Athens-East Piedmont Chapter October Meeting

Gardening with Native Warm Season Grasses

Grasses rule the world! With more than 10,000 species, grasses are found on every continent, including Antarctica. Yet most of us know only a few, if any, of our native grass species. Yes, grasses are hard! It’s true; they pretty much all look alike and they have tiny flower parts. But it’s fairly easy to recognize the 10 or 15 of the most common grass species in the Georgia Piedmont. Linda will share some identification tips for identifying the common grasses that flower and fruit in the late summer and early fall around Athens.

Linda Chafin retired in 2020 from the State Botanical Garden where she was a Conservation Botanist for 16 years. She is the author of “Field Guide to the Rare Plants of Georgia” and “Field Guide to the Wildflowers of Georgia and Surrounding States.” She teaches plant identification courses, including one about native warm-season grasses, for the Certificate in Native Plants program and other venues.

This event is free and open to the public regardless of whether you are or are not a member of the Athens-East Piedmont Chapter of the GNPS. We are able to meet for free at Sandy Creek Nature Center in exchange for volunteering for the Athens-Clarke County Office of Sustainability. Please look for opportunities here and in our future chapter newsletters.

Plant/seed swap following the meeting:
We will be holding a plant and seed swap after the meeting. Please leave any plants you bring in your car and don’t bring them into the building.

We look forward to seeing you there!

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NOTE:

• We usually meet on the second week of the month, but some conflicts have required us to move this meeting to the third week of October.
• We reserve our venues for 1/2 hour before and after the meeting time. You are welcome to come early and stay late to socialize. Your help with set up and break down of the room would also be welcome.
• Our meeting will be held inside of the Sandy Creek Nature Center outside of their normal business hours.