Young Ethnobotanist

Sister Karen and I somewhere in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a family vacation during the early 1960's. Great totem pole - and baseball cap. 

D Train

Gave my last lecture in our ethnobotany class (EEEB G4086) at Columbia University this morning. A full two hours on "Steps Toward the Sustainable Use of Plant Resources". And then a walk down 123rd to the subway station to get the uptown D train back to the Bronx. Nice day for a walk - and for bouncing around in a subway car. I ♥︎ NY. [NOTE: Still no visa letter for my upcoming trip to Myanmar. Sigh]. 

Learning the Names

I've always liked this photo.  This is Elysa and Don Manuel Chota in the arboretum at the Centro de Investigaciones de Jenaro Herrera (see Jenaro Herrera and Herbarium Specimens) in Peru going over the names of some of the trees.  Don Manuel was an amazing woodsman.  He not only knew the local names and uses of a large majority of the trees, but, after years of working with Swiss botanists, he also knew the Latin names.  What is not so visible in the photo is that Don Manuel also wore big, clunky, black glasses, and in later years his eyes started to fail him. You would have to describe the plant to him in great detail to get the name. [NOTE: Don Manuel's wife made my wedding cake].