The Potomac Valley Audubon Society will sponsor a plant walk at its Eidolon Nature preserve in Morgan County on Sunday, Sept. 13. The walk will be free and anyone with an interest is welcome to come along. Pre-registration is strongly encouraged but not required. To register, go to the Society’s website at www.potomacaudubon.org.

Participants should plan to meet at the preserve at 10 a.m. The preserve is located on Sideling Hill Mountain northwest of Great Cacapon. Directions can be found on the PVAS website.

The walk will be led by naturalist Joe Metzger and last about five hours.

It is the last of three planned walks offering a unique opportunity to participate in a systematic effort to compare the plants growing now on the Eidolon property to those recorded there as far back as 70 years ago.

The Eidolon property was purchased in 1945 by Louis and Marguerite Zapoleon and enjoyed by them for many years. According to Mrs. Zapoleon’s wishes, it became a nature preserve after she passed away in 2003.

For more than five decades, Mrs. Zapoleon kept careful records of the plants and animals she had seen on the property. These records have survived (they can be found on the PVAS website) and the planned series of walks is attempting to relocate the more than 600 species of plants that Mrs. Zapoleon recorded. Those plants included 30 very rare species.

The first Eidolon plant walk was held on May 10; the second was held on July 12.

All these walks are being co-sponsored by the Maryland Native Plant Society.

Participants should dress for the prevailing weather, bring bug spray, sun screen, drinking water and a sack lunch. They may also wish to bring a camera and binoculars.

For more information contact Krista Hawley at adultprograms@potomacaudubon.org or 703-303-1026.