Tour of Southeast USA

The Tour will focus on Georgia and Alabama, with incursions into South Carolina and northern Florida. Beginning and ending in Atlanta, Georgia, we will visit one of the most oak-diverse regions of the USA, and we plan to see a huge variety of oak species, including: Quercus alba, Q. arkansana, Q. austrina, Q. boyntonii, Q. chapmanii, Q. durandii/sinuata, Q. geminata, Q. georgiana, Q. hemisphaerica, Q. incana, Q. inopina, Q. laevis, Q. laurifolia, Q. lyrata, Q. margaretta, Q. michauxii, Q. minima, Q. montana, Q. muehlenbergii, Q. myrtifolia, Q. nigra, Q. oglethorpensis, Q. pagoda, Q. phellos, Q. pumila, Q. similis, Q. stellata, and Q. virginiana, among others.

The Tour will be led by IOS members Ron Lance and Patrick Thompson. 

Ron is a renowned botanist, naturalist, horticulturist, and author known for his expertise in the woody flora of the eastern United States, especially oaks (Quercus) and hawthorns (Crataegus). He serves as a botanist with the North American Land Trust, where he contributes to conservation initiatives, including fieldwork aimed at preserving rare species such as the bluff oak (Q. austrina) across the southeastern United States.

Patrick is a botanist, conservationist, and horticulturist best known for his leadership in the preservation of Alabama’s native flora, especially deciduous azaleas (Rhododendron sp.) and rare southeastern oaks (in particular, Q. boyntonii). He is curator of Auburn University’s Donald E Davis Arboretum, which we will visit during the Tour.

The Tour is still being designed, but you can view a provisional itinerary in the map below:

Registration for this event will open in early 2026. Please write to the Tours and Events Committee to register your interest in participating.