Last Saturday at the Selma Erwin Nature Preservation, the Fringed Champion Chapter of The Georgia Native Plant Society hosted a nature walk. The walk was open to anyone interested in learning more about the local plant life or just looking to get outside with members of the community. The chapter hosts a walk once a month with the goal of networking and raising awareness for their work.
Saturday’s nature walk was focused on the area’s spring flora. Specifically, the chapter was looking for Dimpled Trout Lilies, a delicate flower that is only around for a couple weeks in early spring.
Andrew Benesh, president of the chapter, talked about the walk and the work they do in the community.
“We host educational workshops. We also do educational gardens and habitat restorations,” he said. “If you go to Emerson Park in Macon, you’ll see there’s a whole native plant garden we’ve built in there. We’re doing a wildflower meadow restoration. Here in Milledgeville, we have a couple of planters in the downtown area that we use for education as well.”
The chapter is active in the Middle Georgia region and is always looking for more members. Sites like Selma Erwin are crucial to their work.
Chapter Treasurer Donna Bennet discussed more about the history of the Selma Erwin Nature Preservation.
“Selma Erwin was an educator who was born in 1907 and died in 1997,” she said. “She was an avid outdoor person, into native plants, enjoyed trails and everything outdoors. So, this plot of land is pretty pristine.
“If you go to the Oconee Greenway, it’s all privets and all kinds of invasive species. So when you walk along the stream here, they’re just filled with trout lilies which are blooming right now, and that’s the draw for today.”
Benesh also talked about concerns with local preservations and new developments in the area, as Selma Erwin is just down the road from Central State Hospital, which is weighing the possibility of new renovations and developments.
“There’s always concern about how relatively well-preserved areas are affected by development near them,” she said. “With Selma Irwin as a preserve, it’s already very much affected by the development nearby. Even across the street, we have buildings that were once part of the Central State infrastructure.
“If you look along this trail, the outer edge of this is all privet. It’s all invasive stuff that has taken over the buffer zone. We know continued development will likely continue to support some of those things.”
The Fringed Champion Chapter plans to host a mushroom propagation workshop at their Boy Scout Road Nursery located in Byron.