SYMPOSIUM WORKSHOP ABSTRACTS

Download a PDF of workshop abstracts for printing.

Botanical illustration. Sandra Budd, Instructor. The Botanical Illustration workshop begins with an introduction to botanical illustration, presented through artists samples and various demonstrated techniques. In the morning, plant anatomy will be the focus of the drawings. Participants will explore shading techniques in graphite pencil. Through the lens of a microscope participants will explore contextualizing details in a scientific study. In the afternoon, participants will explore color layering with color pencil. In this session a pencil drawing created in the morning or a pre-drawn illustration will be transferred onto toned paper. Illustration composition will be emphasized throughout this session. Those experienced with watercolors may bring all of their own supplies to paint in the afternoon session if they like — with the understanding that this is not a watercolor instruction class.

A Consulting Botanist’s Toolkit. This full-day workshop, to be taught by seven different professionals, will instruct participants in the skills needed to correctly conduct plant surveys, document findings for the Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program (PNHP), prepare reports to submit to the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), and prepare museum quality plant voucher specimens. The day will include a mix of classroom instruction, discussion, and demonstration.

Recognition of the Hawthorns (Crataegus) of Pennsylvania. Ron Lance, Instructor. Recognition of a Crataegus at generic level is a simple botanical effort, yet determination to species often requires greater initiative. Through images and specimen examinations of Crataegus taxa that are known from Pennsylvania, a condensation of the 235 taxa accredited to the state will be shown to conform satisfactorily to a simpler assemblage of about 35 species.  A key maneuver in hawthorn recognition utilizes the morphological similarity of closely related infrageneric groups (Series), 15 of which are known for Pennsylvania. There are also several putative interserial hybrids which have intermediate characters.  The most significant and broadly defined species will be discussed in detail for benefit of understanding their identification, taxonomy, and distribution.

Conservation Horticulture for Safeguarding Pennsylvania Rare Plants. Cheyenne Moore and Peter Zale, PhD, Instructors. While historically serving ornamental, medicinal, and agricultural purposes, botanic gardens and arboreta have embraced the need to support conservation of rare native plants. Native plant conservation practices like ex situ propagation, experimental cultivation, and seed banking are used to support in situ plant augmentations, reintroductions, and rescues. One such example of a conservation horticulture partnership is between PA DCNR’s Plant Conservation Alliance and Longwood Gardens. In this workshop we will discuss what conservation horticulture is and provide examples of how it is being used to safeguard rare plants in Pennsylvania. We’ll present best practices for numerous aspects of conservation horticulture, including plant and seed collection, documentation, different types of seed dormancy and how to overcome them, additional types of plant propagation, cultivation, and genetic considerations of working with rare species. The workshop will also include a hands-on opportunity to process, accession, and plant some native plant seeds that can be taken for your home garden. Useful resources will be highlighted, and participants are encouraged to come with questions!

Geology for Botanists. Noah Yawn, Instructor. Geology and botany intersect at the surface and often go hand in hand, especially when considering species distribution patterns, biophysiography, and ecological processes. Join us for a full-day workshop on “geobotany”, an explorative session focused on Pennsylvania’s rich geologic history and its relationship with the diverse flora found here from an ecologist’s perspective. We will first focus on fundamental geologic concepts ranging from geologic time, principles, and physiography, and take a “tour” of Pennsylvania, ranging from serpentine barrens, calcareous ravines, sandstone cliffs, mafic meadows, and glacial sand spits. Rock types, mineral assemblages, and their exposure and relationship to plant communities and specialist species will be a central focus.

If time and weather allow, a field trip is planned for the afternoon to visit a nearby dolomite
exposure to discuss calcareous rock specialist species and communities found here, and their inherent relationship to the rocks that are the very cause of their occurrence. Hand samples and further resources will be provided, and participants are welcomed to bring questions (and rocks!), no prior knowledge or experience needed.

The Hidden World of Lichens. James Lendemer, PhD, Instructor. Join us for a workshop to explore the hidden world of lichens, a dimension of Pennsylvania’s botanical diversity that is ever-present but obscured by mystery. We will cover the biology and ecology of lichens, resources for identification, key terms and characters for field identification, and learn some of the common species you are likely to see on a walk in the woods or in your own backyard.

How to Tackle Teaching Plant Life Cycles. Emily Sessa, PhD, Instructor. Life cycles are a fundamental aspect of organismal biology, and a cornerstone of most introductory biology and botany courses. Despite the importance of this topic and its ubiquity in the lab and lecture hall, plant life cycles can be a challenging subject to teach and students are often bewildered by the extensive terminology and unfamiliarity of the alternation of generations life cycle that plants undergo. During this workshop, the organizers and participants will share and discuss teaching methods for this topic, with the goal of providing everyone with a range of tools and approaches for tackling plant life cycles in their classes. We will discuss learning objectives, critical concepts, and assessment methods, and participants will be invited (if they wish) to share their own slides and/or other materials related to teaching plant life cycles, so that we can benefit from each other’s experiences. We will focus primarily on sexual reproduction and alternation of generations in land plants, but as time and participant interest permit, we may also discuss more advanced topics (e.g., selfing, apomixis) and/or additional life cycles (e.g., fungi). Prior teaching experience is not necessary.