BSWP 2021 Zoom meetings
View BSWP's May 2022 Zoom meeting.
The Society meets monthly from September through June on every second Monday of the month at 7:15 p.m. For now, our meetings take place via Zoom.
Members who have joined the BSWP e-mail list will be contacted and e-mailed an invitation (link and password) to each monthly meeting.
Directions to in-person meetings, when held
To Ford Mateer Classroom of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History:
The entrance to the parking lot, which is gated, is just past the Museum at the intersection of Forbes and Craig Street. The Ford-Mateer Classroom is reached through the Portal Entry in the rear parking lot area. Once inside the building, the room is located just beyond the Security desk on the left. In addition to the Museum parking lot, which costs $6, there are metered spaces on Forbes Avenue opposite the Museum and along Craig Street that are free after 6 p.m. From there you will cross the street and walk through the right side of the gates to the parking lot. Continue on the sidewalk to the rear of the building where you will see the sign for “Portal Entry” ahead.
If you do not park in the Museum’s lot, from Forbes Avenue, walk along the right side of the parking toll gates to the parking lot. Continue on the sidewalk to the rear of the building where you will see the sign for "Portal Entry" ahead.
Directions to the Carnegie Museum
http://www.carnegiemuseums.org/interior.php?pageID=36
Registration for Botanical Society field trips is not required. Everyone is welcome, including non-members. Trips last 3 to 4 hours but one can leave at any time. For questions, contact the field trip leader or Loree Speedy at (724) 518-6022 (cell) or loreespeedy@gmail.com. Add these BSWP field trips to your Google Calendar: https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0?cid=Ym90c29jd3BhQGdtYWlsLmNvbQ
Saturday, June 6, 2026, 1:00 PM
Powdermill Nature Reserve
Westmoreland County
Leader: Mason Heberling; cell: 724-882-8603
We will hike through the forest to see a population of bog jacob's-ladder (Polemonium vanbruntiae) that were planted in 2023 at Powdermill. These endangered plants were propagated by Longwood Gardens and planted in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Plant Conservation Alliance. Meet at the Powdermill Nature Center.
Directions: From Pittsburgh, take the PA Turnpike east to Exit 91/Donegal. At the end of the tollbooth ramp, turn left (east) onto PA 31. Follow PA 31 east for 2.7 miles. Turn left onto PA 381 North. Follow PA 381 North for 6.4 miles to the Nimick Nature Center on your left.
GPS coordinates: 40.16045, -79.27163 Google Maps Link to Powdermill Reserve
Sunday, June 21, 2026, 11:00 PM
Markleysburg Bog, Fayette County
Leader: Loree Speedy; 724-518-6022; loreespeedy@gmail.com
Prepare for wet feet. Depending on rain events, hiking boots may get wet. Directions: The intersection of US40 & PA381 can be reached by traveling US40 east from Uniontown, or by traveling PA 381 south from PA Turnpike Exit 91/Donegal (travel PA 31 east 2 miles). At the intersection of PA 381 and US 40, travel US40 east 6 miles. Look for an oversized sign on the right reading “Truck Warning-Steep Grade.” Turn right at the foot of this sign onto a blacktop driveway into the Mountain Fellowship Center, marked with a blue sign. We will meet here in front of the building. GPS coordinates: 39.76510, -79.46595
Google Maps Link to Mountain Fellowship Community Center
Monday, June 22, 2026, 6:30 PM
We will meet at the parking lot for the pickle ball courts and search for twayblades. Directions: Travel PA-43 south (toll road) to Exit 44 for PA-136/Eighty Four/Monongahela. Turn right at the end of the ramp for PA-136 west. Travel PA-136 for 2.2 miles to make a right onto Chapel Hill Rd. At the bottom of the hill, turn left onto Mingo Creek Road and continue a short distance to parking on the left. For those who enter park from PA-88 south and Little Mingo Road, turn left at the park sign onto Mingo Creek Road and continue three miles to the parking lot on your left. GPS coordinates: 40.19516, -80.03720 Saturday, July 25, 2026, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Celebrate the Bloom! is a free annual event held at Jennings Environmental Education Center. Celebrating the state’s only prairie (and the eastern-most prairie in the US), the festival includes nature explorations (i.e. bird, butterfly and wildflower walks), engaging demonstrations, local artisans and food, and musical guests. The event is produced in cooperation with 3MJC (the friends group and funding partner of Jennings). Check the Celebrate the Bloom website for the updated schedule. Joe and Bonnie Isaac will lead the wildflower walk. GPS coordinates: 41.0091, -80.0049 Saturday, July 25, 2026, 10:00 AM This Westmoreland Conservancy wooded reserve is one of the wildest places in Murrysville with an uphill trail along a small intermittent stream flanked by pawpaws and hercules club. A small meadow at the top is home to two uncommonly seen species — rose pink (Sabatia augularis) and clammy cuphea (Cuphea petiolata). Directions: The Reserve can be reached from US22 in Murrysville by turning left onto Cline Hollow Road at Walnut Hollow shopping center. Continue for 1.6 miles, then turn left onto Hill Church Road for 0.4 mile, then continue straight onto Wiestertown Road for 1.9 miles to the Reserve parking lot on the left. GPS coordinates: 40.45697, -79.61745 Evening Trip to Mingo Creek County Park
Washington County
Leader: Mary Ann Pike; cell: (412) 855-8239; mapike@earthlink.net
Google Maps Link to Mingo Pickleball ParkingCelebrate the Bloom, Jennings Prairie
Butler County
Google Maps Link to Jennings Prairie
Look for Event Parking Instructions.Walter Nature Reserve, Westmoreland County
Leader: Loree Speedy; 724-518-6022; loreespeedy@gmail.com
Google Maps Link to Walter Nature Reserve