West Virginia Native Plant Society looks for rare plants in Mercer County

MERCER COUNTY, W. Va. (WVVA) -If you are looking for something fun to do this summer, you might want to start by looking at the natural beauty to be found in your own backyard. That’s what brought one state-wide botany group to our neck of the woods this weekend.

The West Virginia Native Plant Society (WVNPS) is a group of people who travel to different places looking for rare plants found in the Mountain State. Their journey brought them to Mercer County, first to the Brush Creek Preserve on Saturday and then to Pinnacle Rock State Park on Sunday. There, they looked for rare plants like the Carolina lily and the highbush blueberry patch.

Kevin Campbell, a trustee for WVNPS and one of the organizers for this expedition, says the natural uniqueness of this part of West Virginia makes it the perfect spot for plant-based tourism.

“You start getting different geologic formations. You are on the edge of the ridge and valley region here of the state, so you have a lot more varied habitats to look at, and that means a lot more plants to look at,” says Campbell.

Campbell says this was the Society’s first visit to the area since their last visit a decade ago.

If you would like more information about the West Virginia Native Plant Society, how to join the group, or the plants to be found in the state, Campbell encourages you to check out the WVNPS Facebook group.

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