- Friday, September 15, 2023
- 2:45 PM–3:35 PM
- Science Building 110
Please join us to learn from Garrett Crow about the life of late-19th-Century botanist and teacher, Emma Cole, and describe the work he and Dr. David Warners are doing with Calvin University students to rediscover Emma’s haunts and assess their natural quality today
In the Footsteps of Emma Cole––19th-Century Grand Rapids Botanist
In 1901 Emma J. Cole published Grand Rapids Flora, a catalogue of plants growing without cultivation in the vicinity of Kent County. Enormous changes have taken place since those “horse and buggy” days, yet her book remains the most complete account of plants specific to our area. Who was this remarkable high school teacher, world traveler and Kent Scientific Institute botanist? Where were her favorite spots for wildflowers? Do they still exist?
Garrett will tell about the life of late-19th-Century botanist and teacher, Emma Cole, and describe the work he and Dr. David Warners are doing with Calvin University students to rediscover Emma’s haunts and assess their natural quality today. There are interesting surprises as we don our “sleuthing” hats, grab our hand lenses, and observe the impact of more than 125 years of growth and development on the natural landscape in the greater Grand Rapids area.
