Catch Wildflower Weekend This Weekend

If you've never seen Eastern Kentucky in the spring, you're missing one of Kentucky's great natural treasures. And this weekend is the perfect time to experience it, whether it's your first time or your 101st time, because it's Wildflower Weekend at Natural Bridge State Resort Park.

The Kentucky Native Plant Society’s Wildflower Weekend, April 23-25, 2010, is a chance for botanists, gardeners and nature lovers to enjoy the hundreds of species of native plants at Natural Bridge State Resort Park.

Field trips and walks will be offered Friday at 8:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.; on Saturday at 8:30 a.m., 9 a.m., 1:30 p.m., and 2 p.m.; and at 9 a.m. on Sunday. All field trips leave from the lobby of Hemlock Lodge.

Special guest speakers will offer their expertise on wildflowers and related topics on Friday and Saturday evening at 7:30 p.m. in the Activities Center. The featured Friday night speaker is Dr. Ross Clark, retired professor of biological sciences at Eastern Kentucky University. Dr. Clark’s presentation is titled “Kentucky’s Woody Plants.” Jerry and Carol Baskin, professors of biology at the University of Kentucky, will be the featured speakers Saturday night. Their presentation is titled “Cedar glades and xeric limestone prairies of the eastern United States.”

Onsite registration fee is $10 per adult, $3 (ages 13-17) and free for ages 12 and under. Registration is open 30 minutes before all fieldtrips and presentations. A detailed agenda will be available upon registration. For more information about Wildflower Weekend, contact Brian Gasdorf at brian.gasdorf@ky.gov or call 1-800-325-1710. For more information about the Kentucky Native Plant Society visit www.knps.org.

Natural Bridge State Resort Park is home to one of the larger natural arches in the state and is surrounded by the Daniel Boone National Forest. Natural Bridge offers lodging, a restaurant, cottages and campground accommodations. Hiking trails and other recreational opportunities are available. For more information call 1-800-325-1710 or visit www.parks.ky.gov/findparks/resortparks/nb.

Natural Bridge State Resort Park is 52 miles southeast of Lexington and two miles off the Mountain Parkway at Slade, exit 33.

Yeah, yeah, the weather idiots are predicting rain all weekend. A: You believe them? B: A little rain won't kill you.