State’s purple coneflower no longer endangered

Posted: Wednesday, August 3, 2011 8:01 pm

LEBANON (AP) — A purple wildflower found in only three Middle Tennessee counties is coming off the federal endangered species list.
The Tennessee purple coneflower’s habitat has been better protected and expanded, according to the by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The flower is found only in limestone barrens and cedar glades of Davidson, Rutherford and Wilson counties.
The federal agency will join the Tennessee Division of Forestry, the National Park Service, the Nature Conservancy and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for a ceremony marking the plant’s recovery over 30 years.
The event set for Thursday will be at Cedars of Lebanon State Park in Wilson County.

Published in The Messenger 8.3.11