Tennessee Native Plant Society
Conserving and Celebrating Natives through Education Join TodayMake a DonationOur Mission Statement
“ Conserving and celebrating native plant communities and their habitats through education ”
From the Appalachian Mountains to the floodplains of the Mississippi, Tennessee’s native plant communities make this one of the most botanically diverse and interesting states in the nation. Remnant alpine and prairie plants contribute to the variety of plant communities and give wildflower enthusiasts a chance to see plants that are rare or endangered, both nationally and regionally. The beauty and habits of Tennessee’s plants fascinate professional botanists and amateurs alike.
Since our founding in 1977, the Tennessee Native Plant Society has helped nurture the growing interest in wildflowers and other native flora while also working to protect Tennessee’s native plant heritage and preserve it for future generations.
The society’s objectives include education of the public about native plants and support of efforts to protect wild plant communities. We believe that a public educated about wildflowers of the state will help to ensure the conservation of these irreplaceable resources.
Louise Gregory, TNPS Board Member
Dear Friends and Family,
Louise Hawkins Gregory emerged from the dark tunnel of pain and death into the bright light of our Father on Wednesday October 11, 2023. Do not mourn her dead, for she lives now more fully than any of us and we will join her when it is our time. She loves you all and awaits the time when we join her there.
A memorial service will be planned and communicated in the coming weeks in Parsons, TN. Honor her memory by loving your family and walking in the marvelous creation our Father gave us to enjoy.
Julianna Gregory
Richard Gregory
Attention Members
TNPS is experiencing growing pains. As a completely volunteer organization we have relied on members using spreadsheets to organize our memberships and personal email to send out information. That is no longer working for us. Some of you have not received recent newsletters and seminar reminders, especially our newest members. We apologize and are working to amend that situation.
We are now in the process of updating and adding email addresses to our account with Vertical Response. Please do not mark us as “Spam”. If you prefer not to receive any emails from TNPS, then at the bottom of the email select “Unsubscribe”. All TNPS emails to the membership will be marked with our red trillium logo.
We have selected a program that offers better management of memberships. Unfortunately, it will take time to transition our information into the new program.
Our goal is to be fully updated and transitioned into the new management program by mid-November or sooner. When the changeover is complete we will resend all 2023 newsletters (and anything else that may have been missed that is still timely) to ALL members via email.
In the meantime you can always check this website for digital versions of our newsletters on the Newsletters page and monthly seminar information on the Seminars and Calendar pages.
Please be patient with us as we work through our growth issues. Problems like this are a good sign that interest in our native plants is increasing.
Tennessee Native Plants
Achieving Our Mission
Members include wildflower enthusiasts from all over the state who share common interests in the areas of plant identification and folklore, growing native plants from seeds and cuttings for use in naturalized landscapes, and preserving natural areas to protect plants. Our members range from professional and amateur botanists to individuals simply interested in learning about Tennessee’s diverse array of flora and unique environments.
- TNPS members meet frequently at various locations all over the state for field trips. For these trips, we rely on local amateurs and professionals who know the plants in a given area to guide us in locating the beautiful and sometimes rare native species unique to that habitat. Species identifications are shared and photos often are taken.
- Members meet annually for a conference that includes a variety of presentations and field trips to better inform us of the unique native plants and features of the area. We also provide student/teacher scholarships for attendance at various regional plant conferences. Our newsletter informs us of these TNPS activities and events, as well as rare or unique Tennessee plants that may need some level of protection.
- TNPS supports the development and publication of materials that assist in the identification and preservation of our native plants. So far this includes our identification book, Wildflowers of Tennessee, plus: Guide to the Vascular Plants of Tennessee, Woody Plants of Kentucky and Tennessee, and Tennessee Lichens. TNPS also supports the online Tennessee and Kentucky Plant Atlas.