Paradoxa Chapter is based in Rolla. Our name refers to Echinacea paradoxa (yellow coneflower), the only member of the “purple coneflower” genus with yellow ray flowers, endemic to the Ozarks. Our goals are to improve our skill in identifying plants, from seedling through fruiting stages, as well as learning their habitats; to become more familiar with scientific names and botanical terminology; and to promote conservation of native plants. Our members vary in their levels of expertise, but all share a desire to learn. Currently, we schedule at least four botany walk-abouts during the year, with additional field trips, workshops, and programs as determined by the interests of our members. In addition, a group of us meet on Thursday mornings at Audubon Trails Nature Center in Rolla and walk the trail through woodland and prairie habitats, documenting species in bloom and population size.

Upcoming Events

Monday, May 4, 6:00-8:00 p.m.   Sedges Workshop at Audubon Trails Nature Center, 550 Meriweather Court, Rolla. Nathan Aaron, field botanist with the Institute of Botanical Training will lead this walk at Audubon Trails Nature Center to show us what to look for in identifying sedges. Participants are encouraged to bring samples of sedges they are curious about.

Wednesday, May 13, 6:30-8:00 p.m. Paradoxa Chapter is hosting a screening of the documentary film from Bee City USA, “The Little Things That Run the World” at the Phelps County Courthouse, 200 N. Main St., Rolla. Over millennia, humanity has mastered agriculture, raised monumental bridges and temples, walked on the Moon, but do we truly run the world? In this captivating documentary, filmmakers Dru Carr and Doug Hawes-Davis refocus their lens on a far more powerful force: insects. By zooming in on the reality of bees, butterflies, beetles, and their kin—tiny, alien-like architects of life—they reveal how these distant cousins on our evolutionary tree sustain ecosystems and, ultimately, our own survival. As they face unprecedented decline, their fate becomes a stark warning: without them, neither we nor the planet can endure. Even still, there is hope!

Saturday, May 16, 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon Spring Native Plant Sale at the Saturday Rolla Farmers Market in the JC Penney parking lot, 1050 S. Bishop, Rolla. This annual sale is cohosted by Paradoxa and Meramec Hills Chapter, Missouri Master Naturalists. Our plant vendors will be Doolittle Gardens and Prairie Hill Farm. Paradoxa will sell shrubs from the MDC Nursery at cost of pots and soil. We’ll also be joined by SJ Nature Shop, offering handmade birdhouses and specialty seed mixes.

Volunteers will be needed beginning at 6 AM to set up canopies and tables and unload plants. During the sale (8am-Noon), volunteers will assist customers with plant selection, answer questions, and deliver purchased plants to cars. From noon to 1PM, volunteers will load up unsold plants and take down tables and canopies.

Thursday, June 11, 6:30-8:00 p.m. Walkabout at Imes Property in Vichy. Treva and Jeff Imes have a large variety of native plants on their property. We identified over 70 species when we walked there last October, but most were out of bloom. We should see more flowers this time! Contact Pam at Pamela.barnabee@gmail.com for directions.

For more information about events, or to be added to our email notification list, please contact Pam at the address below.

Contact Us
Pam Barnabee
paradoxarolla@gmail.com

Favorite Places
Audubon Trails Nature Center
Bohigian Conservation Area (Mill Creek)
Kaintuck Hollow Trail
Lane Spring Recreation Area
Maramec Spring Park
Marguerite Bray Conservation Area
St. James Park Glade (Plant List)
Spring Creek Gap Conservation Area