Learn more about our featured plant in the Plant Spotlight article below.

In This Issue ...

• A new look for GNPS
• More flexible membership renewal periods
• Symposium recap
• Spotlight on Chickasaw plum
• Chapter News

Refreshing our Image

In the past year, inspired by our successful transition to a new statewide structure with eight vibrant chapters, we embarked on a task to update our logo in a way that would reflect our mission and give chapters an opportunity to present a consistent branding. An outside firm was engaged, and an internal committee went through a multistage process, downselecting from eight designs to three designs and to a final selection for a new logo.

GNPS values its traditions and the fact that native plants preceded the colonization of Georgia, so our logo deliberately evokes a traditional, even rustic, feeling. It also was chosen specifically to provide a canvas for signature plants, since all of our chapters have embraced the concept of promoting a plant specific to their region, in some cases a plant of serious conservation concern. The state logo continues to highlight the original oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia) adopted by our founders, using the artwork created by one of those early board members, Linda Fraser.

Some chapters are already moving forward with their custom variations, but none are officially ready to unveil. However, if you know the signature plant of a chapter, you have a pretty good idea of how it will appear. Imagine the oakleaf hydrangea replaced with the chapter plant and the state tagline ("Conservation - Education - Stewardship") replaced with the chapter name, and you are very close. Our legacy chapters (Coastal Plain and West Georgia) may choose to use their current branding for as long as they think it is appropriate. Even at the state level, you will see a gradual transition in our web site, social media, and printed materials, and we may continue to offer "retro" merchandise indefinitely, as long as our members want it.

We hope that all members, new and old, are as excited about our new branding as we are.

2023 Symposium

Ellen Honeycutt

Our 28th annual symposium was our most successful ever: over 420 people registered for the event! While we miss our in-person networking, the virtual format allows us to reach people we’ve never been able to reach before: those who can’t travel, those who might be busy on the actual day, and we even had one member Zoom in from her vacation in South Africa and one presenter participating from a field trip in Mexico! 

We received lots of positive feedback on our chapter feature this year. Each chapter had an opportunity to present successes from the previous year and a preview of things to come. It was inspiring to see how much they’ve done, especially since six of our chapters just completed their first year.

For those of you who registered, you should have received an email from our partner Georgia Audubon with links to the recordings as well as nursery discount offers and links to resources. If you didn’t, please email symposium@gnps.org. We hope to "see" even more of you all next year!

Please note that our Coastal Plain Chapter has an in-person symposium coming up on March 15th in Tifton. Learn more about it here. The event is in partnership with The Garden Club of Georgia – Camellia District.

Membership Term Change

Michele Buchanan

On January 1, 2023, we changed our membership term from a calendar year to a one-year term from the join or renew date. This change was approved by the Board of Directors in 2022. In the past, all memberships expired on December 31st of the calendar year. Going forward, your membership will expire one year after your renew or join date. We will send you an email reminder two weeks in advance of your expiration date that is time to renew your membership.

If you would like to check your expiration date, simply go to GNPS.org, log in to the membership portal, and your membership information will be displayed.  If you have any questions, please email membership@gnps.org.

Plant Spotlight: Chickasaw Plum

Ellen Honeycutt

Flowers and fruit of Chickasaw plum (Prunus angustifolia).

As I write this column, my Chickasaw plum (Prunus angustifolia) is already in full bloom in north metro Atlanta which seems at least two weeks early but luckily the bees are out too. Chickasaw plum is a large shrub/small tree in the Rose family (Rosaceae) that bears small, sweet and edible plums in late May/early June. It has good statewide distribution in Georgia, but Chickasaw plum is not the only species we have in Georgia. Hog plum (Prunus umbellata), wild goose plum (Prunus munsoniana), and American plum (Prunus americana) are some of the other species in Georgia and they can have overlapping ranges.

American plum blooms a bit later than Chickasaw; I have that species as well and rarely do they bloom at the same time (I had wondered if they might cross pollinate each other but they can only do that if they bloom at the same time). Plums can sucker a bit, and Chickasaw is known for it. They could be used for a hedge in an informal setting where they might develop into a bit of a bird-friendly thicket.

Like other members of the Prunus genus, they can be a host plant for a significant number of butterflies and moths. I watched last year as a red-spotted purple butterfly laid a number of eggs on my plums.

If you’re wondering if that roadside tree is a non-native callery pear or a native plum, consider the overall habit of the plant. The pear (Pyrus calleryana) is generally strongly upright with large clusters of off-white flowers that are strongly scented; it may have thorns. Chickasaw plum habit is more loose and open, usually shorter and with smaller clusters of white flowers that are lightly scented.

If you’d like to learn more about plums in Georgia (both native and non-native), get a copy of the 2015 issue of Tipularia, the annual journal of the Georgia Botanical Society. It has a very in-depth article with good photos and descriptions.

Chapter News

Augusta's River Region Chapter

Augusta's River Region Chapter will be having a plant sale on March 25th. Watch our Facebook page for the location.

Coastal Plain Chapter

South Georgia Native Plant and Wildflower Symposium

The Coastal Plain Chapter is again co-presenting the South Georgia Native Plant & Wildflower Symposium with the Camellia District of the Garden Clubs of Georgia, Inc. The symposium is on March 15th at the Georgia Museum of Agriculture in Tifton. In addition to providing educational sessions, this will include an early opportunity to buy native plants from Flat Creek Natives, Florabundance Gardens, Groco, and the Coastal Plain Chapter.

Speakers and topics include:

• Jody Walthall: “Design with Nature: Ecological Landscaping”
• Marilynne Marshall: “Plant This, Not That: Native Substitutions for Exotic Plants Typically Found in South Georgia Garden Centers”
• James Ferrari: “Reflections from a Bird Bath: What Game Cameras can Teach Us about Fruit-eating Birds”

Check the symposium website (www.sgnpws.org) to register and look at the agenda, speaker bios, and plant vendor information. 

Left: Restoration planting project at Chehaw Park. Right: Paul Sumner, Heather Brasell, Carol Bokros and Amy Heidt at the Berrien County rescue site.

GNPS Restoration Planting at Chehaw Park

Thanks to a Coastal Plain Chapter grant and an industrious group of volunteers, the Chehaw Creekside Education Center now has over 100 newly installed native plants, according to Jimmy Lindsey, chapter VP and coordinator of the project.  On Feb. 21st, a crew of volunteers that included both local Master Gardeners and Coastal Plain members together made a huge difference in bringing this GNPS restoration project to life!  In keeping with the purpose of the education center, functional identification signage was placed around the new plants. 

GNPS Plant Rescue, Berrien County

On Sunday, Feb. 26th, our chapter conducted its first official GNPS native plant rescue on a timber-managed property in Berrien County. The rescue was led by Amy Heidt. Others attending were Heather Brasell, Paul Sumner, Mary Alice Applegate and Carol Bokros, from the Fringed Campion Chapter. The forest property had been clearcut and will have herbicides applied later in the year before it is replanted in pines. Among the species rescued were Carolina jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens), fetterbush (Lyonia sp.), gallberry (Ilex glabra), wax myrtle (Morella cerifera), yucca (Yucca filamentosa), and primrose (Oenothera sp.).

Fringed Campion Chapter

Workdays

The Fringed Campion Chapter continues to have workdays for the Amerson River Park Native Plant Garden and Monarch Waystation. They will be held Sundays in March (March 5th,12th, and 19th) from 2 to 4 p.m.

iNaturalist Workshop

We are having an iNaturalist Workshop with Will Rogers of the State Botanical Garden at Oaky Woods WMA in Houston County on March 11th at 10 a.m. Registration is limited, and GNPS membership is required. 

Native Plant Hike

On Saturday, March 18th, we will be having a native plant hike at Selma Erwin Nature Preserve in Milledgeville from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. 

Azalea Ramble

On Saturday, March 25th, from 9 to 11 a.m., we are hosting an Azalea Ramble to see native azaleas blooming in Peach County. There will also be a native plant sale at the event. 

For more information, see our Facebook page.

Fringed Campion volunteers at one of their workdays.

Intown Atlanta Chapter

Weed Wrangle Atlanta

On Saturday, March 4th, from 2 to 4 p.m., the Intown Atlanta Chapter will be participating in the Weed Wrangle at Mary Scott Nature Park. This national event encourages community involvement in identifying and removing invasive plants. We'll have weed wrenches and uprooters on site for anyone who wants to experience the satisfaction of hearing the roots of an invasive shrub rip out of the ground! Bring your gloves, bring your water and bring your friends! 

Mary Scott Nature Park is a GNPS certified restoration project at 4150 Briarcliff Road NE in Atlanta. Parking is available onsite with additional street parking located at the Overlook Drive Park entrance. (Search "2687 Overlook Drive" on your map app.)

Native Plants for Fruit, Vegetable and Herb Gardeners and Foragers

Do you know which edible plants are native to our area? Do you have a vegetable garden at home that you hope will flourish as a vibrant, diverse, natural ecosystem? If so, you'll want to join us on March 26th at Emory University's Oxford College. Learn about edible plants and the non-edible natives that function to increase yields naturally in your fruit and vegetable gardens. We'll also learn how to identify native edible plants in the wild.

This event is sponsored by Oxford College and will take place on Sunday, March 26th from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Student Center at 801 Wesley Street in Oxford.

Information, including the registration link, is on the GNPS event posting.

The speakers at the Intown Atlanta native edible plant event are Emily Allred and Josh Wayne.

Plant Swap and Share

Our second annual Plant Swap and Share will be on April 30th at Zonolite Park, from 1 to 3 p.m.

North Georgia Mountains Chapter

The North Georgia Mountains Chapter is off to a good start for the year.  We have now established a route to post recordings of our meeting presentations on a YouTube page. For example, the presentation from Don Spence in February is available here.  We hope to provide the option of live streaming the presentations starting with March’s presentation by Glen Henderson on the 11th. 

Plant Rescue

We are also having our first official plant rescue this coming Saturday, March 4th, collecting hemlocks and other native plants from near Amicalola Falls, some of which will be shared with the Hemlock society.

Wildflower Hikes

While our general intent is to have field trip events in the summer months, we were contacted by Anna Ruby Falls Recreation Area to provide information about native plants when they are starting their guided wildflower hikes in April. This hike will serve as our April meeting and will be on April 8th.  This will be our first participation at such an event, with a second at Brasstown Bald two weeks later, on April 22nd.  This will require some preparation on our part, identifying what plants are on site and preparing some examples to show the visitors. It is gratifying that we have gained enough of a reputation to be approached by these institutions, giving us the opportunity to engage in education, one of our founding goals.

Native Plant Sale

Our plant sale is now officially on the calendar for June 3rd in the non-profit booth of the Union County Farmers Market in Blairsville.  Maybe that will be a good reason for you to come visit our chapter!

North Metro Chapter

Registration is full for North Metro Chapter's first event of the new year, Winter Seed Sowing and Sharing for Native Plants. We look forward to seeing some of you there!

How to Garden to Attract Birds and Other Wildlife!

On April 8th at 10 a.m., Trecia Neal, retired biologist from Fernbank Science Center and owner of Green Gardens Education and Designs, will be presenting “How to garden to attract birds and other wildlife!” at the Dunwoody Nature Center.

Spring Plant Sale

The North Metro Spring Plant Sale will be held on April 29th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Old Rucker Farm Park. Details are posted on the website.

Members are welcome to donate extra plants that are potted and labeled with both common and scientific names. Contact Ellen Honeycutt (ellenhoneycutt@gnps.org) if you have donations.

Native Plants and Pollinators

Save the date! On May 20th at 10 a.m., Ellen Honeycutt will be speaking on “Native Plants and Pollinators.”