Thursday, June 27, 2024

Whether you stroll through a shaded park or hike deep into the woods on the Olympic Peninsula, look a little closer and you will encounter beguiling bryophytes on your journey. Bryophytes are mosses, liverworts and hornworts that thrive in our moist environment adding to our area’s biodiversity and beauty.

Join natural science educator Barbara Blackie for the Green Thumb Education Series presentation, “Small but Beautiful: Bryophyte Ecology and Diversity,” and learn more about the important role these lovely, overlooked plants play in our ecosystem.

Barbara will explore some of the botanical distinctions among the three groups of bryophytes and will offer some tools to help you identify several common types. She’ll also delve into the important ecological roles that bryophytes play in our local forests, streams and mountains.

Barbara has lived on and explored the Olympic Peninsula for many decades. Currently she teaches natural sciences, including botany, at Peninsula College and natural history of the Pacific Northwest at Western Washington University College of the Environment – Salish Sea Region. Previously she was a research specialist with the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary; Program Director with Olympic Park Institute (a.k.a. NatureBridge); a backcountry ranger and biological technician Olympic National Park; and a biological technician for Glacier Bay National Park and Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. Barbara holds a master’s degree in Wildlife Science from Oregon State University, a Master of Education Degree from Lesley University and a bachelor’s degree in Zoology from Miami University. She loves to share the beauty of often overlooked elements of our natural history with others.

The Green Thumb Education Series presentation “Small but Beautiful: Bryophyte Ecology and Diversity” will be held in person on Thursday, June 27 from noon – 1 p.m. at St. Andrews Episcopal Church, 510 E. Park Ave., Port Angeles. Or you may join via Zoom from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://wsu.zoom.us/j/93629898830?pwd=UnRkYjdwSGNmTnA4Y2hxVFBuRHVkZz09

Meeting ID: 936 2989 8830,

Passcode: 676224

Or join by phone: 253-215-8782

The Green Thumb Education Series, sponsored by the Washington State University Clallam County Master Gardeners, is held on the second and fourth Thursday of each month through October. In November, December, and January, one lecture is offered. Scheduled presentations are subject to change. Visit the WSU Extension Clallam County website calendar for the latest information on upcoming presentations. For questions, call 360-565-2678.