20th Annual Student Research Conference
Science
A Guide to Common Plants at Thousand Hills State Park: Research and Production
Teresa D. Kerbawy
Dr. Elisabeth A. Hooper, Faculty Mentor
Published information about Missouri’s plants exists in formats ranging from single-page brochures aimed at the general public to multi-volume floras used primarily by professional botanists. Unfortunately, the general public is typically unaware of this large body of literature. Further, most available plant guides feature the entire state of Missouri while rarely emphasizing smaller regions of the state or public land such as state parks. In order to make botanical information more accessible to the general public, the production of a guide to common plants along various trails at Thousand Hills State Park in northeast Missouri began during the summer of 2006 as a research project for Truman State University’s STEP program. The project will continue until June of 2007. Production includes trail observation, photography, research of basic plant characteristics (e.g., plant locations, flowering times, uses etc.), and botanical illustration. This presentation addresses the continuing research and production of the guide.
Keywords: summer research, STEP Program, illustration, botany, biology, field guide, trail guide
Topic(s):Biology
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 29-3
Location: VH 1432
Time: 10:15 am