Fernwood gardens set to host Spring Symposium

Published 8:41 am Friday, February 22, 2008

By Staff
NILES – Fernwood Botanical Garden and Nature Preserve is looking forward to its Spring Symposium.
The center at 13988 Range Line Road, Niles, will present Plant Exploration: Past, Present, and Future on Saturday, March 29.
What would your life be like without coffee or chocolate, bananas or vanilla? How would your life be different with no rubber for your tires, fabric for your clothing, or drugs to cure life-threatening illnesses? Plant explorers have played an important role in enriching our lives and beautifying our world with their discoveries from around the world, and they continue to find new plants for our future needs
Learn more about these renowned explorers, some of the hardships they faced, and the important discoveries they have made.
Presentations begin at 8:45 a.m. Registration fee is $60 for Fernwood members and $75 for non-members and includes all sessions, breaks and lunch.
The symposium fulfills two hours of Michigan Master Gardener continuing education credits. Please call 695-6491 to register or for more information.
The program includes:
Plant Exploration and Early Plant Explorers of China: Ed Hedborn, The Morton Arboretum, Lisle, Ill.
Hedborn has been the Plant Records Manager and Plant Recorder for The Morton Arboretum for the past 30 years. He is responsible for life-history information about all plants in the Arboretum's living plant collections from 1922 to the present. He also teaches classes for the Arboretum's education program and the Associated Colleges of the Chicago Area. Ed speaks about the earliest recorded plant exploration and the classic period of Chinese plant exploration of the late 1800s and early 1900s. He covers some of the renowned plant explorers of that time and offers some insight as to why we explore for plants.
Plants For Today
Tim Wood, "The Plant Hunter" from Spring Meadow Nursery
Tim Wood is the Product Development Manager for Spring Meadow Nursery in Grand Haven, Michigan. He has taught at Michigan State University, co-hosted a garden radio talk show, and written three books. Tim is a member of the Royal Horticultural Society and was named the Michigan Nurseryman of the Year in 2001. Tim discusses recent explorations as well as what we may expect in the future of plant exploration
In Search of New Plants; Recent Discoveries
Galen Gates, Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe, Illinois
Galen Gates is Director of Plant Collections for the Chicago Botanic Garden, and is responsible for the management and development of the Garden's collection of 2.3 million plants. He is Chair of the Plant Collecting Collaborative, a consortium of six public gardens that searches the world for new plants. He has planned and led several foreign plant collecting expeditions, further enriching the botanical diversity available in the U.S. Galen tells of recent discoveries from his trips to China, Russia, and the Republic of Georgia. He also talks about the cultures of the countries where he does his research.
Plants in Print: The Age of Botanical Discovery
Edward J. Valauskas, Lenhardt Library, Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe, Illinois
Edward is the Curator of Rare Books at the Lenhardt Library and an instructor at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at Dominican University in River Forest, Illinois. Edward addresses how five hundred years of rare books, journals, and manuscripts reveals a complex and detailed history of botanical research around the world. Solving problems of taxonomy, evolution, and ecology, botanical explorers in their records provide details on the floral world around them. These works in turn took advantage of the latest developments in printing and illustration, with the best artists of their times working to illustrate plants as naturally as possible.
The Story Behind That Plant: Fernwood's Plant Collection
Steven Bornell and Ann Desenberg, Fernwood
Since the 1940s Fernwood's founder, Kay Boydston, and subsequent garden staff have searched near and far for hardy ferns and many other interesting plants for Fernwood's collections. Steven Bornell, manager of Fernwood's plant collections, along with Ann Desenberg, Fernwood's plant recorder, share their "picture album" along with some interesting facts and anecdotes behind some of the noteworthy plants on the property. Weather permitting, an optional short walk at the end of the program is offered to see some of the plants discussed earlier.
Continuing till March 30
In the Clark Gallery: Changing Seasons Artwork by Gaia Artist Cooperative
"Changing Seasons" is a collection of 2-D and 3-D artwork by Gaia Artist Cooperative, a group of professional artists from NW Indiana and SW Michigan. Gaia members participate in monthly art venues throughout the area, expressing their unique perspectives on nature's changing faces through paintings, drawings, glasswork, jewelry, and photography. Members are: Marjorie Graham, Tracy Adams Knapp, Mary Ann Pals, Susan Kay Rosso, Mary Campbell, Anita Ann Johnson, Barbara Vinson, Jodi &Sheree Hellenga, and Nancy Smith. Sample their artwork at www.gaiagallery.com, and then join them at their Closing Reception on March 30, 2008 from 2 to 3:30 p.m.
There's still limited space available for this Fernwood EcoTour…
The Annual Great Smoky Mountains Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage
Tuesday, April 22-Sunday, April 27
Why does Fernwood lead an ecotour to the Smoky Mountains each spring? To enjoy quiet mountain trails and the beauty of the surrounding carpet of wildflowers, in shades of white, yellow, pink, and purple. To wander through old-growth forest, with huge trees over 500 years old whispering of a natural world never to be seen again. To absorb the roar of a waterfall, whether small or large, for water is a primal force in the Smokies. To walk through a pioneer log cabin and imagine life in a simpler time. To listen to the singing birds, to catch salamanders found nowhere else in the world, and with luck, to see a mother bear and her cubs.
Join Fernwood naturalist Wendy Jones as she leads her 16th trip to the 58th Annual Great Smoky Mountains Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage, hosted by the National Park. More than 100 programs are offered by park staff, University of Tennessee instructors, and local volunteers on such subjects as wildflowers, ferns, wildlife, mountain ecology, and history. Wendy also offers hikes and educational programs about birds, local natural history, and a variety of related topics. Hiking difficulty ranges from easy to strenuous to accommodate all levels of walking abilities. Numerous indoor programs are offered for non-hikers.
The cost is $500 based on double-occupancy and includes lodging, Pilgrimage fees, and naturalist services. A single-occupancy supplements available and meals are on your own. Travel is by car pool, either in your own car or with another participant. Pilgrimage registration begins in early March, so to guarantee top field trip selection, please register with Fernwood by Sunday, February 17. A $100 deposit (refundable until April 1) reserves your space. Registration continues until April 1 but with no guarantee of receiving the field trips of your choice. Please note: Fernwood reserves the right to cancel the trip if insufficient registrations are received.
Call Wendy at ext. 220 for more information or to schedule an appointment for a slide-show overview of the trip. Information on the Pilgrimage can also be found at www.springwildflowerpilgrimage.org
Caf/ Schedule
The Caf/ is closed until April 2008.
It is recommended to call Fernwood to confirm status of classes beforehand. Contact Fernwood for registration and information at (269) 695-6491.
Fernwood is located near Buchanan, Michigan. Take US 31 to Walton Road, exit 7. Go west 1.7 miles, then north on Range Line Road.
Fernwood is a non-profit organization that receives no direct government support. Its mission is to enrich the lives of all people by stimulating appreciation of nature, exemplifying harmony between people, plants, gardens, and wildlife, and using the distinctive natural and cultivated habitats known as Fernwood.
Editors Note: The story in Thursday's Niles Daily Star about Fernwood failed to jump to page 2. We are sorry for the error.