Silver Spring, MD Herbarium Looking for a Good Home! 50 years ago, students and staff from Howard University collected plants from Wheaton Regional Park in Silver Spring, MD and carefully preserved them according to botanical protocol, as herbarium sheets. The total collection now fills three large plastic bins. The sheets are still in good condition, and the plants accurately identified. They include trees and forbs, woodland flowers and shrubs. Most seem to be native. Three years ago, another plant survey was made in the 500 acre park by Howard University students. It may be possible to compare the results of the recent and past survey. The collection is an invaluable resource for assessing how the plant population in the park has changed over time due to various influences. It also may be used to identify extant species. The naturalist staff at Brookside Nature Center would be very happy to see this collection preserved digitally and used thereafter by those who can appreciate the stories it has to share.
If interested in viewing the collection and/or acquiring it, please contact Park Naturalist Geri Drymalski at 301-962 -1486. Thank you!
