Cabinets of Curiosity: Herbarium Collection
Wed, Feb 5, 2025, 11am
Biological Sciences Building, Room 875
Twin Cities campus in St. Paul
If you have ever pressed a flower, you know something of the pleasure and significance of keeping a record of these once living plants and their personal significance for you. Now imagine more than 950,000 specimen records that focus strongly on the Upper Midwest but with worldwide representation and special attention to areas where faculty have conducted research, most recently in Papua New Guinea. Tim Whitfeld, collections manager of the University of Minnesota Herbarium, will share his knowledge of that amazing collection and explain its critical importance in the 21st century. Botanists study these pressed plants, individually and collectively, to establish a history of plant life, often over centuries, because they contain compelling evidence of the ever modulating geographical distribution of plants and evidence of how climate, pests, and other factors have changed species over time.
The Herbarium Collection, officially part of the Bell Museum, is tucked away in an upper story of the Biological Sciences Building on the U of M Twin Cities campus in St. Paul, close to the students and faculty who use its specimens for teaching and research. For an example of its public impact, see https://mspmag.com/arts-and-culture/bell-museum-resident-artist-alicia-de-la-cruz/ . If you are curious about these historic and ongoing practices of collecting, preserving, and engaging with plant materials, including pine cones and seeds as well as leaves and flowers, plan to join us on February 5 at 11:00 am or 1pm.
All spaces are full, but Jan will have a wait list. Contact her to if you wish to be notified of openings. Note there will be a $10 charge upon registration. Space is limited, so we are having two tours, at 11 a.m. and at 1 p.m., with a group lunch between tours for those who are interested. Be sure to select your preferred tour time. The $10 donation to the Herbarium will be used to help support student work. Further instructions on timing, directions and parking will be sent to those signed up.
At noon those who are interested will convene for lunch.
Questions? Contact Sally Gregory Kohlstedt ([email protected]), Jan Morlock ([email protected]), or Cathy Lee Gierke ([email protected]).
Cancellations: Cancellations and refunds will be honored until Friday, Jan 31, 2025.
Upcoming Events
Learn about writing memoirs, technology for seniors, campus architecture, and more at the fourth annual Age-Friendly University Day to be held in the McNamara Alumni Center on the Twin Cities campus in Minneapolis on Monday, June 23.
Professor Kathryn Pearson will be a special guest at the UMRA breakfast in June. This will be an opportunity to hear Professor Pearson’s perspective on President Trumps’s first 100 days, and to engage in discussion about what we, as individual citizens, can do in these challenging times for democracy.
Catch up with friends and former colleagues, meet new UMRA members, enjoy delicious food, and participate in the third annual UMRA Summer Social Quiz at the Como Lakeside Pavilion in St. Paul on Wednesday, June 25.
H is for Hawk: A Memoir on Grief and Falconry by Helen Macdonald, published 2016.
The UMRA Hiking Club will hike two wonderful county parks in Monticello, MN on Monday, July 7. Lynn Anderson will lead the hikes and we will meet at her home at 9:30 a.m. and carpool from there.
Our July 14 "hike" is a kayaking adventure on Bde Maka Ska (formerly Lake Calhoun) and Lake of the Isles led by Barb Friedman and Bev Moe.
The UMRA Book Club will discuss Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid when it meets via Zoom on July 18.
Bill Doherty's April Living Well Workshop, Dealing with differences in a polarized world, inspired many UMRA members. He has very graciously agreed to hold a Skills for Disagreeing Better workshop for us in July. You will learn about the values and concerns of the other political side and practice skills for communicating more effectively in the presence of disagreement.
Still Life by Louise Penny.
Join hike leader Nanette Hanks on August 4th for a “Trail in Two Cities” hike.
The UMRA Book Club will discuss Blue Ribbon by Karal Ann Marling when it meets via Zoom on August 15.
Join Larry Micek, hike leader, on August 18th for a hike at Lake Elmo Park Reserve, located at 1515 Keats Avenue North, Lake Elmo, MN.
You are invited–join other UMRA members and friends for a late summer river cruise, this year on the Saint Croix River, departing from Stillwater Riverboat Company dock. Our lovely 2.5 hour private charter cruise on the Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway includes lunch, a cash bar, and the excellent company of friends and colleagues.
Daytrip Stillwater in the afternoon with friends! Make a day of it.
The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald.