Floracliff Nature Sanctuary

10/02/2026

We still have tickets left for these October programs at Floracliff. Join us for drawing, hiking, birding, and writing in nature.

Tickets available at the link in our profile or at floracliff.org/events

08/25/2026

Fifty years ago, Floracliff founder Dr. Mary Wharton protected land from future development through the first scenic easement in Kentucky.
Today farmers in Fayette County can ensure agricultural lands and the biodiversity they support will be around for future generations by protecting their land through the PDR program. This year’s deadline is a week away.

Purchase of Development Rights, or PDR as it is more commonly known, is Kentucky's first Agricultural Conservation Easement program facilitated by a local government. Through PDR, the Rural Land Management Board purchases farm owners’ development rights (their right to develop the farm commercially), preserving it as farmland forever.

PDR Program – 20 acres and above. Apply by September 1st!

Small Farm Program – 10-19.99 acres and must be active working farm. Apply by November 2nd!

To learn more, visit lexingtonky.gov/pdr. PDR Director, Beth Overman, is happy to answer any questions and may be reached at [email protected].

08/24/2026

Success! Our Stewardship in Action volunteers removed a truckload of invasive chaff flower (Achyranthes japonica) from the Kentucky River floodplain, just in the nick of time. These herbaceous perennial plants are currently flowering, and several were already developing seeds. Thanks to these volunteers, there are fewer seeds on our trails at Floracliff and along the banks of the Kentucky River Palisades.

08/20/2026

Join us during fall migration on Saturday, September 26, for the first Floracliff Field Day! Spend the day exploring nature through outdoor sessions on finding and identifying birds, drawing birds, and discovering the connections between birds, plants, and insects. The event will also include an art exhibit of nature-based art by regional artists at the Trail’s End Lodge.

We’re excited to welcome our friends and partners from the Lexington Bird Cult , Red Oaks Forest School, and NABA-Central Kentucky who will be leading some of the sessions.

Floracliff Field Day is a family-friendly event recommended for ages 8 and up. Loaner binoculars will be available to participants.

See the full itinerary and register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/floracliff-field-day-birds-beyond-tickets-1994234234278?aff=oddtdtcreator

08/18/2026

Get in on the action! Join us for some hands-on stewardship volunteering at Floracliff this Saturday morning. Be sure to pre-register here we can send you all the important details: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/stewardship-in-action-volunteer-day-registration-1993828141644

We’ll be removing Japanese chaff flower (Achyranthes japonica) from the trails along our floodplain. Native to East Asia, chaff flower is an invasive plant in Kentucky, and is increasingly problematic along our waterways. You can help limit the spread by removing plants before seeds set, as well as removing seeds from your shoes and clothes before and after your hike.

08/14/2026

Tick check: are these the same species?
We spotted the tick on the left and thought something seemed a little off. Notice the long slender, less rounded mouthparts? How about the more angular dorsal shield (scutum)?

The tick on the left is a female Gulf Coast tick (Amblyomma maculatum), a new one for us at Floracliff. They prefer prairie grass meadows and shady, wooded edges. The tick on the right is a female American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis), most often found in forest edges, grassy fields, and walkways.

By regularly documenting biodiversity at Floracliff, we’re better able to notice when new species show up (even the ones we’re not so excited to see). To protect ourselves from bites, we apply insect repellents and wear clothing treated with permethrin. We even have a number of “tick gaiters” to share with our visitors—be sure to borrow a pair next time you join us for a program!

07/07/2026

Join us in the meadow as we search for our butterfly pals and bug buddies! For ages 5-10.

Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/kids-hike-butterflies-and-bugs-tickets-1991582972282?aff=oddtdtcreator

07/01/2026

The June Tree of the Month is the oldest cross-dated documented tree in Kentucky, and it lives in a corner of Fayette County. We know its age because its rings have been counted and their pattern of thick and thin rings matched to nearby trees of the same species.

It is so old that it has a name: Woody C. Guthtree, and a page: https://www.facebook.com/woody.guthtree/. The “C” stands for chinkapin because the tree is a chinkapin oak (Quercus muehlenbergii). This year it turned 415 years old.
Long before Daniel Boone set foot in the state, it was growing on a southwest-facing slope along Elk Lick Creek in what is now the Floracliff Nature Sanctuary, a 346-acre non-profit preserve that borders the Kentucky River.

The chinkapin, also spelled chinquapin, is a deciduous species of tree in the white oak group. It is native to eastern and central North America. The thing about Woody is that, for its age, it’s not what one would describe as “a mighty oak.” But sometimes appearances can be deceiving.

When Floracliff director Beverly James asked an Eastern Kentucky University professor named Neil Pederson to take core samples of chinkapins in 2008, he thought they might not be very old. When he cored and counted tree rings, he found 10 that dated from the 1600s (one dated to 1697 was lost last year) and four from the 1700s. Woody’s earliest ring was dated 1611.

“It was the one that knocked me in the head and made me think differently about things,” said Pederson, now a Massachusetts-based private contractor.

Seeing Woody in person will take planning. To preserve its delicate ecology, Floracliff is only open to guided walks. You can sign up for walks and other events here: https://www.floracliff.org/events/. The walks usually have a maximum of 15 to 20 people and fill up fast. Walks to Elk Lick Falls go near Woody, as do Golden Hour tours to the falls and some of the wildflower hikes. Most cost $10 to $15. During Tree Week, which this year is October 8 to 18, there usually is a sponsored walk specifically to see the old chinkapins. It is free.

Read more and learn how to sign up for a guided walk at Nature Sanctuary by visiting this post on our website.

www.treeslexington.org/blog

📸 Beverly James

07/01/2026

Thank you to Trees Lexington for this wonderful feature on Woody, our oldest tree at the sanctuary. Stay tuned for fall programs that will visit this tree, including a Tree Week tour that will highlight five old chinquapin oaks at Floracliff.

The June Tree of the Month is the oldest cross-dated documented tree in Kentucky, and it lives in a corner of Fayette County. We know its age because its rings have been counted and their pattern of thick and thin rings matched to nearby trees of the same species.

It is so old that it has a name: Woody C. Guthtree, and a page: https://www.facebook.com/woody.guthtree/. The “C” stands for chinkapin because the tree is a chinkapin oak (Quercus muehlenbergii). This year it turned 415 years old.
Long before Daniel Boone set foot in the state, it was growing on a southwest-facing slope along Elk Lick Creek in what is now the Floracliff Nature Sanctuary, a 346-acre non-profit preserve that borders the Kentucky River.

The chinkapin, also spelled chinquapin, is a deciduous species of tree in the white oak group. It is native to eastern and central North America. The thing about Woody is that, for its age, it’s not what one would describe as “a mighty oak.” But sometimes appearances can be deceiving.

When Floracliff director Beverly James asked an Eastern Kentucky University professor named Neil Pederson to take core samples of chinkapins in 2008, he thought they might not be very old. When he cored and counted tree rings, he found 10 that dated from the 1600s (one dated to 1697 was lost last year) and four from the 1700s. Woody’s earliest ring was dated 1611.

“It was the one that knocked me in the head and made me think differently about things,” said Pederson, now a Massachusetts-based private contractor.

Seeing Woody in person will take planning. To preserve its delicate ecology, Floracliff is only open to guided walks. You can sign up for walks and other events here: https://www.floracliff.org/events/. The walks usually have a maximum of 15 to 20 people and fill up fast. Walks to Elk Lick Falls go near Woody, as do Golden Hour tours to the falls and some of the wildflower hikes. Most cost $10 to $15. During Tree Week, which this year is October 8 to 18, there usually is a sponsored walk specifically to see the old chinkapins. It is free.

Read more and learn how to sign up for a guided walk at Nature Sanctuary by visiting this post on our website.

www.treeslexington.org/blog

📸 Beverly James

06/17/2026

Many Floracliff visitors wonder about the silver tags they see on ash trees along our trails. These trees are part of the Ash Tree Protection Project, an ongoing stewardship effort that began in 2011. Every four years, staff and volunteers treat more than 100 ash trees to protect them from the emerald ash borer. Without treatment, most of these trees would die, impacting the health of our forests and wildlife. We focus our efforts in areas with 17th-century trees, rich spring wildflower communities, and along the trail to Elk Lick Falls, our most visited hiking route. In addition to our invaluable volunteers, this work is possible because of the help of partners such as: Rob Baughman of Arborjet Ecologel, who led a professional training and loaned equipment; the arborists at LFUCG Urban and Community Forestry, who shared hands-on expertise and equipment; and Megan Seifert Bartlett Tree Experts - Lexington, who joined us for an afternoon of treatments along our wildflower trail. Ongoing funding is essential to the long-term success of this project. We are extremely grateful to our 2026 project funders: NiSource Foundation & Columbia Gas; Vulcan Materials Foundation; and Floracliff friends Charley and Kim Sither.