Fall 2009 NEWS
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Wellesley College Friends of Horticulture Fall 2009 NEWS Wellesley’s Women of Botany by Gail Kahn, WCFH Administrative Manager Photographs courtesy of Wellesley College Archives Wellesley College’s history in botanical science is as long-standing as the College; a rich, many-stranded legacy molded in large part by its women botany faculty. This is an introduction to these women – some well-known, others less familiar – who shaped the early direction and resources for plant science at Wellesley. We are all benefi ciaries of their achievements whether Wellesley alums, other College community members, or visitors to the Wellesley College Botanic Gardens. A Legacy of Research list of what she wanted for Wellesley. With Durant’s fi nancial n 1875 Henry Durant, Wellesley backing, Hallowell developed College’s founder, made a the department’s herbarium, commitment to a female professoriate I built up the botany library, and Back of photograph taken at Miss Ferguson’s home: and to the education of women in provided modern lab equipment Botany Department 46 Dover Road, Wellesley science. He became acquainted with including a microscope for each Back Row – left to right Mrs. Pulling, Haining, Mayne Susan Hallowell through her work in student. Most importantly, she (grad), Sawyer, Davis, Ferguson, Bliss, Seelye the Harvard laboratories of Louis Agassiz instituted a teaching methodology Front row – left to right Thomas, Moore, Clark, and Asa Gray. Like many of this fi rst centered upon research. Th e Bancroft, Dr. Pulling, Nathan P. generation of American September 20, 1922 Botany Department’s section women scientists, of the 1877-8 College calendar states, Hallowell did not arranged to send all her fi rst year botany “Students are encouraged to make have a Ph.D. students to a Wellesley College art independent observations and self reliant or a string teacher for a weekly lesson in watercolor. searches; and, avoiding hasty inference of research “Quickened powers of observation from partial data, to form judgments papers. resulted – no doubt, the purpose of the of things noted, and correctly describe However, she course,” said Louise North, class of 1879. the results of their observations.” was a gifted A Legacy of Scientists organizer and In the early years of the College, Henry instructor. Durant invited the great British plant In Susan Hallowell the College had a Appointed explorer Sir Joseph Hooker to tour forceful personality intent on building by Durant as Wellesley’s laboratories and classrooms. the nascent department’s strength in Chair of Natural Hooker commended Susan Hallowell on botanical science. At Wellesley, as at History, Hallowell quickly realized that the laboratory research being undertaken many women’s colleges, the early female this was too large an academic area. She by her students. When he informed her faculty developed a close community divided the discipline into zoology and that botany students in England were with each other and with promising botany and chose to become Chair of taught watercolor painting, Hallowell Continued on page 6 Botany, her particular area of interest. In 1927, botanist C. Stuart Gager praised her insight to create a While awaiting Wellesley’s College Department of Botany at a time when “professors of botany were almost Hall to be completed and the College as scarce as blue roses. Wellesley was in the front rank of pioneers in to open, Susan Hallowell visited many colleges to study their laboratories America in the establishment of her Chair of Botany in 1878, and was and libraries, forming a shopping probably the fi rst woman’s college in the world to have a separate chair.” Fall 2009 Page 1 Notes from the Director Fall 2009 – Hello from Wellesley! e had a somewhat cool, dry, and late spring this year, hand-pollinating fl owers and followed by a very wet June and July. Many of our bagging developing fruits before Wtrees were defoliated, mostly by winter moths, and they explode and release their the extra rain helped them to leaf out for a second time once seeds – this is the kind of summer the moth caterpillars pupated. Th ere have also been lots of experience that set me on a path rabbits and far more deer sightings on campus than in previous towards becoming a fi eld biologist. years. Butterfl y numbers seem lower so far, but I did see a Two other pairs of students are clear-winged hawkmoth (always a thrilling sight!) sharing a gaining hands-on experience Monarda fl owerhead with a bumblebee in the butterfl y garden. with plants here this summer: Bumblebees and solitary bees seem plentiful, despite the addition Christina Tran ’11 and Danielle of several colorful hives of honeybees in the Arboretum, part of Good ’11 are our Botanic Gardens new biology professor Heather Mattila’s research. (see page 3.) interns, working with our staff Botanic Gardens interns A big spring highlight was the Smoothie Night – Spring to identify and remove invasives, Danielle Good (left) and Break Preview in the greenhouses, where desert plants were mulch, water, transplant seedlings Christina Tran (right) coming into bloom, forced branches from the gardens and and cuttings, and generally get check out the farm garden bulbs in bloom supplied a taste of spring in March, and lots to know the plants indoors behind the greenhouses. of students crowded in to see! Th ere were lines out the door, and out. Th ey are also doing See page 4 for story. Gail had to run out for more supplies, and Friends volunteers projects of their own – Christina kept churning out smoothies to over 100 students per hour. is testing the lead-accumulating It was especially great to see Horticulture students showing abilities of mustard plants grown in diff erent soils, and Danielle friends around “their” greenhouses, pointing out plants is learning about plants that produce spices in preparation whose stories they knew. We hadn’t asked them to do this, for this year’s Greenhouse Light Show: Spice of Life. but seeing that made me think we should tap their energy New this year are two Farm Fellows, Samantha Lowe ’10 and excitement as docents for the spring show next year… and Tyler Blangiardo ’09, planting and tending the student Th e spring also brought nice additions to the outdoor gardens. farm plots on the “North 40” and in the courtyard garden Johanna Lake’s poetry walk (profi led in the previous newsletter) behind the greenhouses. We’ve had a couple of summer fi eld went up, in its more permanent incarnation and booklets trips to local farms, including a very inspiring trip to Christy providing the complete poems excerpted on the signs were set out Raymond’s beautiful, organic White Barn Farm (Christy is in new brochure boxes made by David Scott the granddaughter of Liz Raymond ’44, one of our most of the North Quabbin Woods sustainable dedicated volunteers). Students from the Horticulture class, forestry collaborative, out of local Northern who had grown lettuces and herbs from seed and propagated White Cedar. Two of these boxes hold garlic and scallions, were thrilled to add their plants to the poem booklets and maps of the Botanic farm plots. Next year the class will start more farm crops Gardens, one holds the journal from Laura from seed in the greenhouses, strengthening connections Steven’s Favorite Spot project at Paramecium between the fl edgling farm and the college curriculum. Pond (dozens of people have added their Th is fall brings two long-term projects to the Botanic Gardens. thoughts to the journal that Laura started We will be part of a small network of botanic gardens across the and put out by the bench in May), one holds butterfl y garden U.S. establishing matching “climate change gardens” in a project informational brochures, and the last does the same for the managed by the Chicago Botanic Garden (whose President is dwarf conifer garden. Visitors can now take self-guided tours a Wellesley alumna: Sophia Siskel ’91). Also, we are working and do the poetry walk, anytime and at their leisure. We keep with Dave Jacke, author of “Edible Forest Gardens,” to develop having to refi ll the boxes, so they seem to be doing their job! an edible forest garden and a natives-only forest garden, for Th e Science Center is humming with 104 students doing comparison. Both of these projects are full of possibilities for research this summer. Botany Fellow Alden Griffi th and I are co- class research and student independent research projects, and both mentoring two students: Brachi Schindler ’11 is studying insect lend themselves to volunteer involvement. You’ll hear more about colonization on the green roof garden, and Melanie Kazenel ’10 these as they develop this year. I am also excited to welcome the is characterizing the soil and vegetation in the meadow below the fi rst Dorothy Th orndike Intern. It’s going to be a fun year! Observatory, in preparation for a long-term experiment in edible Best wishes for a beautiful fall season, forest gardening. Alden also has two students helping with his research on how invasive plants infl uence the pollination success Kristina Niovi Jones, Director of native plants: Alexandra Hatem ’12 and Sooyeon Kho ’11 Wellesley College Botanic Gardens are setting up experimental plots, observing pollinator behavior, [email protected] 781-283-3027 Page 2 Friends of Horticulture Bees in the Annex by Heather Mattila Assistant Professor, Biological Scincece Department reproduction than colonies that nimals that live in social groups often forage as a have limited genetic diversity. Th e collective for resources that they then share. Th e goal of the summer Acoordination of foraging eff ort becomes particularly experiment in the Annex intriguing when large groups are faced with the challenge greenhouse is to determine of executing an effi cient search using individuals who have the importance of a genetically diverse social environment limited cognitive capacity, as occurs in colonies of social for galvanizing the foraging and communication activity Hymenoptera (bees, ants, and wasps).