MNPS Monthly Program: Tools for learning the Flora of Maryland

Tools for learning the Flora of Maryland: The Flora of the Southeastern United States and other resources

Speakers: Alan Weakley, Scott Ward, & Michael Lee.

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Maryland has a surprising diversity considering its small area! We are still learning a lot about the plants of Maryland, with new species discovered and described, new distribution records of native species, additional non-native species becoming naturalized (and in some cases invasive), better understanding of habitats, and more. At the Southeastern Flora Project, we’re synthesizing that information, developing better identification tools, and providing “a 21st century flora” to help people understand the natural world around them. We’ll explore the diversity of the Southeastern flora, the foundations for that diversity, and the processes of real change in the flora and change in our understanding and classification of that flora. We’ll also discuss the complementary values of different “knowledge repositories” and information sources about the plants of Maryland: herbaria, iNaturalist and other machine-learning apps, printed floras, the Maryland Biodiversity Project, wildflower guides, flora apps, websites, databases, and data compilations. How can we best learn, appreciate, and conserve Maryland’s rich natural heritage?

Alan Weakley. Alan is Director of the UNC Herbarium (NCU) and Team Leader of the Flora of the Southeastern United States Project (FSUS). Since 1977, he’s been discovering biodiversity, working to see natural areas conserved and managed, conducting plant taxonomy research, teaching about Southeastern biological diversity in many venues, and working to provide better floras for the region. Michael Lee. For over 20 years, Michael has worked at the intersection of data and plant sciences, with a focus on developing databases and implementing data tools in a way that enables efficient research and decision-making. He does a lot of database design and programming on many data platforms, statistical programming in R, and effective webapps and tools using HTML5. Scott Ward. Scott is a research botanist who has studied plants and their communities from Canada to the Florida Keys. His background has focused on wetland monitoring, plant community ecology, invasion ecology and rare plant demography. His current work with the Southeastern Flora Team helps develop and improve upon current flora tools and resources in the Flora of the Southeastern United States. In addition, Scott's teaching and outreach helps to demystify plant identification and provide easier access to botany education.

We can accommodate the first 300 people who enter the Zoom meeting at the meeting time. After you register, you will receive a registration confirmation email with a link to the Zoom meeting. Registering does not guarantee a space in the Zoom meeting. 

Zoom opens at 7:00PM for pre-program board update and member Q&A. Presentations begin at 7:30PM and generally run until 8:45PM. 

The program is free and open to the public.

This will be recorded and available on our Webinars page.

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