SE Coastal Chapter

Photo: Hooded Pitcher Plant

Our Events

The SE Coastal Chapter meets for field trips and other events. The southeastern region of North Carolina is rich in unusual plants, such as Venus flytraps, pitcher plants, and orchids. Popular destinations include the Green Swamp and the Ghost Savannah. We usually meet monthly on a Sunday afternoon except for July, but times vary. Please check the calendar below for details. Find recordings of our online meetings on YouTube.

Walks and other Chapter Activities

Venus Flytrap Rescue, Boiling Springs NC, November 26, 2023

Venus Flytrap rescue in Boiling Springs Lake, NC, November 26, 2023

Two of the principal organizers, Tylor Gramley and Julie Moore.

<– Roger Shew and Friend (Charley Winterbauer)

Estimated to have moved about 500 plants to the new location.

<– Chris Dean & Julie Moore

Thanks to the SE Coastal members that helped out, Chris Dean, Duane Truscott, Kathy Curtis, Virginia Holman (pictures courtesy of Virginia), and special guest, Roger Shew–submitted by Charley Winterbauer

The Fire in the Pines October 28, 2023 at Halyburton Park

The usual Chapter setup

Monster Flytrap on Flytrap

Many families attended

Interesting characters

The SE Coastal chapter had a walk on October 23, 2023 at E-V Henwood. It was walk co-led by Duane Truscott (Plants) and Andy Methven (Fungus).

20 folks participated -Andy describes a fungus -Duane points out a Native

Chris Dean next to “Gus” a 1,000 year old Bald Cypress which is located at E-V Henwood. Gus is 20 feet around.

September 16, 2023 Native Plant Festival held at the New Hanover Arboretum

The Native Plant Table

Ever popular, the Flytrap

Chapter participation in Flytrap rescue in Boiling Springs Lake. August 28, 2023

Retired endangered species biologist Julie Moore talks with Charley Winterbauer, co-chair of the Southeast Chapter of the N.C. Native Plant Society as volunteers replant Venus flytraps on land owned and managed by the city of Boiling Spring Lakes. Photo: Trista Talton To see the entire article go to the following link.

https://coastalreview.org/2023/08/volunteers-help-remove-venus-flytraps-from-harms-way/

1st Pix One of the Flytraps plugs 2nd Pix A few trays of Flytraps 3rd Pix Replant area near pond

June 17, 2023 Moores Creek National Battlefield Plant Walk

The walk was led by Dr. John Taggart shown in 3rd picture talking to the SE Coastal Chapter Co-chair, Charley Winterbauer.

The Participants were:

John Taggart, leader (UNCW prof + Coastal Reserve etc.),Charley Winterbauer, (co-chair), Jeff Pierce, from Pollocksville, retired doctor, Lara Berkeley, Chris Dean, mycologist, Wild Meadow Farm, Diane Butzin, Lee Butzin, Karen Sorenson, Robert Roush

A list of plants seen as noted by Bob Roush, Note, not all Identified exactly as the walk was busy.

Yellow sneezeweed
Fleabane
Coastal dawn flower
Fleabane (“junky”)
Hoary pea? aka go through, red flower. Tephrosia spicata ? Tiny red flower
Eupatorium
Sundown?
Fowl mannagrass
Red root
Narrowleaf cattail “may not be native”
Plumegrass (plume grass?)
Stinking fleabane
Royal fern
Bluestem
Crotalaria (rattlebox)
Mockernut hickory
Frogfruit
Button bush
Lizards tail
Buttonbush (buttonweed?) (like sparkleberry?)
Switch cane (same as Arundinaria gigantea, in book)
Yellow stargrass (Hypoxis)
Bald cypress (Taxodium distichum)
Pond cypress (Taxodium ascendens)
Resurrection fern (Pleopeltispolypodioides)
Ironwood ”two things named that” this one in Betulaceae family; another is Cyrillaceae
Jewelweed. “Shimmers underwater, and beads when water applied to leaf.” AKA touch-me-not. (Balsaminaceae)

Water ash = pop ash (Fraxinus carolinia)
Titi tree. Cyrillaceae. Cyrilla racemiflora is on species. White cylindrical flowers – racemes.
Johnson grass – invasive
Fetterbush
Cypress knobs – still much debate
Swamp dogwood
Peltamara?
Lady’s bedstraw (aka Yellow bedstraw, Gallium verum)
False nettle
Sensitive ferm
Overcup oak (Quercus lyrate), in white oak group. Rarely seen
Bluejack oak (Quercus incana)
Horse sugar (aka sweetleaf) Simplocos tinctoria
Sparkleberry (large on at end of boardwalk)
Lespedeza bliflora or Lespedeza bicolor?) NOT native
Post oak
Alder (like elm
Centella asiatica (good for brain stem?) (aka Asiatic pennywort)
Carex (sedge)
Red oak
Railroad vine (Ipomea?)
(smilax?) with few spines (this is railroad vine too?)
Bracken fern
Devils walking stick (Aralia spinosa) family Araliaceae (Genseng family, includes ivies)
Silver grass (NOT grass)

June 11, 2023, NCNPS Annual Meeting

Ken Bridle, President, Awarding Karen Lineman the William Lanier Hunt Award shown in the right hand photo. Also participating in the award ceremony is Tom Harville, Awards Chairman.

Please visit our Facebook page for the latest field trip photo albums and more!

May 21, 2023 Wild Meadow Farm plant walk

We were hosted by owner of the farm, Chris Dean who is describing the history of the farm.

June 19, 2022 Shelton Herb Farm

SE Coastal Chapter members in the picnic area at Shelton Herb Farm

We visited Shelton Herb Farm, which propagates many native plants. Margaret Shelton talked to our small but interested group about the history of the farm, which has been in her family for over 200 years.

May 21, 2022 Ghost Savannah Walk

Dr. John Taggart led our Ghost Savannah walk about 45 minutes north of Wilmington North Carolina. This wet pine savannah has been described as one of the Southeast’s most rare and unique natural gardens. It was an overcast day which made the walk pleasant. Since we have not had any rain, it was quite dry. Pitcher plants were not blooming because of lack of rain.

Other Activity

Other Plant Walks

Hutaff Island with Dr. Paul Hosier
(October 2021)

UNCW Bluethenthal Wildlflower Preserve with Dr. Darrin Penneys (June 2021)

Carolina State Park with Dr. John Taggart (February 2019)

EV-Henwood Nature Preserve with Dr. Larry Mellichamp (October 2017)

Picture Albums

For information on local habitats and the plant species associated with them, please see the photo albums below. For instance, information on beach plants can be found in the Bald Head Island and Fort Fisher albums; pine savanna plants can be found in the Green Swamp and Shaken Creek albums.