Category: Introductions

My name is Allison.  I have been an Alaska resident for almost 20 years.  I graduate high school in Anchorage, and started working seasonally around the state.  I’ve worked at Glacier Bay National Park, Talkeetna, and Denali National Park, where I fell in love (with the area and my partner) and have lived in Healy ever since.  I live with my partner, my wonderful dog, and very cuddly cat in our cozy home together.  We’ve been working hard this summer to expand our garden area, and have planted many flowers to attract beneficial insects and increase plant diversity.

I currently work in banking, though it is my dream to operate a market farm for cut flowers and vegetables.  Last summer, I attended a two week intensive farmer training course at Calypso Farm and Ecology Center in Ester, Alaska, including a basic introduction class on flower anatomy.

I am still waiting for my microscope to arrive in the mail, although I’ve received a macro lens that will do until it arrives.

I am so very excited for this course, and even though it is not a required course for my degree, I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to learn about the native plants and increase my knowledge on a subject I’m passionate about!

Hi everyone

My name is Jenny Burke and I’m taking the course from Lethbridge, Alberta. I am a biology instructor at the University of Lethbridge. I did my graduate work in botany and am currently involved in a number of botanical projects, the most exciting one involving cataloguing rare plants in Castle Provincial Park. I am always looking to ‘spruce up’ my plant identification skills and am very excited to see how the flora of Alaska compares to that of southern Alberta.

My household includes one son (Charlie, 8), one partner (John) and one puppy (Edie, 9 months). Charlie and Edie occasionally make it into my iNaturalist photos! I look forward to reading everyone’s posts and learning with you.

Hey Everyone!

I’m Erica and I’m from Prince of Wales Island in Southeast Alaska. Growing up there, my weaving teacher, elders, and family friends taught me how to identify the plants that grow there and their traditional uses. I moved to Anchorage, where I currently live, to attend university several years ago. And I’m working towards a BS in Math at UAA. Since living in Anchorage, I’ve picked up on some of the plants that grow in Southcentral. But it’s not as comprehensive as my knowledge of plants back home in Southeast. So that’s why I enrolled in this class (and it sounded fun). I’m also pretty bad at remembering scientific names, so I figured this class might help with that. I’m excited to see our plant observations and learn more about plant morphology.

This is a photo of my “microscope” set up. I ordered a macro lens as was suggested. However, I didn’t have the tools on hand to make a proper stand. So I just stacked some books and used the glass from picture frames I have at home. I also included an example from my set up–a jade plant cutting I’m attempting to propagate. You can see the little roots forming, so hopefully this cutting will be successful.

Hello my name is Shellbie Thompson. I am working on an associate in science degree. I have lived in Alaska for 15 years. I have a family of 7; wonderful husband, 3 beautiful babies and 2 dogs. We love to go outside and enjoy walks and fresh air whenever possible. I am looking forward to learning about Alaska flora.

I’m originally from Switzerland and have lived in Alaska for quite some time. In summer I run a hostel in Seward, where I meet travelers from all over the world. I enjoy hearing their stories and helping them to experience the area. I really appreciate living near the ocean and mountains. After all these years I still sometimes have to pinch myself and remind myself, how lucky we are to live where we live.
I usually spend winters at a cabin near the Matanuska Glacier, where I used to homeschool my children. They are both grown now, so I have more time to pursue my own goals. I enjoy being in the outdoors, hiking and camping, and I love learning about edible plants, food gathering and medicinal applications.

Here is the lens I am going to use on my phone, between two blocks.

Hello, my name is Chelsea Barnett. I am studying Natural Resource Management with a concentration in Plant Science. I am from Anchorage, Alaska but I have lived in Fairbanks for the past few years while going to UAF. I am looking forward to being able to spend more time looking at plants and learning about them with this class.

Hi my name is Alexandra Thomas, so glad to have finally figured out how to post! I am from Anchorage and am really excited about this course. I have always enjoyed learning the names of plants and trees, but am glad to be finally learning more about the plant types and systems.

For my macro lens set up I will be using the two levels of my desk. The upper level is the one where my macro lens will be placed and the lower is where the specimen will be placed.

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Hello, my name is Gooseberry Peter and I am a student in the Ethnobotany program. I live in Steele Creek and spend lots of time outdoors foraging for local plants and fungi. I have years of experience in field botany and horticulture, which has mainly taught me that I have much more to learn. I am very excited to be participating in this class and look forward to increasing my knowledge of Alaskan flora!

Here is my microscope set up, xenovo macro lens on a tablet with adjustable height boxes:

Hello everyone! I’m finally allowed to post on this website! My name is Rayna. I’m from the Norton Sound Region and am currently visiting home for the summer. I live in Fairbanks while I finish up my last year of my bachelor’s degree in biological sciences. Summer is my favorite time to harvest food from the land and I’m super excited about learning more about the plants that we harvest from. I think I’ve always been in love with the the flora of Alaska–I have a tattoo on the inside of my arm of Rubus chamaemorus (we call them salmonberries, but they’re more commonly known as cloudberries), Vaccinium vitis-idaea (cranberries or lingonberries), and Rhododendron groenlandicum (labrador tea.)

My microscope set up includes my attachable macro lens and a stand.