A letter from Greg Abernathy, KNLT Executive Director
Dear Friends of Kentucky Natural Lands Trust,
This spring, as I explored the forest-covered slopes of Cumberland Mountain, I found myself pondering the connectivity within these wildlands, how they are woven and bound together through an interconnected diversity of life.
Above me, warblers were gliding through the trees in the continental-scale flyway they use to return to their nesting grounds each spring. Bears within the forest were stirring from their winter torpor, fueled by energy reserves from the acorns they feasted on last fall. Acorns that had overwintered on the forest floor had begun to sprout, searching for purchase in the soil among the spring ephemerals and salamanders. Below me an underground network of fungi exchanged vital nutrients with the trees of the forest.
Our understanding of life on Earth, while extensive, is humbling when we recognize how profoundly incomplete it is. We are not separate from the more-than-human life all around us; we are responsible to them. If we’re humble, we will be responsive to them as well.
Take as an example the white fringeless orchid, a threatened native plant which is found on Cumberland Mountain and throughout the southeastern United States. The invertebrate pollinators of this orchid have been poorly understood, and this gap in human understanding made conservation efforts difficult. Recently, rare plant botanist Tara Littlefield, a Kentucky Natural Lands Trust Advisor and a friend, made an incredible discovery.
Tara and her colleagues have reported previously unknown pollinators of the white fringeless orchid for the first time. Through direct observation and remote camera traps, they documented four sphinx moths (white-lined, pawpaw, pandora, and snowberry clearwing) whose long straw-like proboscis enable effective pollination of the orchid flowers.
Tara’s research observed an incredible interspecies relationship, which is happening whether we are looking or not. These findings inform conservation strategies that can now be more holistic and responsive to what nature has brought to our attention.
From the moths and orchids Tara observed, to the countless species with whom we share the Earth, habitat is essential to the survival of all species. For three decades, Kentucky Natural Lands Trust has been protecting wildlands in ways that connect landscapes and communities for a healthy world. Through the power of partnership, we have safeguarded more than 64,000 acres of wild places from the mountains of Central Appalachia through the rolling Bluegrass to the sloughs along the Mississippi River.
Connectivity is central to our mission and inspired the artwork for our spring appeal. The watercolor painting shown here is a beautiful depiction of the white fringeless orchid and the white-line sphinx moth created by Deborah Slone, a Kentucky-based artist who is a partner in our conservation work.
Your support and partnership are critical to Kentucky Natural Lands Trust’s conservation efforts to safeguard globally significant wild places. Please continue to support our wild mission with a gift this spring.
Together we can protect, connect and restore wildlands, ensuring that orchids, moths, bears, birds and people all flourish.
With gratitude and peace you find in wild places,
Greg Abernathy
KNLT Executive Director
[email protected]
P.S. If you have questions about donations, please reach out to KNLT Development Director Nicole Breyette at [email protected].
About Kentucky Natural Lands Trust
KNLT is a nationally accredited nonprofit working to protect biodiverse and climate-resilient landscapes in ways that benefit communities. Through partnerships with individuals, nonprofits, government agencies, and businesses, KNLT has safeguarded more than 64,000 acres of wildlands throughout Kentucky and Central Appalachia.
Projects like these would not be possible without the support of our donors! Join our movement!
For more information on how you can help KNLT protect wildlands, sign up now to receive our monthly newsletter.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Photos
Cover: white fringleless orchid courtesy of Tara Littlefield
Watercolor painting: White-lined sphinx moth / white fringleless orchid by Deborah Slone