Herbarium Activities
The Herbarium sponsors a series of free public programs, including guided botanical walks, field trips, lectures, and mini-labs. These are offered on an occasional basis as time permits. Everyone is welcome. Announcements appear in local and campus newspapers, and are also sent to academic departments at Cornell.
Upcoming program:
"To Be Announced."
Tours
Herbarium staff also conduct frequent tours and demonstrations of herbarium techniques for Cornell University classes and visiting groups. If you would like to arrange a tour for your class or group, please contact us at herbarium@cornell.edu or through the Assistant Curator.
Previous Programs
The following programs were presented in the past (some may be repeated in the future):
Barbara McClintock at Cornell, a walking tour led by Lee B. Kass to visit a few Cornell facilties used by the Nobel Laureate. Also a stop a the Kroch Library to see archival material relating to her life and work (September 17, 2002).
Winter Greens and Reds, a slide lecture by Bob Dirig chronicling an early winter walk through a Catskill swamp to observe and enjoy the evergreens and red berries of the season (November 15, 2001 and December 10, 1996).
Bog Trip, a field trip for department members led by Doug Goldman to the Zurich Bog and Chimney Bluffs State Park in Wayne County, New York (June 6, 2001).
Flowers That Bloom in the Spring, a walk led by Ed Cope and Bob Dirig to the Mundy Wildflower Garden on campus (May 17, 2000).
Spring Flora and Lichens, a walk led by Ed Cope and Bob Dirig around Beebe Lake to observe wild flora and lichens (June 15, 1999).
Spring Flora of Beebe Lake Walk, led by Ed Cope and Bob Dirig around Beebe Lake to observe spring flora (May 19, 1998 and May 13, 1997).
The Fascinating World of Lichens, a slide lecture by Bob Dirig to discuss lichen forms, identification, ecology, and uses (November 11, 1997).
Autumn Tree Walk, led by Ed Cope around Cornell University campus to observe wild and cultivated trees in their Autumn leaf colors (October 14, 1997).
Late Summer Wildflower Walk, led by Ed Cope and Bob Dirig around the forested and marshy fringes of Beebe Lake, a favorite campus wetland (September 9, 1997 and September 10, 1996).
Plants That Poison, led by Ed Cope, a walk to a poisonous plant garden on campus (June 10, 1997).
Wild Plants That Attract Butterflies, a slide lecture by Bob Dirig about plants that serve as nectar sources and larval food plants for northeastern butterflies, with notes on butterfly biology and the history and theory of butterfly gardening (April 8, 1997).
Late Winter Botanical Walk, led by Bob Dirig and Ed Cope around the fringes of Beebe Lake to observe winter flora (March 11, 1997).
Cataloging Our Horticultural Heritage, a slide lecture by Sherry Vance, describing the history and uses of the Hortorium's collection of seed and nursery catalogs, a priceless historical archive of horticulture (February 10, 1997).
Conifer Walk, led by Ed Cope on the Cornell campus to observe native and cultivated conifers, followed by a mini-lab at the Herbarium to see microscopic characters useful in identification (November 12, 1996).
Native and Cultivated Oaks of Ithaca, led by Kevin Nixon on the Cornell campus, followed by a mini-lab at the Herbarium to observe microscopic characters used in identifying oaks (October 8, 1996).
