Following in Fernald's Footsteps

Harvard botanist Merritt L. Fernald made many collecting trips to Virginia between 1934 & 1947 as part of his work on the 8th edition of Gray's Manual of Botany. On one occasion he wrote about Southeastern Virginia:

In spite of almost complete clearing, settling, and cultivating of many areas of Southeastern Virginia, there is still plenty yet to do for the botanist [...] Almost every wholly natural and unmolested spot has its isolated specialties. [Here] we can find the last remnants of what originally must have been the most varied and numerically the largest indigenous flora in the Manual range.

Today many of the plants and localities that Fernald found are under threat from development throughout the region. This article published in The Smithfield Times (PDF) aims to inform the residents of Southeastern Virginia about the rich and historic flora residing in their backyards with hopes that we may be able to conserve the interesting plants and habitats that remain in the area.