MEMBERSHIP DONATE
Webinar Recordings page and on the MNPS YouTube channel
Program Resources and Handouts
Chris will talk about the oak savanna he has been working to restore on his 10-acre plot in Hanover County Virginia. His efforts began in 1991. He will talk about his use of fire and mechanical clearing, his refusal to plant anything, his battles with invasive plants, and his patience in waiting for the native understory flora to develop. “Build it and they will come” – so true but it can take a while.
Speaker: Chris Ludwig
Chris Ludwig has explored the flora of Virginia for over 32 years. During his explorations, he has documented over 1,000 rare plant populations and has discovered or co-discovered 20 new plant species previously undocumented from the Commonwealth, two of which are new to science. Much of this work took place when Chris worked for the Virginia Natural Heritage Program within the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. There he served as Staff Botanist from 1988 to 1996 and Chief Biologist from 1997 until his retirement in 2019. In 2000, Chris joined Marion Lobstein and Joslin Gallatin to form the Foundation of the Flora of Virginia Project and he worked over the next 12 years to produce the Flora of Virginia, a 1554-page illustrated manual that describes Virginia’s vascular plants with details on their taxonomy, morphology, ecology, biological status, and identification. Chris coauthored this work with Alan Weakley and Johnny Townsend. The volume was made available in the Flora of Virginia app that is available on Android and iOS devices. The Flora app also enhances the original work with a graphic key that enables identification by less experienced naturalists.
Logging into mdflora.org does not log you into the meeting. YOU MUST REGISTER IN ORDER TO RECEIVE THE ZOOM LINK
We can accommodate the first 300 people who enter the Zoom meeting at the meeting time. After you register, you will receive a registration confirmation email with a link to the Zoom meeting. Registering does not guarantee a space in the Zoom meeting.
Zoom opens at 7:00PM for pre-program board update and member Q&A. Presentations begin at 7:30PM and generally run until 8:45PM.
The program is free and open to the public.
This will be recorded and available on our Webinars page.
If you enjoy MNPS programs please consider clicking here to make a donation. And don't forget to renew your membership!
Note that if you donate through the event registration, and subsequently cancel, the donation will temporarily appear as a credit. It will take time for the donation to be reinstituted to your account. Donations and membership dues are non-refundable.
Speaker: Rod Simmons
YOU MUST REGISTER IN ORDER TO RECEIVE THE ZOOM LINK
A diversity of now-threatened Apiaceae occurs in Maryland, with many restricted to particular physiographic regions and habitats. Rod Simmons, plant ecologist and MNPS Board member, will give a presentation on a variety of uncommon to rare Apiaceae in Maryland and vicinity, especially regarding their associated natural communities and habitats. Identification will also be discussed.
Rod is a plant ecologist and conservation biologist, with a background in biology, botany, and geology who has extensively surveyed the flora and natural communities of the mid-Atlantic region, especially the inner Coastal Plain, Fall Zone, and Piedmont of the greater Washington, D.C. area. He is a Research Associate with the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution; a member of the Virginia Botanical Associates; former contract botanist for NatureServe, National Park Service, and others; and works closely with the Virginia and Maryland natural heritage programs. He is the author of numerous technical reports, papers, and articles, and has published in scientific journals. He is a member and a past president of the Botanical Society of Washington and serves on the boards of the Virginia and Maryland native plant societies. He is a frequent lecturer and field trip leader for various organizations. He recently retired as Natural Resource Manager and Plant Ecologist for the City of Alexandria, Virginia.
Speaker: Diane Beedle
Diane will discuss the work and approaches Community Native Planting Project (CNPP) has taken with public and private landowners to help them become environmental stewards with their approaches to landscape practices and greenspace management.
Diane Beedle is the president and co-founder of Community Native Planting Project (CNPP), a nonprofit based in Prince George’s County that is committed to spreading awareness about the critical role of native plants and the problems with invasives. Diane is a Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional (Level One), master naturalist, and Prince George’s County Audubon Society Wildlife Habitat Advisor. She is a former board member of Maryland Native Plant Society. She has an extensive background in policy and advocacy work.
The variation of Maryland’s landscapes supports a diverse suite of ecosystems from the Chesapeake Bay to the Allegheny Mountains. Many of these ecosystems are maintained by unique topography, geology, and hydrology regimes and support rare or regionally threatened plant species. In this talk we will explore some of the biodiverse and ecologically important habitats that can be found throughout Mountain Maryland, including the calcareous cliffs and coves of Washington Co., the mid-Appalachian shale barrens of Allegany Co., and the high-elevation frost-pocket swamps of Garret Co. We will discuss their natural and biogeographical histories, their significance at the local, state, and regional levels, their roles as habitat refugia, and current threats to these plants and habitats in light of anthropogenic impacts and climate change.
Speaker: Clara Thiel
Clara Thiel is a lecturer of biology and forest ecology, and the coordinator of biology internships at Frostburg State University. In addition, Thiel curates the Frostburg State University Herbarium (FSHU). She is from Clarke County, Virginia and earned her bachelor’s degree from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA. Thiel earned her master’s degree in Applied Ecology and Conservation Biology from Frostburg State University, and currently teaches courses in plant systematics, economics, and field identification. Her current research focuses on insular ecosystems and edaphic plant communities throughout the mid-Atlantic region.
