Save the date!
June 20-22, 2025
Hosted by the Souther Chapter
The biggest impacts happen when we come together
The Annual Gathering is a weekend social event held in June each year where our grantees are announced and awards delivered, delicious meals are shared, and much fun is had during various unique field trips.
REGISTRATION OPENS APRIL 1ST (no joke!)Details below.
More to come as planning continues!
Registration – $40
Grant Awardees – complimentary
Vendors $25 / Non-profit complimentary
Take a hike or a canoe!
The rolling hills of Southern Illinois will take center stage during the Illinois Native Plant Society’s Statewide Annual Gathering, held June 20–24 at Southern Illinois University’s Touch of Nature Center in Carbondale. The event kicks off Friday evening with a keynote presentation by J. Schwegman, followed by an overview of field trip logistics in preparation for expert-guided excursions—two on Saturday and one on Sunday. Boxed lunches and beverages will be provided between Saturday’s trips, and additional programs are being planned to enrich the weekend experience.
Saturday evening features the Dinner Meeting at Freeberg Hall Cafeteria, where Chris Benda will present “Existence Surveys for Few-flowered Nutrush, Scleria pauciflora Muhl., in Illinois.” Attendees will receive one drink voucher, and a cash bar will be available. The evening will also include presentations from six additional speakers. On Sunday, participants can choose between a landscaping tour of the Touch of Nature campus or a tribute hike at LaRue Pine Hills. The event concludes with lunch and closing remarks.
Meals & Cash Bar
Meals all weeked just $56!
– Vegatarian only option available
– Please let us know if you have allergies
Cash bar available Friday & Saturday night.
– One complimentary drink ticket with each paid registration
Field Trip Options
We have a variety of field trips planned at exciting destinations!
There will be 2 field trip sessions on Saturday, morning & afternoon and one Sunday morning.
Ferne Clyffe State Park
Experience the Greater Shawnee Hills
The trails at the state park showcase the sandstone glades, barrens and dry woods unique to this division. Steep hills and expansive outcrops with rare communities make for an exciting opportunity to see plants that are not commonly encountered.Prescribed fire and tree thinning have been used to maintain these communities. This site falls on IDNR land.
This tour is provided at no extra cost.
Simpson Barrens
Experience the Lesser Shawnee Hills
Simpson Barrens has limestone glade and barrens communities. There are no established trails at the site and participants should expect uneven terrain. Management has taken place since the late 1980s with prescribed fire and thinning. There are many sun-loving asters and faboides ready for ID. This site falls on Shawnee National Forest land.
This tour is provided at no extra cost.
Sand Cave
Experience the transition between Greater and Lesser Shawnee Hills
Both historically and botanically interesting, this site features a sandstone bluff face with a cave carved out of it. This cave was once used during emancipation for the Underground Railroad. Participants should expect a smooth trail with occasional rocks. There is no known recent management at the site. This site falls on Shawnee National Forest Land.
This tour is provided at no extra cost.
Buttonland Swamp (Cache River)
Experience the Coastal Plains on a canoe trip
Home to the champion bald cypress tree, Buttonland Swamp has a boat trail that takes you through the backwaters of the Cache River in the coastal plains division. Participants should expect a leisurely roughly 2.5 mile paddle punctuated by asian carp encounters. Some of the buttonbushes were removed in recent years to encourage cypress and tupelo recruitment. This site falls on IDNR land.
Two sessions available —morning and afternoon on June 21—each with a capacity of 30 participants. Seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis. (Only one session per person.)
This tour is available for an additional $25 per person, provided by Cache Bayou Outfitters.
Mohlenbrock tribute hike at LaRue Pine Hills
Experience the Ozark Hills in southern Illinois
As with many places in the Shawnee National Forest, the beauty we see today is rooted in geologic history. The area derives its name from the nearby tiny settlement of LaRue and the distinct short-leaf native pine stands on its blufftops. These massive bluffs extending roughly 5 miles along Highway 3 are as impressive today as they were to explorers Lewis and Clark in 1803.
This tour is provided at no extra cost.
Landscaping with Natives at Touch of Nature
See landscaping efforts with native plants on the Touch of Nature campus
This tour is provided at no extra cost.