Calling all history buffs and plant enthusiasts: this year’s Bennett Endowed Lecture in Plant & Fungal Ecology is sure to educate, inspire, and delight.
Last night, Dr. Anton Reznicek - renowned expert in Great Lakes flora and Curator of Vascular Plants at the U-M Herbarium - guided listeners on a journey through Michigan plant life past and present as part of his lecture, “Looking For Tomorrow Through Yesterday: What Michigan’s Flora In 1840 Can Tell Us About Our Botanical Future.”
With the care of a historian, Reznicek reconstructs early floristic records collected during the First Geological Survey of Michigan. These unusually comprehensive collections provide the basis for understanding the changes that bring us to our present day flora. Review of this thorough history - marked by habitat loss, alteration of natural systems, and changes in hydrology - allow us to make inferences about what the future may hold for Michigan plant communities.
Be sure to watch the full lecture recording, plus lively question and answer session, below.
