An unassuming set of cabinets in Hulings Hall holds a clear view into the past. Inside: 3,000 pressed plants—some with flowers, fruit, and roots intact—all collected locally. The most useful samples in Carleton’s herbarium, which Carleton’s biology professor Harvey Stork founded in the 1920s, are labeled with collector, date, location, and scientific name, while newer ones also include geolocation coordinates—data useful for scientists doing long-term research on topics from species diversity to range expansions.
“Over time you’ll be able to observe what might be attributed to climate change,” says Nancy Braker ’81, Puzak Family Director of the Cowling Arboretum. “Herbarium specimens can document changes in flowering time. For instance, we’re now seeing bloodroot bloom two or three weeks earlier on average than we were 50 years ago.”
