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K-State Today

September 16, 2015

Kansas Native Plant Society's annual Wildflower Weekend Sept. 25-27

Submitted by Mike Haddock

The Kansas Native Plant Society will host its 37th annual Wildflower Weekend Sept. 25-27 in Manhattan, with the annual meeting at Kansas State University.

Native plant lovers — both members and guests — are invited to join the society for a variety of outings and events in the Manhattan area focusing on the spectacular fall wildflowers in the northern Flint Hills. The theme for this year's meeting is "Flint Hills Landscapes."

On the morning of Friday, Sept. 25, those attending will have an opportunity to visit the Flint Hills Discovery Center. In the variety of displays, visitors will find excellent previews of the plants and grasses of the Flint Hills. Friday afternoon events will be at Konza Prairie and include a wildflower walk on the Butterfly Hill trail with other plant enthusiasts and knowledgeable experts.

The Kansas Native Plant Society annual meeting, Saturday morning, Sept. 26, at the K-State Student Union, will include awards, a silent auction and a photo contest. Two special presentations are planned. Kathy Roccaforte, doctoral candidate at the University of Kansas, and Shelly Wiggam, doctoral candidate at Kansas State University, will discuss their prairie pollinator research projects. In the afternoon, there will be two field trips: Tuttle Creek site that includes both prairie and woodland plants, and the Bob Haines pasture with a great variety of plants.

Field trips on Sunday morning, Sept. 27, include two more visits in the Konza Prairie region: Valerie Wright's prairie restoration and the Konza Prairie Shane Creek area.

A detailed itinerary, field trip locations, photo contest instructions, reservation form and list of local motels appear on the Kansas Native Plant Society website. The registration fee is $10 for society members and $20 for nonmembers. Attendees may participate in some or all of the activities during the three-day event.

The Kansas Native Plant Society, organized in 1978 and with more than 850 members, encourages awareness and appreciation of the native plants of Kansas by promoting education, stewardship, and scientific knowledge. Learn more at www.ksnps.org.

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