native Plant Society Board Member fjnorman@sunflower.com or (785) 887-6775 (home) or (785) 691-9748 (cell).

Top of page

MAY

bullet

May 11-14: FloraKansas Great Plains Plant Bazaar. Sponsored by Dyck Arboretum of the Plains, Hesston, KS.
Contact: arboretum@Hesston.edu or (620) 327-8127

bullet

May 12: Barber County Wildflower Tour. Meet at the Medicine Lodge High School, 8:30am. Enjoy continental breakfast and slides of flowers we expect to see. Buses will provide transportation. Morning participants will return to the school at noon. Full-day participants will enjoy a delicious lunch and entertainment at a tree-shaded country park. Ride through the beautiful gyp hills to a second site. Refreshments will be served before we return to the school around 3:30pm. Barber Co. Conservation District and Kansas Native Plant Society are co-sponsors. Pre-paid reservations should be sent before May 9th, $8 half-day, $15 full-day. Barber Co Conservation, 800 W. 3rd Ave. Medicine Lodge, KS 67104-8002, phone (620) 886-3721, ext. 3.

bullet

May 19: Volunteers are needed for prairie maintenance and preservation projects. The Grassland Heritage Foundation Groundhogs meet on the third Saturday of every month except December. Wear appropriate clothing. No special skills or tools needed.
For details, please contact Frank Norman, Kansas Native Plant Society Board Member fjnorman@sunflower.com or (785) 887-6775 (home) or (785) 691-9748 (cell).

Top of page

JUNE

bullet

June 1-30: June is Kansas Native Plant Appreciation Month!
Each year Kansas Native Plant Society makes a formal appeal to the Governor for June to be proclaimed as Kansas Native Plant Appreciation Month. This opportunity promotes greater appreciation for the diversity, value, and beauty of Kansas native plants and their habitats.

bullet

June 2: Spring Wildflower Tour at Maxwell Wildlife Refuge, McPherson County, KS. Board the tram for a tour of the prairie with wildflowers and buffalo, 10am. There is also a self guided walking tour with flowers flagged. The Refuge is located 6 miles north of Canton, KS./
For more info call:
(620)-628-4455

bullet

June 9: 7th Annual Symphony in the Flint Hills will be held in the heart of the Flint Hills of Kansas. Get ready for one of the most beautiful sites on the planet and the adventure of getting there. Enjoy this unique pairing of music and prairie! The vision of this concert is to heighten appreciation and knowledge of the Flint Hills as the last major intact tallgrass prairie on the North American continent and will help focus attention on the Flint Hills of Kansas as a national treasure belonging to all Kansans and as a destination for people beyond our borders. Featured is an outdoor concert performed by the Kansas City Symphony.
For more information see the Symphony in the Flint Hills website or call (620) 273-8955

bullet

June 10: Friends of Konza Prairie Annual Wildflower Walk, 6:30pm - sunset. Join us for a 2-mile guided hike of Butterfly Hill Trail, generally not open to the public. At the peak of wildflower season, visitors often view more than 50 species of native tallgrass prairie plants blooming along the trail. The walk will be co-led by Dr. Valerie Wright, Kansas Native Plant Society Board Member, and Konza Docents. Free to Friends of Konza Prairie members, $7 for others.  RSVP required; telephone reservations will be taken beginning May 1, (785) 587-0441.
For more info see the Friends of the Konza website

bullet

June 16: Volunteers are needed for prairie maintenance and preservation projects. The Grassland Heritage Foundation Groundhogs meet on the third Saturday of every month except December. Wear appropriate clothing. No special skills or tools needed.
For details, please contact Frank Norman, Kansas Native Plant Society Board Member fjnorman@sunflower.com or (785) 887-6775 (home) or (785) 691-9748 (cell).

Top of page

JULY

bullet

July 14: Kansas Native Plant Society Summer Board Meeting and Outing. The location and time have not been finalized.
Please contact KNPS for more information. email@KSNPS.org or (785) 864-3453

bullet

July 21: Volunteers are needed for prairie maintenance and preservation projects. The Grassland Heritage Foundation Groundhogs meet on the third Saturday of every month except December. Wear appropriate clothing. No special skills or tools needed.
For details, please contact Frank Norman, Kansas Native Plant Society Board Member fjnorman@sunflower.com or (785) 887-6775 (home) or (785) 691-9748 (cell).

Top of page

AUGUST

bullet

August 18: Volunteers are needed for prairie maintenance and preservation projects. The Grassland Heritage Foundation Groundhogs meet on the third Saturday of every month except December. Wear appropriate clothing. No special skills or tools needed.
For details, please contact Frank Norman, Kansas Native Plant Society Board Member fjnorman@sunflower.com or (785) 887-6775 (home) or (785) 691-9748 (cell).

Top of page

SEPTEMBER

bullet

September 7-10: FloraKansas Great Plains Plant Bazaar. Sponsored by Dyck Arboretum of the Plains, Hesston, KS. 
Contact: arboretum@Hesston.edu or (620) 327-8127

bullet

September 15: Volunteers are needed for prairie maintenance and preservation projects. The Grassland Heritage Foundation Groundhogs meet on the third Saturday of every month except December. Wear appropriate clothing. No special skills or tools needed.
For details, please contact Frank Norman, Kansas Native Plant Society Board Member fjnorman@sunflower.com or (785) 887-6775 (home) or (785) 691-9748 (cell).

Top of page

OCTOBER

bullet

October 20: Volunteers are needed for prairie maintenance and preservation projects. The Grassland Heritage Foundation Groundhogs meet on the third Saturday of every month except December. Wear appropriate clothing. No special skills or tools needed.
For details, please contact Frank Norman, Kansas Native Plant Society Board Member fjnorman@sunflower.com or (785) 887-6775 (home) or (785) 691-9748 (cell).

Top of page

For a look online at what Kansas has to offer throughout the year, visit these web sites:

Southwest Kansas Wildflowers - featuring the photos of Fred Meyer Jr.
Wildflowers and Grasses of Kansas - by Mike Haddock
The LUNA website has photos of 196 different native wildflowers by Craig Freeman
Learn about Flint Hills Wildflowers and Grasses in The Meadow from the Great Plains Nature Center

bulletIf you are not already a member, consider joining the Kansas Native Plant Society.   The mission of the Kansas Native Plant Society is to encourage awareness and appreciation of the native plants of Kansas in their habitats and in our landscapes by promoting education, stewardship, and scientific knowledge.
The KNPS has developed several regional groups within the state.  Here are their Facebook pages:
bulletThe Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Website has a lot of information on North American wildflowers.
bulletThe Grassland Heritage Foundation seeks to preserve native prairie lands in northeast Kansas.
bulletUse the USDA PLANTS database to get information on any plant in North America.
bulletJeff Hansen has a website on wildflower propagation at KansasNativePlants.com

Top of page

Visit TravelKS.com!
Discover what to see, places to eat and things to do in Kansas.
Plan your trip today, at TravelKS.com!

Funded by the Chickadee Checkoff Program
Chickadee Checkoff logo
Click here for a brochure!

The Natural Kansas web site ©2011 by
the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks & Tourism.

Re-publication of site content in any form other than for personal use requires written permission.  If you are a Kansas resident, please assist with this and other wildlife viewing and conservation programs by contributing to the Chickadee Checkoff on your state tax form.

Questions or comments about Natural Kansas may be directed to Jim Mason