Early in the fall of 2018 the WLCT received an e-mail from a member of the Brown University faculty entitled “Request permission to collect botanical specimens.” After some discussion, permission was granted. See the following summary. The WLCT is pleased that our properties can be made available to such worthwhile efforts. “On September 21, 2018, fourteen Brown University undergraduates enrolled in “The Flora of Rhode Island” class visited the Jacob’s Point salt marsh and beach in Warren. The purpose of the visit was to collect plant species for accession into the Brown University Herbarium. Students worked in pairs to document and learn the common plants found at the site. Overall, they collected around 20 species and their specimens will be accessioned into the herbarium as a permanent record of a slice of plant diversity at Jacob’s Point. During the semester, the class also visited five other natural areas around the state to collect and learn to identify common plants. The collections are part of a larger effort to document 21st century plant diversity in Rhode Island. The new specimens provide an important comparison to the large number of collections already in the herbarium from the late 19th and early 20th century.”
Photo Credit: Butch Lombardi, East Bay Images