This is another joint hike with the new Middle Tennessee Wild Ones group and TNPS. The “Oak Barrens” of Coffee County provide examples of TN rare plants that are disjunct from the Gulf Coastal Plain and the prairies of the Midwest. The primary goal of this outing is to see Snowy Orchid (Platanthera nivea) in flower. This is the only location known in Tennessee for this Coastal Plain species. Usually flowering with it is the equally rare Coastal False Asphodel…

We'll explore the new section of the Foothills Parkway by automobile, making stops along the way to see the views and any interesting plants that are to be found. It should be a bit cooler at the elevations where we'll be traveling. Difficulty: Leader: Allen and Susan Sweetser 865-938-7627 ssretiree@yahoo.com Meeting Place: IGA Grocery Store (near the gas pumps) in Townsend (7945 E Lamar Alexander Pkwy, Townsend, TN) Time: 10:00 AM Eastern Lunch: Picnic lunch at the Look Rock area.…

We will join Dr. Dwayne Estes, Executive Director of the Southeastern Grasslands Initiative, Botanical Explorer at BRIT, and Professor of Biology at Austin Peay State University, for a BioBlitz of the prairie barrens at The FarmCommunity. This is a joint hike with Swan Conservation Trust. Our focus will be on the flora, but we will also note the pollinators of the ecosystem and any animals and birds that we may encounter. We should be treated with a variety of grasses…

We will caravan from Crossville to the Bledsoe State Forest. We will go to various sites on powerline right-of-ways to see many species of aster, goldenrods and other fall flowers. This is a joint TNPS and TCWP outing. The walks will be short with a total distance less than 3 miles. Difficulty: Leader: Larry Pounds 865-705-8516 PoundsL471@aol.com Meeting Place: 1. Gold's Gym/Books-A-Million parking lot in Oak Ridge (at the end close to S. Illinois Avenue, near Salsarita's) 2. Shell Station…

The Lady’s Bluff Trail is a 2.6-mile trail (round-trip) in Perry County (north of Mousetail Landing State Park). The trail offers limestone outcrops, abundant wildflowers, and spectacular views of the Tennessee River. There is a large population of aromatic aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium) along the bluff. Aromatic aster is rare in west Tennessee. Also along the bluff are September elm (Ulmus serotina) and wall-rue (Asplenium ruta-muraria). Along the way to the bluff are some excellent examples of limestone rock outcrop communities.…