How a blackberry bush in Tennessee led me to burn my pines in Alabama

Jessica with Laura, SGI Volunteer Coordinator, at the APSU native plant garden.

Read SGI volunteer Jessica Bulling’s story of how she fell in love with plants and became passionate about restoring ecosystems.

We had just bought our first home and I had no idea what kind of trees and plants were in the yard. We had moved there the summer of 2020 and by 2021 my curiosity was building momentum. One morning it finally reached full intensity when I decided to clear some thorny brush. But what was it? Should I remove it? How much should I remove? Was it harmful or beneficial?

I posted the question in a Facebook group. The majority of the answers responded with Devil’s Walking Stick, but it did not seem right to me. I began searching for information about plants. Some of these videos were about grasslands, but who cares about grass? After a while the enthusiasm of these grassland videos began to capture my interest. Maybe I should listen to what this person, Dwayne Estes, had to say. After checking out the Southeastern Grasslands Institute website, everything they stood for made complete sense to me. In a summary, the naturally occurring biodiverse prairies of the Southeast had been lost due to several factors including farming, industrialism and urban development. How can we help? One avenue of support included searching for prairie remnants. I wanted to help find them! I promptly downloaded iNaturalist and began making observations.

It turns out that their headquarters in Clarksville was only 20 minutes away, and they needed volunteers. We were still in the middle of Covid, and I needed to get outside. I will always remember that first day I met the Volunteer Coordinator, Laura, and her friend and neighbor Sue. They were painting quadrant numbers around the Austin Peay State University Native Plant Teaching and Research garden so they could keep better track of the various types of plants. They turned out to become two of the most significant people in my life. That day was my introduction to the underappreciated, rich biodiversity of the Southeastern region. 

My service with SGI included invasive plant removal at Dunbar Cave State Park as well as several visits supporting the new “Google Prairie” project and almost as importantly, maintaining and enriching the habitat in my own backyard. First I went after the invasive honeysuckle and planted a native coral honeysuckle. Then I went after the microstegium. Unfortunately these exotic species suppress local biodiversity. The best reward for the hard work of manually removing it at the end of a hot summer was enjoying a refreshed, biodiverse landscape the following spring. It is amazing to see what plants pop up once you remove the smothering monoculture of a plant that hasn’t evolved with the regional ecosystem over thousands of years.

Another rewarding venture was protecting a unique and endangered plant at Dunbar State Park known as Nabalus barbatus (Barbed Rattlesnake Root). In some miraculous way, because of that project, I was able to recognize the same plant growing in my own backyard. I placed cages to protect it from the deer and collect seedlings that same fall before moving away to Alabama.

Barbed Rattlesnake Root (Nabalus barbatus) flowers through a wire fence at Dunbar Cave State Park.

Barbed Rattlesnake Root (Nabalus barbatus) flowers and stem at Dunbar Cave State Park.

Another one of my rewarding accomplishments during my time in Tennessee was to become one of the initial members of Clarksville’s Healthy Yards Program. A city initiative to promote the use of native plants and the avoidance of pesticides. 

Jessica in April 2023 holding a Clarksville Healthy Yards program yard sign.

Clarksville Healthy Yards booth display.

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Up-close photo of the flowers of Price’s Potato Bean, Apios americana. Photo by Jessica Bulling.

I can’t leave the Tennessee era of my botanical adventures without mentioning the endangered Apios americana, Price’s Potato Bean. A stunning legume that requires a specific habitat. Apparently it only thrives on certain slopes of Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area. I had the pleasure of donning a hard hat and zigzagging up these steep slopes in the middle of the southern heat to help count and document all the flowers we could find. 

These are only a few of the rewarding experiences I had in support of the plant and community life in Tennessee. After three years in Clarksville, it was time to move to rural Russell County Alabama.

Image of the Tiny Bluet, Houstonia pusilla. Photo by Jessica Bulling.

Yes, we had found a nice plot thirty minutes southeast of Columbus, Georgia. Town consisted of two dollar stores and a drive thru folk art museum. What the heck was I going to do here? As we surveyed the property I looked into the forest. I would be ok in the forest. I checked the yard. One of the smallest spring ephemerals, a tiny bluet, looked at me. It was going to be ok, because they did not use pesticides in this yard :)

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Back to the question of what was I going to do in rural Alabama? Somehow I came across an ad for Alabama’s Master Naturalist Program. After hearing so much about the wonderful Naturalist program from Laura’s friend Sue, in Tennessee, I immediately decided to register for the Alabama course. It  was mostly online and I only needed to attend two Field Days in addition to 30 volunteer hours. 

As I began studying the Naturalist modules, I noticed something amazing that spring. A giant pine cone. In our same neighborhood we had also spotted a gopher tortoise! We still had Longleaf Pines in our area and on the property. I immediately embraced the mission of doing my best to take care of these trees and their ecosystems that had dominated the South for thousands of years.

Pine trees can be very tricky to identify, even after staring at them every day and looking up diagrams and explanations, but gradually I became better at recognizing how beautiful they were. Of course they have very long needles, and the sound they make in the wind is loud enough to be reminiscent of ocean waves. 

Longleaf Pine sapling

Gopher Tortoise

Longleaf Pine pinecone

I love one of Janisse Ray's descriptions from Ecology of a Cracker Childhood: “The limbs of longleaf pine are gray and scaly and drape as the tree matures, and its needles are very long, up to seventeen inches, like a piano player’s fingers, and held upright at the ends of the limbs, like a bride holds her bouquet.”

Longleaf Pine branches covered in snow. PC Jessica Bulling

Longleaf Pine needles covered by snow. PC Jessica Bulling

As beautiful as these trees are, they are what you might say high maintenance and require patience. They have evolved to burn. Anyone who has Longleaf Pines might notice how particularly flammable the needles are. Another name for these pines is heart pine, because the heart is rich with resin and can be used to maintain a good bonfire.

So it was apparent that these pines were overdue for a prescribed burn. The fast growing loblollies and sweetgums were moving in, there were fallen logs everywhere and the forest was thick with muscadine vines. Needless to say, we had a lot of work ahead of us. Over the course two years we did two prescribed burns (during the season it is permitted), something I had experience assisting with at the Google prairie in Tennessee with SGI. I tackled the muscadines and applied targeted herbicide on some sweetgums in the fall, the time of year this method is most efficient.

Deadfall trees in longleaf pine habitat

Muscadine taking over the understory in a longleaf pine ecosystem

Pile of muscadine grapevines removed from longleaf pine understory

Snapshot of a prescribed burn in the understory of the longleaf pine habitat

Longleaf pine stand post prescribed burn

Longleaf pine stand following prescribed burn and thinning

Bombus fraturnus (Southern Plains Bumblebee)

One of the special finds on this property was the endangered Bombus fraternus or Southern Plains Bumble bee. Thanks to iNaturalist, I realized that I had documented this bee when I first moved to the area, at the Columbus Botanical Garden.

This spring it was the carpenter bee that had caught my attention. I had finally decided to paint my garden hose stand and I noticed the perfectly round hole. Luckily it seemed ok and I’m looking forward to see its offspring emerge later this summer in search of the passionflower it is specialized for. 

Carpenter Bee (genus Xylocopa sp.) looking out from his home in wood.

His home is was right underneath the Coral Honeysuckle I had planted when I first moved here. 

Thinking back to that first moment I wondered what all those trees in Tennessee were, and what the heck was that thorny bush in my yard, and should I remove it? I have come a long way. I have learned to enjoy the beauty that emerges from our protected habitats and the dance of relationships between animals and plants. I hope to continue to make connections with people who wish to do the same.

I finally did discover that the thorny bush was wild blackberry, which I mostly left for the birds and I to enjoy.

Prairie Trillium, Trillium recurvatum

SGI volunteer Jessica Bulling with SGI volunteer coordinator Laura Hunt at the APSU native plant garden

Scythris fuscicomella, a flower moth, on Lance Leaf Coreopsis

Hymenocallis occidentalis, Woodland Spider-lily

Butterfly on Blazing Star (Liatris sp.)

Violet Lespedeza, Lespedeza violacea

Three-lined Salamander, Eurycea guttolineata

Cecropia moth, Hyalophora cecropia

Red Buckeye, Aesculus pavia

Blog written by Jessica Bulling, SGI Volunteer. Blog prepared by Laura Hunt, SGI Volunteer Coordinator, and Ellie Lopez, SGI Communications Specialist.

Partner Spotlight: Roundstone Native Seed – Growing a Legacy of Native Grasslands

Roundstone Seed, LLC’s President, John Seymour, in a field of wildflowers.

When you walk the fields at Roundstone Native Seed in Kentucky, you’re stepping into more than just rows of carefully cultivated native plants. You’re stepping into a story of persistence, faith, and passion for restoring America’s biodiversity—a story that began with five-gallon buckets in Mammoth Cave National Park.

A Family Rooted in Native Plants

Image of Roundstone Native Seed, LLC’s logo made entirely from plant and seed material.

Roundstone’s president, John Seymour, grew up in the footsteps of his father, Randy, who literally wrote the book on Wildflowers of Mammoth Cave National Park. The Seymours’ early efforts in the 1990s involved hand-collecting seeds, bucket by bucket, before launching what would eventually become Roundstone Native Seed, LLC in 1994.

For John, the seed business has always been about more than just plants—it’s about ecotypes, adaptation, and resilience. “The same species can exist from the Midwest to the Southeast, but how it grows depends on rainfall, frost dates, soils, and insects,” John explains. “Genetics matter. Ecotype matters.” That philosophy has guided Roundstone’s growth from a small family venture into one of the most influential voices in the national native seed movement.

Weathering the Storms of Business

Like grasslands themselves, Roundstone has endured seasons of boom and bust. In the early years of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), the company grew rapidly—at one point expanding eightfold. But in 2009, orders collapsed. John recalls walking the fields carrying the weight of debt and doubt, but also learning invaluable lessons about resilience. “You have to be self-motivated,” he says. “Have faith, keep going, and know that what you’re doing makes a difference.”

A Partnership of Shared Vision

A field of Monarda citriodora (common name Lemon Beebalm).

Roundstone’s path crossed with SGI co-founder Dr. Dwayne Estes through mutual friends in the botanical world. The connection sparked quickly, fueled by a shared passion for plants and restoration. In 2016, the partnership became tangible at Dunbar Cave State Park, where the Seymours helped Dwayne and a burgeoning SGI to prepare the land and supply seed—at no cost. “Let’s help him for free,” Randy told John. That generosity helped catalyze a restoration project that continues to inspire today.

“Roundstone didn’t just pitch in a little, they gave a gift of seed and labor valued at $35,000,” says Dwayne. “That gift gave us our first pilot project and helped us build credibility. The value of Roundstone’s gift goes way beyond $35,000, it was truly a gift of love and friendship that is invaluable to SGI’s origin story.” 

Since then, Roundstone and SGI have partnered on projects large and small, from the 100-acre Google-funded restoration to training programs for foresters, land managers, and park staff. The collaboration has also extended to advocacy, with John and Dwayne traveling to Washington, D.C. to educate policymakers on why regionally adapted native seed resources matter.

Complementing, Not Competing

Image outside of Roundstone Native Seed LLC’s seed cleaning and storage facilities.

The native seed world is a small one, and Roundstone, like SGI, has always chosen collaboration over competition. “At least three businesses may be bidding on the same project,” John notes, “but my door has always been open. Helping others has never hurt us—it’s only made the whole movement stronger.”

This spirit of collaboration is evident in projects like SGI’s Barnett’s Woods & Prairie State Natural Area initiative, where Roundstone has provided guidance and support for producing foundation seed that will cut the costs of wild collection while ensuring the highest-quality ecotypes. The natural area, located just 15 minutes west of Austin Peay State University’s campus, will become a real showpiece for grassland restoration and research.

Lessons From the Land

Producing native seed is anything but easy. Some species only yield viable crops every three years. Others, like milkweed, resist being farmed and prefer to grow in clumps. Even perennial species may fail to set seed some years. “You never know which season will give you a harvest,” John explains. “That’s why research, collaboration, and education with partners like SGI are so important.”

For Roundstone, educating consumers is as important as producing seed. John prefers honesty—even if it frustrates a customer in the short term. “I’d rather you be mad at me now than mad at me later,” he says. “Restoration takes time, patience, and the right seed.”

Recognized Leadership

In 2025, John & Randy Seymour and Roundstone Native Seed were honored with the Aldo Leopold Award, recognizing their decades of leadership in native seed production, conservation, and partnership. It’s a fitting milestone for a family business that started with buckets of wildflowers and has become a national leader.

Looking Forward

Roundstone’s story is one of grit, generosity, and vision. As John reflects on advice he would give to the next generation of farmers interested in native seed production, “I never thought it would be a gold mine. I never knew it would be so arduous. But when people told me I couldn’t do something, that just drove me harder. Don’t let anyone tell you it can’t be done.”

At SGI, we’re proud to call Roundstone Native Seed not only a partner but a friend and our first donor. They believed in us even before there was an SGI. Together, we are building a future where grasslands thrive, biodiversity flourishes, and restoration efforts have the best chance to succeed—one seed at a time.

Blog by Eleanor Lopez, SGI Communications Specialist.

Grassland Restoration Update - January 2026

Seeding Barnett’s Woods & Prairie site with a wetland seed mix, January 2026.

The SGI team kicked off the new year strong in January by hand broadcasting native seed over three new prairie plantings.

SGI Restoration Technicians in the field.

This past fall, our Native Plant Material and Restoration teams, along with some volunteers, worked together to collect nearly 160 pounds of bulk seed through a combination of hand collection and seed harvester.

Trash can full of native seeds!

The initial seed mix consisted of 67 species, but we will continue to introduce new species over time. This planting helped our team bond and will help support countless species in the years to come. If you want to help collect seed for future prairie plantings, you can follow volunteer opportunities by checking our volunteer calendar or signing up for our volunteer newsletter at this link: https://www.segrasslands.org/volunteer-with-sgi.

Blog prepared by Vero Tessier, SGI Middle Tennessee Coordinator, and Eleanor Lopez, SGI Communications Specialist.

Partner Spotlight: Deborah Rosenthal and Best Hope Farm -- A Grassland Revival in Middle Tennessee

Eastern tiger swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) on blazing star (Liatris spicata)

In late July 2025, the Southeastern Grasslands Institute (SGI) held one of its Seed Scouts Training sessions at Best Hope Farm, where acres of native prairie re-creations bloom along the rolling backroads of Dickson County, Tennessee. The 80+ acre property, marked by roadside signs that read “Prairie Re-Creation,” is a living testament to what one couple’s vision, persistence, and partnership can achieve.

As we toured the land, downy sunflowers (Helianthus mollis) and starry rosinweeds (Silphium asteriscus) swayed in the summer breeze and bees buzzed among mountain mint (Pycanthemum species) and bee balm (Monarda fistulosa) near the bunkhouse. Monarchs and swallowtails floated from flower to flower, feasting on the vibrant purple spikes of blazing star (Liatris spicata)—a prairie classic. At the heart of it all is Deborah, a woman whose retirement became a calling: restoring the historic prairies, savannas, and woodlands at Best Hope Farm, championing native plants, and advancing SGI’s mission to save the forgotten grasslands of the Southeast. Her husband, RJ Comer, leads their educational and outreach efforts, including turning Deborah’s wonky explanations into accessible posts about their efforts. 

From City Life to Prairie Life

Green lynx spider (Peucetia viridans) on ashy sunflower (Helianthus mollis)

Deborah’s journey began far from Tennessee prairies. A former lawyer and real estate professional in California, she once tended a very small succulent garden in Los Angeles. When she and RJ moved east in 2017, she brought with her traditional non-native landscaping notions and no understanding of invasive species, which she planted like periwinkle (Vinca minor), and creeping jenny (Lysimachia nummularia). But something wasn’t right. Other than the invasive species, the plants were too fussy and needed fungicides and just the right Goldilocks amount of water. “I thought, this is ridiculous,” she recalls.

A chance introduction to native plant advocates Mike Berkley of Grow Wild Nursery opened her eyes to a new approach. She started small—with a butterfly garden. But in 2019, she attended the Wild Ones Plant It Native Symposium in Chattanooga, where she heard SGI’s Dr. Dwayne Estes speak about the plight of America’s endangered grasslands. “I was blown away and fired up,” Deborah says. When she told RJ she wanted to experiment on a small corner of their 4-acre pasture, he said: “Go big or go home.”

Planting Seeds of Change

Image of a seed mix collected from prairies of Best Hope Farm.

With RJ’s encouragement, Deborah jumped in, not realizing how difficult it would ultimately be. She started by working with Robert Hoffman at Roundstone Native Seed on a seed mix and learned how to prepare the 4-acre site. That was the easy part because of Robert’s expertise and unwavering support. Once the site prep was completed, however, the contractor she had hired a year in advance to drill the seed repeatedly failed to show up. At wits end, Deborah left a message for SGI, hoping to find someone who could get the seed in the ground. To her surprise, Dwayne called her back the next day. SGI was then only two years old, with a tiny staff and a big vision.

From that phone call bloomed a partnership. Roundstone Native Seed ultimately seeded her fields, and Deborah and Dwayne, who coincidentally lived 20 minutes apart, became fast friends. Deborh’s role soon expanded beyond Best Hope Farm. With her background in business, the law, and nonprofit and organizational management, she began asking tough but necessary questions: “What are SGI’s priorities? How will you grow? What about the organization’s structure?”

Building a Movement Behind the Scenes

“Did I tell you Deborah is my secret weapon?” is something Dwayne will frequently say upon mentioning Best Hope Farm.

Over the next several years, Deborah became an integral part of SGI’s growth, serving as an advisor, sounding board, and even Interim Director of Operations for nine months during a crucial growth phase. “I blame Dwayne for everything,” she jokes, reflecting on how a single presentation led her to one of the most meaningful chapters of her life.

Her philosophy? “What is your highest and best use?” For SGI, that meant letting Dwayne focus on the larger vision, organizational capacity, and outreach, while Deborah worked to assemble the administrative backbone that eventually allowed SGI to scale from a handful of staff to nearly 50 employees today.

A Legacy in Bloom

Goldenrod flowering at Best Hope Farm

Today, Best Hope Farm is more than a private restoration—it’s a hub of education and inspiration. Deborah’s goals are to continually improve the restored and re-created grassland ecosystems at Best Hope Farm, eradicate invasive species, do real science to test theories and improve best practices, and inspire others in her region to do similar work. To those ends, Auburn University’s Forest Fire and Ecology Lab have incorporated Best Hope Farm into a broader regional study to take surveys measuring the carbon drawdown potential of native restoration habitat. Deborah worked with local governments to pass ordinances requiring a percentage of native planting in landscape plans and prohibiting invasive species. The Best Hope Farm Facebook page is more than a show-and-tell platform of pretty pictures. It's often entertaining and visitor-friendly posts include vital information about native habitat, plant biology, and restoration practices. 

Throughout all her work, Deborah has maintained her special relationship with SGI. The Best Hope Farm bunkhouse has hosted multiple SGI staff and trainees, and the farm has been the site of several SGI Field Days and Seed Scout trainings. Deborah’s vision is that part of Best Hope Farm—particularly the bunkhouse parcel, which includes savanna and prairie remnant restorations—will be managed in perpetuity, potentially in partnership with nearby Montgomery Bell State Park or SGI itself.

One large step in that direction is SGI’s recent award of the America’s Ecosystems Restoration Initiative which will bring significant resources to the project’s Dickson County anchor point of 100+ continuous acres of restored grassland, which includes Best Hope Farm and Montgomery Bell State Park. 

Gratitude for Grassroots Champions

SGI is fortunate to have community partners like Deborah who not only restore their own land but also lend their expertise, counsel, and heart to help build a conservation movement. Her journey from “city girl with a succulent garden” to a prairie pioneer underscores what’s possible when passion meets purpose.

“Helping Dwayne achieve this mission—now and going forward—has been the most rewarding accomplishment of my life,” Deborah reflects.

We couldn’t agree more.

Post prepared by Eleanor Lopez, SGI Communications Specialist.

Getting to Know Us: Chris Oberholster

Chris Oberholster is SGI’s newest addition to our Leadership Team as our Director of Philanthropy. Chris has a BS in Grassland Science from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, which is the equivalent of a Range Science/Management degree here in the U.S. He then earned a Master’s in Agronomy at Auburn University (yes, he really studied cows at a “cow college”!) Chris began a PhD in Ecology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where he studied under Dr. Ed Clebsch, but he did not complete those studies as he had an opportunity to return to Alabama to work for The Nature Conservancy as a Community Ecologist at the Alabama Natural Heritage Program. Scroll down to learn more about Chris!

Q: Were you always interested in nature & the outdoors, and how did you get interested in grassland ecosystems?

My love for grasslands developed early in life as I grew up surrounded by the diverse mountain grasslands of eastern South Africa. My interest in grasslands grew out of my childhood interest in birdwatching, followed by a growing interest in identifying the rich flora in the grasslands and forests of the local 2,000 acre Vryheid Hill Nature Preserve, where I would explore with my family and friends. My academic training then built on that early interest.

A photo of rugged, mountainous eastern South African grasslands of Chris’s childhood.

Q: What did you do prior to coming to SGI?

I have been involved in biodiversity conservation in a variety of roles, including plant and habitat surveys, stewardship of lands including prescribed burning, lobbying at the state and federal levels, and fundraising. Most recently I was the Director of External Affairs for The Nature Conservancy in Alabama, where I advocated for conservation policy and funding in the Alabama Legislature and U.S. Congress. Prior to that I was the Development Director for Alabama Audubon.

What is your role within SGI?

As Director of Philanthropy for SGI, my role is to facilitate private funding support for the SGI mission from individuals, foundations and corporations.

What are you most excited about when it comes to working with SGI?

The challenge of securing the financial resources to protect and restore Southern grasslands at the massive scale needed to match the urgency that is necessary.

What are some of your hobbies?

Some are perhaps obvious since they are nature-connected, like birding and growing native plants. I also enjoy deer hunting and making my own biltong, the South African style jerky, and stamp collecting. 

Anything else you want to share with us?

After having experienced some of the formidable challenges facing those who try to conserve the natural world, I want to express my deepest gratitude to all people, whether nonprofit or government agency staff, volunteers, board members, donors, and decisionmakers, who help to protect and restore biodiversity anywhere on the Earth. And a special thanks to my family in the US and across the world for also appreciating nature.

Blog prepared by Dr. Eleanor Lopez, SGI Communications Specialist.