Events
Beth Burkhart, GPNPS Field Trip Coordinator, lists these field trips for Society members and guests.
To receive notification of further details (departure time & place, etc.) you must sign up by contacting us at 605-673-9343 or GPNPS Fieldtrips, PO Box 461, Hot Springs, SD 57747. Only those on the list will receive the detail mailing, so sign up if there is any slight chance you will be interested in attending.
- 2009
- May 16 • Bloodroot in the Black Hils - registration required
- View Sanguinaria canadensis (Bloodroot) in the Black Hills.
Trip leader: Beth Burkhart.
Minimum group size (or event will be cancelled): 5
Meet at noon in Deadwood in the grocery store parking lot at 124 Sherman Street (near the Courthouse).
We'll drive to the site together from there and spend 3-4 hrs exploring a large occurrence of Bloodroot. We will identify the native species associated with bloodroot in the Quercus macrocarpa (Bur Oak) & Ostrya virginiana (Ironwood) Forest.
Be prepared for any weather - from sunhat to windbreaker to raincoat! Bring water and sunscreen, but please leave dogs at home. If you have questions, contact Beth Burkhart at (605) 673-3159 (home) or (605)673-9343 (work).
This Bloodroot occurs in moist forests from Nova Scotia south to Florida and west to Manitoba and Kansas. In the Black Hills, it is at the westernmost edge of its range and disjunct from the main portion of its range. It occupies floodplains, forested terraces, drainage bottoms, and north-facing slopes in open, rich hardwood plant communities. The currently known range in the Black Hills is limited to the northeast portion of the Black Hills between 3,940 to 5,000 ft.
Sanguniaria canadensis (Bloodroot) blooms in late March through May, with the flowers appearing before the leaves are fully grown. Flowering also occurs before the tree and shrub overstory are leafed out. The species is speculated to be declining globally. It is probably stable in parts of its range, though it is likely declining locally through much of its range due to the combination of habitat conversion and collection from wild populations (in the eastern U.S.).
Sanguinaria canadensis is widely cultivated as a medicinal herb both within and outside of its normal range. Native American peoples of eastern North America used bloodroot to treat a variety of ailments, but the species was consistently used as a cough medicine and to treat dermatological and gastrointestinal problems. Its colored latex also served as an orange-red dye. No traditional uses of bloodroot are known for the Lakota peoples of the Black Hills region.
- RSVP by May 10
- Trip leader: Beth Burkhart
- 605/673-3159 (h)