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!
2008 Wildflower
Programs and Outings
MAY
 |
May 8-12:
Flora Kansas: Great Plains Plant Bazaar at
Dyck Arboretum of the Plains,
Hesston, KS. The largest native plant sale in Kansas features
hard-to-find native perennials, shrubs and trees plus fun 'gardenabilia'.
Kansas Native Plant Society co-sponsors Dyck Arboretum events. May 8 & 9
are for members only; contact the Arboretum about becoming a member.
Members receive a 10% discount at the sale on all days. Individuals can
join at the sale on any day and receive the member discount. Saturday
offerings: classes, demonstrations, and tours from professionals.
Admission charge is by donation.
Contact:
arboretum@Hesston.edu
or (620) 327-8127 |
|
May 10:
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 3:30 pm. Barber
Co. Conservation District and Kansas Native Plant Society are co-sponsors.
Pre-paid reservations should be sent before May 5th, $8 half-day, $15
full-day.
Contact: Barber Co Conservation, 800 W. 3rd Ave.
Medicine Lodge, KS 67104-8002, (620) 886-3721, ext. 3. |
|
May 10:
Monarch Watch Spring Open House & Plant Fundraiser in Lawrence, KS. Buy
native milkweeds and other plants to attract butterflies to your
landscape. Located in Foley Hall (2021 Constant
Ave) near the greenhouse on West Campus at KU.
Contact:
monarch@ku.edu or (785) 864-4441 |
|
May 11 & 18:
Wildflower Plant & Seed Sales at Prairie Park Nature Center in Lawrence,
KS. Sponsored by the Prairie Park Partners, 1-4pm. (785) 832-7980 |
|
May 14:
Evening Foray on Tallgrass Prairie in Leavenworth County, KS. Visit a
privately owned high quality hay meadow. See showy plants like bread-root
scurf-pea, ground-plum milk-vetch, New Jersey tea, pale-spike lobelia,
plains wild-indigo and prairie phlox. Other interesting plants growing on
this prairie include: blunt-leaf milkweed, porcupine grass and prairie
dropseed grass. Kansas Native Plant Society Board Members Shirley
Braunlich and Jeff Hansen, KNPS Past President, will co-lead the walk. We
will meet in McLouth at Casey's General Store (310 E. Lake St.) on 16 Hwy
at 6pm and caravan to the prairie.
Contact:
email@KSNPS.org or (785) 864-3453 |
|
May 17:
Dr. Woody Holland's Wildflower Tour of Neosho County, KS. Kansas Native
Plant Society Board Member Carl Paulie will lead the tour. We will be
looking for Shooting Star, Indian Paintbrush,
Wild Hyacinth, Pale-spike Lobelia and many others. Meet in front of the
courthouse on Main St. in Erie, KS at 1pm. The tour will begin at 1:30pm
sharp.
Contact:
email@KSNPS.org or (620) 449-2028 |
|
May 17:
Volunteers are needed for prairie maintenance and preservation projects.
Assist the Grassland Heritage Foundation Groundhogs.
Wear appropriate clothing. No special skills or tools needed.
Contact: Frank Norman, Kansas Native Plant
Society Board Member
fjnorman@sunflower.com or (785) 887-6775
(home) or (785) 691-9748 (cell). |
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page
JUNE
|
June 1:
Join the Third Biennial Coblentz Prairie Foray, 1pm. This glaciated
tallgrass prairie offers diverse native plants as well as uncommon birds
like Henslow's Sparrow, notable insects like Golden Byssus skippers, and
interesting rocks like Sioux Quartzite. This may be the furthest south
the glaciers advanced in Kansas, and large pink and red Sioux Quartzite
boulders, glacial erratics, can be found in several areas. Among the 270
recorded plant species, we hope to see the federally protected Mead’s
milkweed, Prairie phlox, Starry Catchfly, Topeka Purple-coneflower, and
Tall Cinquefoil! Other plants of interest include the Adder’s Tongue
Fern --one of the few prairie ferns and Cluster fescue (Festuca paradoxa)
--a fescue rarely found in Kansas. Kansas Native Plant Society and
Grassland Heritage Foundation co-sponsor this event. Co-leaders: Jeff
Hansen, KNPS President and GHF Board Member and Shirley Braunlich, KNPS
Board Member. Coblentz Prairie is 40-minutes west of Lawrence, KS in
west-central Douglas County at the intersection of E 1 Road and North
1150th Road; it is part of the Clinton Wildlife area. Meet a half-mile
east of the intersection on the south side of North 1150 Rd.
Contact: email@KSNPS.org or (785)
864-3453 |
|
June 5, 9 AM to
Noon: Help staff harvest onsite wildflower seed for the restoration of
the bottomland prairie areas at the Tallgrass
Prairie National Preserve. |
|
June 6, 7 PM -
June 7, 4 PM: Women's Wildflower Walk at Tallgrass Spiritual Retreat
Center south of Matfield Green. Limited to 18 participants.
Cost: $70 + tax. Visit
their
website for more information or to make a reservation. Other
dates available by appointment for groups of 6 or more. |
|
June 7:
Wilson County Wildflower Tour in southeast Kansas. Gather at Fredonia High
School, 916 Robinson St, 8:30am. Enjoy home baked pastries and booths of
education and interest. Buses will provide transportation. Join small
group tours with professional leaders or opt for self guided experiences. Kansas Native Plant Society members will be playing active roles in
this event. Lunch is included with the registration price of $8, payable
by June 2 to Wilson Co Conservation, 930 N 2nd Street, Fredonia, KS 66736.
Contact: Gina Thompson (620) 378-2866 |
|
June 7-8:
Maxwell Wildlife Refuge Prairie Days 9am-4pm.
Celebrate the prairie, buffalo tours, stagecoach rides, mountain man
camps, traders, demonstrations, wildflower and bird walks, cowboys,
crafts, and music. Admission is $2; prairie tours every hour are $5 per
person. The Refuge is located 6 miles north of Canton, KS.
Contact:
maxwell@kitusa.com or (620)-628-4455 |
|
June 7:
Wildflower Hike at Prairie State Park near Lamar, MO. Experience the
beauty of springtime on the tallgrass prairie. Join park staff for a
leisurely walk among new grasses and colorful wildflowers at 10am.
Identification, uses, gardening tips and more will be shared.
Contact:
prairie.state.park@dnr.mo.gov
or (417) 843-6711 |
|
June 8:
Friends of Konza Prairie Annual Wildflower Walk, 7pm. The walk will be
co-lead by Valerie Wright, Kansas Native Plant Society Past President, and
Konza Docents. There is a charge of $5 for those who are not Friends of
Konza Prairie members. Telephone reservations are due June 3,
(785)
587-0441. |
|
June 14:
Dr. Woody Holland's Wildflower Tour of Neosho County, KS. Kansas Native
Plant Society Board Member Carl Paulie will lead the tour. We will be
looking for Showy Beardtongue (Penstemon cobaea), Tube Beardtongue (Penstemon
tubaeflorus), Pale Purple-coneflower, Prairie Phlox and many others. Meet
Carl in front of the courthouse on Main St. in Erie, KS at 1pm. The tour
will begin at 1:30pm sharp.
Contact:
email@KSNPS.org or (620) 449-2028 |
|
June 14:
The 3rd Annual Symphony in the Flint Hills will be held in Morris County,
KS just outside Council Grove. 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.
Contact:
www.symphonyintheflinthills.org or (620)
273-8955 |
|
June 21:
Enjoy Wildflowers & Birds at the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve with
Topeka Audubon Society, Strong City, KS. Pack a snack and lunch/beverage.
To car pool from Topeka, meet at 6:30am at the Starlight Skating Center
301 SE 45th St.
Contact: Dan Gish
gishbear@cox.net
or (785) 232-3731 |
|
June 21:
Volunteers are needed for prairie maintenance and preservation projects.
Assist the Grassland Heritage Foundation Groundhogs.
Wear appropriate clothing. No special skills or tools needed.
Contact: Frank Norman, Kansas Native Plant
Society Board Member
fjnorman@sunflower.com or (785) 887-6775
(home) or (785) 691-9748 (cell). |
|
June 25:
Celebrate the Sixth Annual Grant-Bradbury Prairie Jaunt! Join Kansas
Native Plant Society and Grassland Heritage Foundation on Topeka's
premiere prairie park. This 80-acre tallgrass prairie includes over 296
plant species. Jeff Hansen, KNPS President and GHF Board Member will
lead the tour at 7pm. Directions: Take Topeka Blvd south to the
University Blvd intersection (stoplight), take a right. Take University
west about half a mile - when the road curves south, you are at the
driveway to the park gate. There is a small brick building at the
driveway.
Contact:
email@KSNPS.org
or (785) 864-3453 |
Top of
page
JULY
|
July 3, 9 AM to
Noon: Help staff harvest onsite wildflower seed for the restoration of
the bottomland prairie areas at the Tallgrass
Prairie National Preserve. |
|
July 5:
Wildflower Hike at Prairie State Park near Lamar, MO. Experience the
beauty of springtime on the tallgrass prairie. Join park staff for a
leisurely walk among new grasses and colorful wildflowers at 10am.
Identification, uses, gardening tips and more will be shared.
Contact;
prairie.state.park@dnr.mo.gov
or (417) 843-6711 |
|
July 19:
Volunteers are needed for prairie maintenance and preservation projects.
Assist the Grassland Heritage Foundation Groundhogs.
Wear appropriate clothing. No special skills or tools needed.
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
|
August 2:
Wildflower Hike at Prairie State Park near Lamar, MO. Experience the
beauty of springtime on the tallgrass prairie. Join park staff for a
leisurely walk among new grasses and colorful wildflowers at 10am.
Identification, uses, gardening tips and more will be shared.
Contact;
prairie.state.park@dnr.mo.gov
or (417) 843-6711 |
|
August 4-8:
The North American Prairie Conference will be in Winona, MN. Winona State
University in Minnesota will host the 21st Biennial NAPC.
Contact: Bruno Borsari, Ph.D.
at bborsari@winona.edu
or (507)
457-2822. |
|
August 16:
Volunteers are needed for prairie maintenance and preservation projects.
Assist the Grassland Heritage Foundation Groundhogs.
Wear appropriate clothing. No special skills or tools needed.
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
|
September 4, 9 AM
to Noon: Help staff harvest onsite wildflower seed for the restoration
of the bottomland prairie areas at the Tallgrass
Prairie National Preserve. |
|
September 6:
Wildflower Hike at Prairie State Park near Lamar, MO. Experience the
beauty of springtime on the tallgrass prairie. Join park staff for a
leisurely walk among new grasses and colorful wildflowers at 10am.
Identification, uses, gardening tips and more will be shared.
Contact;
prairie.state.park@dnr.mo.gov
or (417) 843-6711 |
|
September 13-14:
Annual Wildflower Weekend at the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve
in Chase County, KS. Bring the family; the weekend will be educational and
enjoyable for all ages. Members of the Kansas
Native Plant Society will be available as guides.
Contact: tapr_interpretation@nps.gov
or
(620) 2738494 |
|
September 20:
Volunteers are needed for prairie maintenance and preservation projects.
Assist the Grassland Heritage Foundation Groundhogs.
Wear appropriate clothing. No special skills or tools needed.
Contact: Frank Norman, Kansas Native Plant
Society Board Member
fjnorman@sunflower.com or (785) 887-6775
(home) or (785) 691-9748 (cell). |
|
September 27:
Prairie Jubilee at Prairie State Park, near Lamar Missouri. Visit
Missouri’s largest remaining tallgrass prairie, at nearly 4,000 acres.
Learn about life on the prairie during a day filled with activities and
entertainment. Guided wagon rides to view the bison herd will be
available, prairie restoration activities, and wildflower gardening plants
will be for sale, with advice offered on care. Storytelling and
traditional music will fill the air. A bison burger lunch will be
available for a small fee. This fun event for young and old is sponsored
by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.
Contact;
prairie.state.park@dnr.mo.gov
or (417) 843-6711 |
|
September 27:
Konza Prairie Biennial Visitors Day - Activities
include guided access to the restricted areas of the field research
station, guided bus tours of the bison herd and trial hikes.
At the Station HQ, visitors can view live animal displays and research
exhibits and learn more about tallgrass prairie conservation and
management. Kids can earn their Junior Ecologist badge and learn
about grasshoppers and bison. Homestead tours, hay wagon rides and
bus tours will be available for a small fee. This event is open to
the public.
For more info, please contact Konza at 785-587-0381 |
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page
OCTOBER
|
October 2, 9 AM
to Noon: Help staff harvest onsite wildflower seed for the restoration
of the bottomland prairie areas at the Tallgrass
Prairie National Preserve. |
|
October 3-5:
Kansas
Native Plant Society's
30th Annual Wildflower Weekend will be held in Hays, KS. We will visit
mixed-grass prairies in and around Ellis County. Come enjoy native
plants in the Smoky Hills of Kansas with us! The weekend is filled with
outings, programs, a silent auction, photo contest, dinner, and
socializing.
Contact:
email@KSNPS.org
or (785) 864-3453 |
|
October 18:
Volunteers are needed for prairie maintenance and preservation projects.
Assist the Grassland Heritage Foundation Groundhogs.
Wear appropriate clothing. No special skills or tools needed.
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
NOVEMBER
|
November 8:
Papermaking Workshop at Karlyle Woods in Topeka, KS. Jeff Hansen,
Kansas Native Plant Society Past President, will teach us how to make
paper using native plant fibers. In this class we will learn the different
types of plant fiber, the process of extracting the fiber from the plant,
and the process of forming sheets of paper from the resulting fiber. We
will work in teams of two with each team processing a different plant
fiber into paper. The resulting paper will be shared equally among class
members. Class runs from noon to 4pm. Karlyle Woods is located at 3440 NW
Button Rd in Topeka. The cost of the workshop is $25 and is limited to 12
people (Ages 12 and up). All materials and equipment are provided. Food
will also be provided. Please sign up by contacting Jeff Hansen
at email@KSNPS.org
or
(785) 806-6917. |
|
November 15:
Volunteers are needed for prairie maintenance and preservation projects.
Assist the Grassland Heritage Foundation Groundhogs.
Wear appropriate clothing. No special skills or tools needed.
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
Top of page
Click here for a brochure! |
©2007
Kansas Nature-Based Tourism Alliance
Re-publication of site content in any form other than for personal use
requires written permission.
This web site is underwritten by the Kansas
Department of Wildlife and Parks through the Chickadee Checkoff Program. 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 |
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