Check out Ken and Susan's website for detailed results of the 2017 blooming study
NPS Photo
In 2017 Dr. Ken and Susan Bower (Naturalists) under the direction of Dr. Kristen L. Whitbeck (Park Ecologist), began a project to determine which plants were growing along the Ancestral Sites Trail and record their blooming cycles.
Plants were noted each week throughout the blooming season from mid-March until the end of October. A detailed record of each plant was maintained denoting the common and scientific name of each plant; whether or not it is native to the U.S.; photos of the plant, flowers and fruit or seeds (if applicable); the location of the plant; its distribution; a description of the plant; any ethnobotanical uses; and a table of internet resources for finding more information each the plant.
A total of 105 different plants were identified when they flowered. Four more plants were identified, but did not or were not allowed to bloom for a total of 109.
Ken and Susan now maintain a detailed website complete with maps, images, and ethnobotanical uses of all the plants they documened during their study at the park.
