By Patricia R. Drackett, Director of the Crosby Arboretum and Assistant Extension Professor of Landscape Architecture

Would you like to learn more about Mississippi’s native plants? You will have a great chance this weekend! Spend Saturday, October 1, exploring the plants in the Crosby Arboretum exhibits with two outstanding field botanists, Heather Sullivan, Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries & Parks, and Troy University biology professor Dr. Wayne Morris.

Heather and Wayne will lead an informative hour-long program on Saturday morning and two exciting field walks that explore our native plant species. In addition to learning how to identify these plants, participants will also learn about their traditional uses and cultural context.

The perennials in our Savanna exhibit are now dressed in much more subdued colors. The bright purple blooms spikes of the blazing star (Liatris spicata), which recently drew large numbers of butterflies, have faded and are now developing seeds.

A few stray pink meadow beauties (Rhexia) are still intertwined with the grasses. The grasses are quietly gathering energy to spring forth over this next month or so. Clusters of yellow pitcher plants (Sarracenia alata) sport random new bright yellow trumpets, an interesting habit of these plants. It is a beautiful contrast, the pale yellow leaves against the older rust-colored trumpets and old flower stems that have retained their sepals formed in the spring.

Although the water cowbane (Oxypolis filiformis) are also forming seeds and no longer bright green, one can still find eastern black swallowtail caterpillars resting on its stems and flower umbels. These caterpillars don’t appear to be as lively as the ones seen a few weeks ago. If they were lightly stroked then, they’d quickly rear up and a tiny forked osmeterium would erupt suddenly from its head.

This defensive organ is designed to threaten predators. Take a look on an Internet search engine or find a video to see this take place. It is as surprising to us as a predatory insect!

On field walks, participants would remark on the strong smell when the caterpillar’s osmeterium was extended. The scent would waft among our group, and those who caught it were impressed. One person commented that the odor was citrus-like.

I was delighted to find seed last week from a fewflower milkweed pod, and gathered these from the surrounding perennials and grasses. The rough leaves of a swamp sunflower (Helianthus angustifolius) had held the feathery puffs secure for me, making for easy collection.

How delightful it will be to roam the forest and field with two seasoned botanists again! They are walking encyclopedias of knowledge. Come and experience the childlike joy that comes in following the teacher to discover new and exciting details about the natural world.

Enjoy one or all three of the botany programs this Saturday, October 1. The day begins with “The Botanist’s Toolkit” from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m., information to quickly increase one’s botanical knowledge base. A field walk of the Arboretum exhibits follows this program from 10:30 a.m. to Noon. Another field walk from 1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. will explore the Arboretum’s nearby Hillside Bog Natural Area, with an extensive pitcher plant bog and many perennials. All programs are $5 each for non-members. Call the Arboretum at 601-799-2311 to sign up.

The Arboretum’s Fall Native Plant Sale is Friday and Saturday, October 14 and 15. We will offer traditional native trees and shrubs such as bigleaf magnolia, Grancy greybeard, honeysuckle azalea, longleaf pine, oakleaf hydrangea, southern crabapple, pawpaw, and mayhaw, as well as blooming perennials for the pollinator and butterfly garden.

If you are searching for any native species in particular, call us during the first week of October and we will try to obtain them.

At the sale, you will find knowledgeable individuals such as the Pearl River County Master Gardeners and Arboretum staff, to discuss your planting site and guide you in choosing the plants best suited to your property’s conditions. More details on the Fall Sale, and our upcoming programs appear on our website program calendar at www.crosbyarboretum.msstate.edu<http://www.crosbyarboretum.msstate.edu>.

More information on native plants, may be found by searching by these keywords on the MSU Extension website athttp://extension.msstate.edu/.

The Crosby Arboretum is located at I-59 Exit 4 and open Wednesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.