Maryland Native Plant Society

Blockhouse Point Conservation Park is a 650 acre preserve along the Potomac River. We will explore the high quality, contiguous Piedmont forest and a hike out to a bluff above the Potomac. In all we will cover 2 to 4 miles, with some uphill and downhill.

This mature oak-hickory forest along the C&O Canal National Historical Park was recently discovered by MNPS members. It is the only diabase community on the Maryland side of the C&O Canal NHP, and also contains upland depressional swamps.

Many of us are fairly knowledgeable about native plants and their habitats, but we may not know much about the non-native invasive plants—vines, shrubs, forbs, and grasses—that are impacting Piedmont ecosystems. At this workshop we will spend some time inside looking at plant samples and key i.d. points, then take a walk around the Shady Grove campus and see if we can find some of the problem plants in the wild.

This walk will illustrate several aspects of the morning talks on the Potomac Gorge. Great Falls, the head of the Potomac Gorge, contains diverse geology, bedrock terrace plant communities, and several rare species. We will walk a portion of the Billy Goat Trail and some off-trail areas so wear sturdy shoes.

This forested “barrens” is underlain with a mosaic of shallow acidic and circumneutral soils. We will see old age oak/hickory forest composed of mockernut and pignut hickories, post, white and chestnut oaks as well as mature oak/pine forest composed of blackjack, post, shingle, red and black oaks. Yellow and Virginia pines co-dominate with the oaks. The under-story is variable. The acid soils support blueberries, deerberry, juneberry and black huckleberry, while the sweeter soils support white ash, juniper, blackhaw, hawthorns, redbud, fringetree, wild plum, and native wild crab. The herbaceous flora is rich in grasses and represented well by species in the aster and legume families. Over twenty species of rare plants occur in the forest. Many of these grow only in forest openings called glades. A powerline opening bisects the parkland and is composed of beautiful little bluestem and indian grass meadows filled with many wildflowers. Two small streams (Greenbrier and Sandy Branch) originate and flow across the park. A unique upland depression wetland supports several species more common to Maryland’s Coastal Plain including swamp white oak, red chokeberry, maleberry, swamp leucothoe, and bartonia.

Throughout human history plants have provided us with food, shelter, fiber for clothing and vessels, medicines, cosmetics, dyes and colors, decorations and furniture. Comparisons of different cultures will be highlighted by examples of native American uses of wild plants. Myth and fact in symbolism, folklore and medicine bring the plant-people relationship out of the domain of economic and into cultural history and art. This will be an indoor lecture, with a possible short field excursion on the Shady Grove Campus.

Located near White's Ferry on the C&O Canal National Historical Park, this is one of the best examples of Piedmont forest. We’ll hike through ravines and rolling forests and view the Potomac River from siltstone cliffs.

This forested park sits atop the largest outcrop of diabase bedrock in Maryland. Over 2,000 acres of this rare ecosystem were recently acquired and preserved in perpetuity, much of it as public parkland. About 1000 acres are privately held in a conservation easement. Up to 500 acres of parkland are to be added in near future. Scenic Little Seneca Creek, a trout stream, runs through the park. This diabase ecosystem supports the second highest concentration of rare plant species in Montgomery, second only to the Potomac River Gorge. We will observe some of the rarities including: Shumards red oak, prickly-ash, bottle gentian, black ash, pipsissewa, long-awned hairgrass, and dwarf chinquapin oak. A powerline opening abuts the southern portion of the parkland. This swath supports beautiful indian grass and little bluestem meadows. Late blooming composites are blooming among the grasses. Sweet soils prevail throughout the landscape. The fertile rocky land supports a forest rich in botanical diversity. Red cedar, white ash, shingle oak, redbud, and hickories are primary components of the oak dominated forest.

Chain Bridge Flats, at the lower end of the Potomac Gorge, contains an unusual plant community called a riverside prairie. Frequently flooded and scoured, the open rocky shoreline supports prairie vegetation, stunted trees, and many rare species.

A 4-mile walk in southern Rock Creek Park contrasting mafic/ultramafic rocks, soils, and plants with more acidic bedrock and terrace-gravel landscapes. The walk showcases the whole microcosm of DC geology along a major regional fault zone, and includes several geologic sites of historical importance as well as rich forests with a rare stand of native sugar maples. We’ll picnic at the zoo - bring lunch or buy one at the Panda Café. Plan to walk about 5 miles.

Join Melanie Choukas-Bradley, author of Sugarloaf: The Mountain's History, Geology, and Natural Lore and An Illustrated Guide to Eastern Woodland Wildflowers and Trees: 350 Plants Observed at Sugarloaf Mountain, Maryland for a field trip to Sugarloaf Mountain and the surrounding Agricultural Reserve. The trip will include a short steep slow hike to the summit of Sugarloaf, a monadnock and the only real mountain in Maryland’s historic Piedmont. The black birches and tupelos along the way will be showing early autumn color. Table mountain pines, several species of oak, American chestnuts and witch-hazels grow near the trail as well as many shrubby members of the heath family. We will then explore the springs and creeks along the western side of the mountain looking for fall wildflowers such as great blue lobelia, two species of jewelweed, asters, Eupatoriums, goldenrods and silverrod. We will talk about the history and geology of this National Natural Landmark and Montgomery County’s Agricultural Reserve, a national model for farmland preservation. Time permitting we will explore native plant habitat on a farm near the mountain base and we may visit the new vineyard and winery near Sugarloaf after the field trip.