Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission

10/15/2026

This last weekend was a big birding weekend for our staff, perfectly timed with !

Across the Birding Festival of the South ( ), ANHC staff connected with festival‑goers at our agency booth and offered a suite of memorable field trips and workshops. Participants who signed up for extra excursions had the chance to engage directly with ANHC staff and our mission through immersive conservation experiences, including:

🪹 Red‑cockaded Woodpeckers of the Ouachitas: An Evening Field Experience
Led by ANHC Habitat Coordinator Jess Novobilsky, participants traveled into the Ouachita National Forest to learn about the ecology and conservation needs of the federally threatened Red‑cockaded Woodpecker. The evening wrapped with a rare glimpse of the birds returning to their roost cavities at sunset.

🦉 Birding with Secretary Shea Lewis
Participants joined Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism Secretary Shea Lewis and ANHC staff for a guided hike through the unique glade‑and‑woodland habitats of Middle Fork Barrens Natural Area. Birders learned about habitat management and the conservation significance of this rare landscape while observing roughly 30 bird species in one morning.

🐦‍⬛ Bird Banding Up Close: A Morning at Little Rock Audubon Center
ANHC Grants Coordinator and Zoologist, Kevin Krajcir led a live bird‑banding demonstration, giving attendees an up-close look at how scientists gather vital data on migration and population trends. Participants observed captured birds, banding and data collection techniques, and the research the informs conservation decisions across Arkansas and beyond.

🪶 Bird Banding Demo: Hands‑On Fun with Bird Plushies
ANHC Education & Outreach Specialist, Erica Benoit introduced young birders and families to the science of bird banding through a fun, family-friendly activity. Participants practiced “banding” and collected mock data on plushy birds to explore why the work matters in this hands-on workshop complete with a mist-net for demonstration.

We appreciate everyone who joined us, asked questions and shared in the excitement of Arkansas’ incredible birdlife. Thank you to BFOTS and Visit Hot Springs for helping make these experiences possible!

📸 Photos by ANHC Staff and Uta Meyers, Little Rock Audubon Center.

10/09/2026

Friday Flower: Winged Sumac (Rhus copallinum)

Today’s spotlight is on Winged Sumac, a hardy and widespread native shrub that brings beauty and ecological value to Arkansas landscapes year-round. In summer, it produces elegant pyramids of tiny, cream-colored blooms that attract a variety of pollinators. Its glossy compound leaves give the plant its other common name, Shining Sumac. The plant’s distinctive “wings” along the stems make it easy to tell apart from its close relative, Smooth Sumac (Rhus glabra).

As fall arrives, Winged Sumac truly steals the show. Its foliage lights up the landscape with brilliant shades of yellow, orange, and red often all at once. Even after its leaves drop, the plant continues providing fuzzy clusters of red fruits, an an important winter food source for songbirds, wild turkey, and quail.

A tough, beautiful, and wildlife-friendly species, Winged Sumac is a quiet powerhouse in native plant communities.

📸 Photos by ANHC Staff.

10/08/2026

Last month our team kicked off a new professional development series focused on strengthening staff-wide understanding of community ecology! 💪🌎 This effort builds on years of scientific research already conducted by previous ANHC staff and their colleagues to categorize and describe Arkansas' ecoregions.

Our first workshop in the series was led by longtime conservation expert and former Ecologist of the The Nature Conservancy in Arkansas, Doug Zollner. This two‑day session centered on mesic upland forests, an especially timely topic as many of our newly acquired Natural Areas fall within this natural community type and will require updated management plans. Through a mix of field observations and collaborative workshops, staff had the opportunity to engage closely with the local ecosystem while gaining new knowledge and tools to support important conservation goals across Arkansas.

A huge thank‑you to Doug for sharing invaluable knowledge, and to the Buffalo Outdoor Center for providing such welcoming overnight accommodations in a beautiful natural setting. We’re grateful for time spent learning together in such an inspiring place, and we look forward to continuing this deep dive into Arkansas’ natural communities.

📸 Photos courtesy of ANHC Chief of Stewardship, Zachary C. Abbott.

10/02/2026

Friday Flower: Manyray Aster

Today’s flower is Manyray Aster (Symphyotrichum anomalum), a species known to brighten October with its delicate blooms. With many outer rays ranging from white to soft purples and blues, it’s easy to see how it earned its common name. The centers shift from yellow to reddish purple as they age, a color change that can actually help guide pollinators to fading flowers.

In Arkansas, Manyray Asters occur in the Ozark Plateaus, Arkansas Valley, Ouachita Mountains in addition to the highlands of the West Gulf Coastal Plain. Like other native Asters, this offers a late-season burst of color and a valuable source of pollen for insects preparing for a cold winter. In Arkansas, Asters often thrive along roadsides, rocky slopes, glades and bluffs come October. With more than 20 native species of Aster across Arkansas, keep an eye out for them now!

📸 All photos by ANHC Staff.

10/01/2026

Check out this an exciting update below! ⬇️
Our staff are so proud to support important research efforts like bird banding with the Little Rock Audubon Center.

09/25/2026

Friday Flower: Stiff Aster

This week’s Friday Flower is Stiff Aster (Ionactis linariifolia), a charming late-season native wildflower that brings a pop of soft lavender-blue to Arkansas’ upland landscapes. Sometimes known as Stiff‑leaf Aster, this species stands out with its narrow, rigid, almost needle‑like leaves and sturdy stems that stay mostly unbranched. Plants will grow anywhere between 4 to 18 inches tall, a small but eye-catching species when in bloom.

Stiff Aster thrives in dry, rocky, or grassy upland woodlands, often within mixed stands of oak, pine, and hickory. Its delicate lavender petals and bright yellow centers draw in fall pollinators such as native bees and moths. If you’re out on a trail this time of year, keep an eye out for clusters of these purple blossoms brightening the understory well into autumn.

📸 All photos courtesy of Eric Hunt.

09/18/2026

Happy Friday! ⭐️ Today’s is Woodland Pinkroot or Pinkroot (Spigelia marilandica), historically also known as Indian-pink.

Pinkroot’s tubular, star-tipped blossoms feature brilliant red exteriors and sunny yellow interiors, making it a favorite of hummingbirds as they flitter across Arkansas. This striking clump-forming native perennial will be found blooming in moist, shady woodlands and stream banks across much of the state by late spring to early summer.

📸 Photos by ANHC Staff.

09/14/2026

Help preserve Arkansas’ botanical heritage and join our team!

The Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission is now accepting applications for a part-time (extra help) Herbarium Collections Manager position. This role supports Arkansas’ State Herbarium, an essential resource for documenting and conserving the state’s plant diversity.

Responsibilities:
• Maintain herbarium and lab facilities
• Prepare, digitize, and accession plant specimens into the collection
• Support occasional field surveys and plant collection efforts
• Ensure proper organization, care and documentation of botanical materials

Qualifications:
Plant identification knowledge with an emphasis on the native plants of Arkansas.
Knowledge of standard herbarium practices and botanical survey techniques.
Ability to maintain a flexible work schedule during plant survey seasons.
Strong attention to detail and organizational skills.
Ability to work independently and contribute effectively to team efforts.
Comfort working with plant specimens and basic laboratory procedures.

Check out this unique opportunity to meaningfully impact Arkansas’ natural heritage!

Apply now: https://arcareers.arkansas.gov/job/Little-Rock-BIOLOGIST-I-AR-72201/1429529100/

09/11/2026

Friday Flower: Wreath Goldenrod (Solidago caesia) 💛🌿

Today’s is Wreath Goldenrod, a subtly stunning native species that brings a graceful pop of yellow to Arkansas’ late-summer and fall woodlands.

Arkansas is home to over 30 species of Goldenrod. Unlike many goldenrods that form dense plumes, Wreath Goldenrod features arching stems with small clusters of bright yellow flowers nestled in the leaf axils, creating a delicate “wreathed” look. The stems often show a bluish tint, giving the plant its other common name, Blue-stemmed Goldenrod.

Wreath Goldenrod is scattered across much of the state, preferring shaded to partly sunny forests. Its late-season blooms are an important food source for pollinators, a beautiful reminder of how important understory plants in the forest ecosystem. �
📸 Photos by ANHC Staff.

09/09/2026

If you stand in a grassland long enough, a whole universe reveals itself. They’re brimming with life, including animals and species found nowhere else on Earth. Yet America's grasslands are among the most overlooked ecosystems.

Grassland ecosystems are home to an incredible diversity of native plants and animals, and they support human well-being too! From clean water and healthy soils to recreational opportunities, many people already have a connection to grasslands, whether they realize it or not.

Across the Great Plains to the pine savannas, we hope you'll discover your local grassland to see what’s hiding in plain sight. Find a Natural Area near you to start exploring: https://www.arkansasheritage.com/arkansas-natural-heritage/naturalareas/find-a-natural-area.

America's Grasslands Coalition Southeastern Grasslands Institute

Native bees. Wildflowers dotting green fields. A meadowlark in full song. The grasslands are brimming with life.

Learn more → https://grasslanders.org/?utm_source=meta&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=grasslands-core&utm_content=fb-wild-text2-image1

Photo Credit:
© Alexis Bonogofsky