SPRING WILDFLOWERS

WILDFLOWER WEEKEND 2009

2009 Owen County

Wildflower Weekend

Sponsored by:

-McCormick’s Creek State Park

Canyon Inn

-Friends of McCormick’s Creek, Inc.

-Owen County Soil and Water Cons. District

-Monroe County Parks and Recreation

-IDNR Division of Forestry

--IN Native Plant and Wildflower Society

-ECO Logic

Program Schedule

Friday, April 17
(1) Wildflower Weekend Kickoff:
Maryrose and Fred Wampler present:
“The Making of Trees of Indiana”
7:00-8:00 p.m.
Meet: Sycamore Room, Canyon Inn
Hosted by the Friends of McCormick’s
Creek State Park.
Maryrose, the premier wildflower artist
of Indiana, will share stories and slides
of visiting McCormick’s Creek State
Park to gather information and pictures
as the basis for Trees of Indiana. It is a
pleasure to have Maryrose and Fred
back again for our 2nd annual OCWW!
Saturday, April 18
(2) Wildflowers of McCormick’s
Creek State Park
8:30 a.m.
Meet: Nature Center
-Option 1: Join Interpretive Naturalist
Marquita Manley for a 1-hour easy walk
to identify common spring ephemerals!
-Option 2: Join Interpretive Naturalist
Amanda Simmons for a 2½-hour
moderate to rugged hike to explore the
wildflowers along the canyon and creek
habitats!
(3) Botany Blitz: Advanced
Wildflower Identification
9:00-11:00 a.m.
Meet: Greens Bluff Nature Preserve
Carpool from Nature Center at 8:30 a.m.
Location: Take Hwy 43 South 5 miles and turn
right onto Sherfield Road. After 1 mile, take a
left at a “T” intersection. Take the left fork in the
road and follow another 1/4 mile to the parking
area at the cemetery.
Did you say, “Polypodium
polypodioides”? A hike for those who
love to use scientific names and focus
on details of individual wildflowers.
(4) Preserving Indiana’s Unique
Landscape in your own backyard!
10:00-11:00 a.m.
Meet: Nature Center Auditorium
Tammy Behrman from Eco Logic will
speak about the rewards of using native
plants in your outdoor landscaping.
(5) Popular Photography: A photo
presentation of local flora by Marc
Evans
12 noon- 12:30 p.m.
Nature Center Auditorium
Enjoy your lunch and review the
mornings’ wildflower wanderings
through beautiful close-up images.

Box Lunch
Meat Lover’s or Vegetarian
$6.50
Available at the Nature Center from 11:30
a.m.- 12:30 p.m.
Catered by the Canyon Inn.
*purchase tickets by 9 a.m. at Nature Center

(6) Cataract Falls Site Tour
1:00-3:00 p.m.
Meet: Cataract Falls
Carpool from Nature Center at 12:30 p.m.
Location: Take Hwy 231 north for 12 miles. Turn
left onto 1050 N. Within less than a mile you will
cross the bridge over Mill Creek. The park will
be on the right.
Visit the largest waterfall by volume in
the state of Indiana! Look for species
that thrive in this wet habitat.
(7) The Bells are Ringing:
Hike to see Virginia Bluebells!
1:30-3:00 p.m.
Meet: McCormick’s Creek State Park,
Canyon Inn front steps
Take a hike to the historic Statehouse
Quarry where Virginia Bluebells are
common. One visitor said, “It looks like
a sea of blue!”
(8) Indiana Demonstration Forest
Tour
4:00-5:30 p.m.
Meet: Owen County Soil and Water
Conservation District Farm
Location: Take 67 South and turn right on
Hancock School Road. (About a 15 minute
drive from State Park)
Did you enjoy the presentation last night
on Trees of Indiana? Gain helpful tree
identification tools and take a walking
tour through Owen County’s own
demonstration forest with District
Forester Ralph Unversaw.

Dinner Buffet
Available at Canyon Inn
5:30-7:30 p.m.
Meet and eat with other
wildflower enthusiasts!

(9) Keynote Speaker: Indiana
Wildflowers: An Obsession
by Kay Yatskievych
7:30-8:30 p.m.
Meet: Sycamore Room, Canyon Inn
Kay will share her interests in
wildflowers and latest and upcoming
projects. Copies of her book Field Guide
to Indiana Wildflowers will be available
for signing.

Sunday, April 19
(10) Birds and Blooms
8:00-10:00 a.m.
Meet: Flatwoods Park
Location: On Hwy 46 between Ellettsville and
Spencer, turn south on Flatwoods Road. (about
a 10 minute drive from state park.)
Join Sandy Belth, naturalist for the
Monroe County Parks and Recreation
Dept. for a leisurely park stroll to look for
migrating songbirds and occasionally
look down for the spring flower!
(11) WOW Hike (Wonderful Owen
Wildflowers!!!)
9:30-11:00 a.m.
Meet: McCormick’s Creek State Park,
Wolf Cave Parking Lot
If you haven’t already been stunned by
the amazing diversity and unique
species of wildflowers in Owen County,

(12) Important Pollinators: The Facts
on Bees
11:30-12:30 a.m.
Nature Center Auditorium
Join local beekeeper Jess Gwinn for an
interesting outlook on bees as a flower
pollinator and important link between
flowers and the food on our tables.
(13) Floral Fixins’: Nature’s Medicine
Cabinet
2:00-3:00 p.m.
Meet: Nature Center
Join a naturalist for a short walk to
identify ten plants that can cure your
ailments. Stay after to enjoy teas made
by several of these local favorites and
talk about ways to use the forest as our
first source of medicine.

Things to Remember:

All programs are free; however
there is a gate fee to enter
McCormick’s Creek State Park.

Hikes will continue regardless
of weather conditions.

Bring drinking water.

Please remember these simple
Leave No Trace Ethics: stay on
established trails and leave plants,
animals and natural objects as you find
them.