In 1926 the Georgia Botanical Society was founded in Atlanta by Eugene Scofield Heath with the following goals: to promote the understanding and appreciation of plants and their relationship to the environment; to undertake or support the setting apart of appropriate areas in Georgia for the preservation of native and cultivated flora; to encourage the protection of rare and endangered plant species and significant botanical habitats; and to promote the conservation of botanical resources and encourage the practice of a conservation ethic.
Field trips are offered by the society for botanical education and enjoyment to anyone interested in Georgia’s native plants. These trips (scheduled throughout the year) are held across Georgia from the mountains to the coast. Most of the approximately 400 members are not professional botanists but enjoy learning about the state’s native plants.
The society publishes a newsletter, BotSoc News, six times a year plus a special wildflower pilgrimage issue. It includes detailed information about upcoming field trips, as well as reports from previous field trips. BotSoc News also includes items about Georgia botany and botanists, and features articles on native plants. The botanical magazine Tipularia is published once a year and documents the interesting plants, places, and people in Georgia botany.
