On April 2, 2022, the Herbarium team participated in Ranch Day, a kids event at the National Ranching Heritage Center (NRHC) here in Lubbock!
Ranch Day was in its 53rd year, and is one of the best times to visit the NRHC because all of the authentic ranch houses are on display with folks in period clothes and plenty of activities in Ranching History, Ranching Skills, and Ranching Science. Our activity started with information about Herbaria and specimens, and we covered why it is important for ranchers to know about plants too - to ID grasses and poisonous/dangerous plants. We had example specimens, including our fern from 1892.
Kids could then prepare their very own “herbarium specimen” by selecting from a variety of pressed plants collected around Lubbock. The NRHC provided us with construction paper, glue sticks, and index card so students could label their specimens. We also had protective plastic sleeves to keep the specimens safe as they explored the rest of Ranch Day!
This event was threee years in the making, as we first attempted to attend Ranch Day in April 2019, only to have a cancelation due to sleet, followed by two COVID-imapcted years. Luckily, we still had over 300 pressed plants as spring is quite late this year. We’re already looking forward to Ranch Day 2023!
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| The herbarium team at Ranch Day, from left: Kelly Mata, Courtney Miller, Matt Johnson, Chase Bergeron, Yanni Chen |
Five lucky herbarium specimens on display |
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| Herbarium team explains the kids’ activity |
Example specimens prepared by herbarium team |