PA Plantings

Dr. Susan Munch lead a moss walk for the Muhlenberg Botanic Club and friends at  Six Penny Trail French Creek State Park on Oct. 4, 2014. List of Bryophytes observed: Liverworts Bazzania trilobata and most likely a Chiloscyphus sp. (with tiny 2 or 3 toothed leaves).   Jubula pennsylvanica (with tiny round leaves),  Pellia epiphylla Mosses  Sphagnum sp.  Atrichum undulatum (and most likely angustatum also) Aulocomium palustre Dicranum scoparium Dicranum sp. Entodon cladorrhizans Fissidens sp.  Fontinalis sp. Hedwigia ciliate Hypnum imponens Leucobryum sp. Mnium cuspidatum,  M. affine  M. punctatum Polytrichum commune  P. ohioense, Thuidium delicatulum About French Creek State Park:  Once an industrial complex for the fledgling United State of America, today French Creek State Park is an oasis for people and wildlife. Straddling the Schuylkill Highlands, the 7,730-acre park is the larges...

Schedule of walks for summer 2014 by the Muhlenberg Botanic Society Muhlenberg Botanical Society walk list, summer 2014 July 12                    Muhlenberg Meadow located in the Lancaster County Central Park. Lancaster, Pa.  Starting at 1 PM . Combined walk with the Sierra Club. N 40.00.769 W 76.17.098 Started in 1991, this restoration project spearheaded by Tim Draude and the Muhlenberg Botanical Society has expanded to five acres. Come and view the wide array of field flowers and what techniques worked and didn’t work in turning a cornfield into a dazzling native ecosystem.                 From Lancaster, go south on Rte. 222/272 for about 0.5 miles past the point where the north and south lanes rejoin. Turn left onto Golf Rd. and go about 0.6 miles to the intersection with Exhibit Farm Rd The parki...

Saturday  April 19  at 1:00 PM Shenk's Ferry Wildflower Preserve Thousands of trilliums and Mertensia, and rich woods ephemerals. Open to the public, walk rating: easy. Parking is limited, carpool if you can. Parking area GPS: N 39.89317 W 76.34204 Directions From the north: Starting at Willow Street, Lancaster County, PA From the intersection of Rte. 272 & 741 in Willow Street, go 4.5 miles to Pennsy Rd. Turn right onto Pennsy Rd. and go 3.5 miles to Rte. 324. Go left (straight) onto Rte. 324 south and go 1.2 miles to River Rd. Turn right (NOT LEFT) onto River Rd. and go 2.1 miles & turn left onto Shenks Ferry Rd. go 1.2 miles & turn left onto Green Hill Rd. Go  0.8 miles down the paved road, becoming a gravel road to the parking area next to Grubb Run. From the south: At the intersection of 272 & 372 at the Buck in Lancaster County, PA, go north 4.3 miles to Pennsy Rd. Turn right onto Pennsy Rd. and go 3.5 miles ...

       Below is the Feb newsletter for 2014, The first meeting is thurs Feb. 20th  (a PDF is avaialble at this link)        Muhlenberg Bulletin      Volume 33  1/31/ 2014            Number 2 MUHLENBERG BOTANICAL SOCIETY c/o Joan King, 205 Fox Hollow Rd. Pequea, Pa. 17565 www.muhlenbergbotanic.org Presiesident:   Officers:      Board Members: President: Joan King (717-284-5239) jsking121@gmail.com Vice Pres.: Mike Slater (610-775-3757)  mslater@voicenet.com Tim Draude Recording Secretary: John Ambler (717-394-1121) Ray Uhlig Newsletter Editor: Ruthann Richards (717-872-7574) Kevin Weir Treasurer: Matt Dilley (717-871-6279) PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE Winter's harsh grip is on us again, and it's time to think ahead to spring and summer. Give me ideas of places you would like to walk, habitat you want to...

September 19 : 7pm at the North Museum Members' Night Photos and Plant Exchange. Bring a show and tell item, old copies of nature magazines, slides, or a digital show to share. A laptop and digital projector setup will be available. Anyone with film slides to share should let John Wolff know so he can bring a traditional projector. For the plant exchange, please bring well-potted plants other members might like to adopt. Although our focus is on native plants, others are fine, too. Members who don't have plants to share are welcome—actually encouraged—to take plants home. We must continue to KEEP THE MEETING ROOM CLEAN, SO PLEASE BRING PLANTS IN FAIRLY CLEAN POTS AND MAKE SURE THERE ARE NO INSECTS ON THEM.  If you spill dirt/plants, etc., YOU are responsible for cleaning up the mess. We need to leave the Kinsey room as clean or cleaner than we found it so we can continue these exchanges. Swamp Thistle - Cirsium muticum - Photo by Mike Slater The September Newsl...

The January 2013 Edition of the Muhlenberg Botanic Society Newsletter is now online

The September 2012 Muhlenberg Botanic Society Newsletter is up online at the 2012 Newsletter web page it is available in PDF, doc and docx formats. 

Tim Draude will be leading a Weekend of Fern Walks and a Garden visit to the great fern garden of Dr. Gerald Hudgens , on Saturday June 30 and Sunday July 1, 2012. People are welcome to come for one or both days.

Saturday  March 17, 2012: Steinman Run Preserve (Steinman and Trout Runs) Meet at 10:00 a.m. Late winter/early spring botany. including early flowers (maybe), winter trees and shrubs and some mosses, liverworts and lichens. Leader: Tim Draude (717-393-7233)         Directions : From Lancaster City , take PA Rt. 272 South (Willow Street Pike/Lancaster Pike) through Willow Street . Continue south on 272 to Smithville. Turn right on Pennsy Road (just past Frey’s Evergreen Plantation on the left and before the large stone arch railroad bridge over the highway). Follow Pennsy Road for approximately one mile, then turn left on Kreider Road . At the stop sign, proceed straight, crossing over a bridge spanning the old low grade rail line.  At the next intersection, bear right onto Rawlinsville Road . Follow Rawlinsville Road for approximately one mile, then turn right at the fork onto Stump Road . Follow Stump Road for approximately ...

Hi Muhlenberg Members and Friends, Due to the High Water and serious flooding we are cancelling the field trip on Saturday September 10, 2011. The plants we are interested in are underwater and the riverbank will not be a safe place to hike with the rocks being very wet. We will try to visit the area next year.

We have received a report on the Purple Fringeless Orchids at Laurel Hill State Park and it looks like they will be done blooming before our scheduled trip. So on August 6th we are going to have a walk to the Muhlenberg Meadow in Lancaster Central Park instead. We will be meeting by the Meadow sign along Golf Rd. at 10 am. This will be a joint walk with the Lancaster Entomological and Butterfly Club. Muhlenberg Meadow, Lancaster County central Park 10 am  to (approx.) 12 noon A walk for meadow flowers and butterflies (co-sponsored but the Lancaster Butterfly and Entomological Club) Co-Leaders: Fred Habegger and Mike Slater Started in 1991, this restoration project spearheaded by Tim Draude and the Muhlenberg Botanical Society has expanded to five acres.. In the last year some major work at removing invasive plants by our recording Secretary John Ambler with some help from other Muhlenberg volunteers. Come and view the wide array of field flowers...

  2011 FIELD TRIPS All trips will be led by Joan King; if you intend to participate in any of the trips outside of Lancaster Co., please let her know (717-284-5239 or jsking@lycos.com ). Saturday, April 23 : Little Cove, Franklin County This is a rich limestone woodland where we should see Trillium cuneatum, Jeffersonia diphylla, Delphinium tricorne, and Dodecatheon amythestinum, among others. Walk rating: moderate; an all day trip. Meet at North Museum at 7:00 a.m.; we will carpool from there. Bring a bag lunch.     Saturday, May 14: Benton Hollow, Lancaster Co. PA This is a rich river glen with trillium, mertensia, trout-lily, and violets. Walk rating: moderate. Prepare for wet feet since we hop across a small stream. Meet at the site at 10:00 a.m. Bring a bag lunch to take on the trail. Directions: Take PA Rt. 272 from Lancaster through the Buck intersection with PA Rt. 372. Continue south on Rt. 272 for about three miles to Chestnut Level Road , where you wil...

July 10 Saturday Trip to Millersburg north of Harrisburg to see Platanthera peramoena, purple fringeless orchid. Prepare for wet walking. Also, nearby we hope to see Platanthera ciliaris, yellow fringed orchid in bloom. Easy walking. Bring your bag lunch; we will eat at the cars. There are no bathroom facilities at these sites. Meet at 10:00 AM at Hardee's 100 1st Street , Millersburg , PA 17061 (717) 692-3151 We will carpool from there. Leaders:           Joan King         Ph: 717-284-5239, jsking1@lycos.com                         Tim Draude      Ph: 717-393-7233 Contact a leader about carpooling from Lancaster . July 24 Saturday Valmont Industrial Park Walk rating: easy, prepare for wet feet. You can take your lunch along or go back to the cars and eat...

Joint field trip with the PA Native Plant society May 22-23 A Weekend Trip: Fisherman’s Paradise (Stackhouse School), south of Bellefonte, PA Centre County. Meet at 10:00 AM Saturday This is a joint field trip with the PA Native Plant Society Things to bring: PA state road map, DeLorme Gazeteer, “Plants of Pennsylvania” manual, hand lens, repellants, sun block, water, adequate footwear. The sites are basically upland: no major wetlands, but it may be possible to get wet feet. Walk rating: moderate. Leader: Dr. Larry Klotz. Saturday, May 22. In the morning we will explore the base of the cliffs along Spring Creek, then eat lunch at Stackhouse Center. In the afternoon, we will go to Big Hollow Prairies, State College. Individual participants should make overnight arrangements in State College or vicinity. Directions from Harrisburg: Go W on Rt. 322; then N on I-99 (= Rt. 220/Rt. 26), toward Bellefonte, to Exit 73; go N on Rt. 150 (Benner Pike) ca. 0.5 ...

The May 2010 newsletter of the Muhlenberg Botanic Society is on line now . Note: that the field trips times have been added or corrected from the snail mailed version!

Saturday, April 17: Reed Run , Lancaster, County, PA, 10:00 a.m. Reed Run, in Martic Township, is a 148.7-acre nature preserve comprised of former cropland, early successional forested areas and mature forested areas. The majority of the preserve is forested, with three fields totaling about 40 acres that were in agricultural production at the time of the Conservancy's acquisition. There are two creeks that flow through the property: Reed Run parallels the inside of southern border of the preserve and Brubaker Run originates at the edge of the central field. Both creeks flow directly into the Susquehanna. Much of the forest that lies outside of the creek ravines is overrun with invasive plants, primarily ailanthus. The topography of the preserve includes 375' change in elevation from lowest to highest points (315' to 690' above sea level). Directions: From Lancaster City, take PA Rt. 324 South (New Danville Pk.). It turns left at New Danville and joins Rt. 741 for ...

The Muhlenberg Bulletin for September 2009 has been published. The PDF file is here. Note: The Next Meeting is Thursday September 17 at 7:30pm. and the field trip to the Pocono till Barrens has been changed to Sunday September 20. September 17 Meeting : Members' Night and Plant Exchange Bring pictures, slides, or a digital show to share; we will have a laptop and digital projector set, as well as the traditional projector. The highlight will be the plants members bring—ones for which they need to find new homes (don't hesitate to take plants even if you don't bring any!). September 20 Field Trip, Sunday Pocono Till Barrens Joint field trip with the Philadelphia Botanical Club and Muhlenberg Botanical Society. The Pocono till barrens, together with adjoining wetlands, forests and ridgetop barrens, hosts 125 species on the state’s endangered, threatened and rare list, 12 of which are imperiled globally. More than 8 square miles of native heathlands scattered along 30 miles...

Update: The September Pocono Till Barrens trip date is being changed. See Below. Muhlenberg Meadow , July 11 Saturday 12:00 noon Started in 1991, this restoration project spearheaded by Tim Draude and the Muhlenberg Botanical Society has expanded to five acres. Come and view the wide array of field flowers and what techniques worked and didn’t work in turning a cornfield into a dazzling native ecosystem. From Lancaster, go south on Rte. 222/272 for about 0.5 miles past the point where the north and south lanes rejoin. Turn left onto Golf Rd. and go about 0.6 miles to the intersection with Exhibit Farm Rd The parking area is a few hundred feet past Exhibit Farm Rd. The sign for the meadow is up against the tree line and not easily visible from the road. Park on the grass in front of the sign. Leader: Joan King Fulshaw Craeg Preserve , Montgomery County, Sunday, July 26, meet at the North Museum at 7:30 AM Joint field trip, Philadelphia Botanical Club and Muhlenberg Botanical Society. A...

The following is the Field trip schedule through June 2009 ( Including a trip I am Co-Leading for the Mengel Natural History Club at State Game Lands 52 north of Churchtown, Lancaster Co. ) List of trips. See below for more deatail and directions. Saturday, April 18: Trout Run Nature Preserve 10:00 AM Sunday, April 19, 2009 1:00 PM FIELD TRIP the Mengel Natural History Club State Game Lands #52 Saturday, May 9 : Walnut Run 10:00 AM Saturday, June 13: Goat Hill 10:00 AM Details of the 2009 SPRING FIELD TRIPS: For those whose obligations do not allow them to participate for the entire day in the case of all-day field trips, you are welcome to join us for just the morning half (or the afternoon half, if that can be arranged). For all-day trips, bring a bag lunch. Saturday, April 18: Trout Run Nature Preserve 10:00 AM Located in Martic Township, Trout Run is a 123-acre nature preserve comprised of mature forested areas and the Trout Run stream corridor. From Lancaster City, take ...

The September 2008 Edition of the Newsletter is now Available. PDF Version is here