VS meets "secret" botanical society

We introduced 70+ members of the Josselyn Botanical Society (JBS) to Vital Signs this morning at Bates College. It was a highly social and eclectic group of professional botanists, passionate amateurs, dragonfly & lichen experts, eager graduate students, environmental educators, and others with their hands, minds, and hearts deeply rooted in Maine's plant communities.

What resonated most with JBS was our commitment to engaging and connecting students with plants in meaningful, personal ways. Many are interested in joining the Vital Signs community to share their expertise, keep tabs on their favorite plants, and spark Maine's next generation of botanists!

We learned a lot from this group. Don Cameron, ecologist for the Maine's Natural Areas Program, took us on a beautifully entertaining and insightful tour of Maine's fungus, and encouraged us to just start looking close to home for these species.

Arthur Haines of the Delta Institute of Natural History and New England Wildflower Society convinced us that we should forage for invasive species. Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica), Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii), and beach rose (Rosa rugosa) are among those species that could give us all a nutritional or medicinal boost.

Welcome JBS! Thank you for making us smarter. Your secrets are safe with us!