Wildflower Hike at Latta Nature Preserve
**This event is only for NCNPS members. If you’d like […]
Charlotte and surrounding counties
Photo: Larry Mellichamp with Southern Piedmont Chapter at NC Gamelands, May 2016 pointing out pitcher plants.
Monthly Meetings
Meetings held 2nd Sunday of each month
2:00 PM except for June and July
Learn about upcoming meetings and hikes: subscribe to the Southern Piedmont Chapter Newsletter by using the link below to contact us.
Contact Us
Get to Know us
Read more about the Southern Piedmont Chapter in past issues of our newsletter here.
Calendar Items!
October 2024
Meet the Asters w/ Paula Gross
**This meeting will be available on Zoom. Register here today!** […]
No event found!
Chapter Activities
We need you! The Southern Piedmont Chapter has many active members, and we hope you will get involved and participate.
Post photos of your local wildflower finds and tag with #NCNPS and #SouthernPiedmontChapter so we can all enjoy a virtual spring this year!
Videos of Past Presentations
Visit the NCNPS YouTube channel!
We’ve been recording our zoom meetings and turning the recordings into videos! If you missed a meeting or want to watch again, head over to the our YouTube Channel and select the Southern Piedmont Chapter playlist. Check out the other playlists and videos as well.
While you are there, please subscribe so as not to miss any new videos.
Help us spread native plant love!
Ways for chapter members to get involved:
We need you! The Southern Piedmont Chapter has many active members, and we hope you will get involved and participate.
- Speak to school, scout, HOA, faith, garden clubs and any other groups interested in learning about native plants. We can provide materials and powerpoint presentations.
- Volunteer to propagate seeds for distribution at area events.
- Volunteer to staff Earth Day, Hummingbird Festival, and other community events at an NCNPS booth. Materials will be provided.
- Volunteer to tend local native plant gardens. Often parks, school grounds and neighborhoods want to commit to growing more natives, but they need our helping hands to keep the project on track.
If you have any ideas for volunteer opportunities in the community or just want to share suggestions about our current events, please Contact us.
Past Programs
Butterflies of the Carolinas, September 2020
Will Stuart spends countless hours in the field photographing butterflies and other insects foraging and feeding on our native plants. His presentation included the art of butterfly observation. As he does with wildflower observation, Will will teach us the basics of butterfly anatomy, how to navigate a field guide and how to differentiate Monarchs from Viceroys, Painted Ladies from American Ladies, Clouded from Cloudless Sulfurs and one Fritillary from another.
Watch a recording of the meeting here.
Trails Less Traveled in the Charlotte Region, July 2020
The Southern Piedmont Chapter’s first virtual meeting was a big success. Sean Bloom and Vanessa Covington with Catawba Lands Conservancy and Carolina Thread Trail offered some local opportunities for hiking beyond the ever popular green ways. These recommended trails are within 1 to 1.5 hours drive of Charlotte and offer a variety of terrain, challenge and plant life. Sean organized the trails into Family Friendly, Way out of the Way and Work for It. Thanks to Sean and Vanessa for their great information.
Did you miss the meeting?
See Sean’s presentation at this link
Watch a recording of the meeting here
Extra Stuff
Great gardens in the Piedmont!! Great books to read, and great groups for more information!
UNCC Botanical Gardens including
- the Mellichamp Native Plant Terrace
- the Van Landingham Glen woodland garden
—Reedy Creek Nature Center and Nature Preserve
—The Mecklenburg County Herbarium located at the James F. Matthews Center for Biodiversity Studies housed at Reedy Creek Nature Preserve
—Certificate for Native Plant Studies at UNCC Botanical Gardens
—CROWN-Charlotte chapter of the Wildlife Federation
—HAWK-Habitat and Wildlife Keepers-Matthews area
—Xerces Society–great place for pollinator information!
— Going Native –Urban Landscaping for Wildlife with Native Plants–Super site operated by NCSU
Books
The Southeast Native Plant Primer by Larry Mellichamp and Paula Gross with photographs by Will Stuart, available at Timber Press
Native Plants of the Southeast: A Comprehensive Guide to the Best 460 Species for the Garden by Larry Mellichamp with photographs by Will Stuart, available at Timber Press
Picture Albums
Latta Prairie (October 09, 2016)
The Medicine Wheel Garden (February 08, 2015)
The Herbarium at Reedy Creek Nature Center (January 11, 2015)
Mellichamp Native Terrace (October 12, 2014)
Pink Lady’s-slippers with the Davidson Lands Conservancy (May 04, 2014)
