Field Botany: A Guide to Life

What was your favorite college class? Or something that you learned about and walked away from surprisingly hooked? For me, it was taking Field Botany my first semester of college. 

I still remember the early morning walks across the dew-covered wooded path to Western Campus, romanticizing what my college experience would be like. And I was lucky to have had an incredible four years: developing meaningful relationships, building community, travel, exploring creativity and new opportunities, all wrapped up with a satisfying well-rounded education and degree. I loved the chance to take a deep dive into learning various fields of study, and botany fit into my life like a missing puzzle piece.

From peeling away the layers of a birch tree to hailing from a hometown that celebrated the maple tree with the arrival of  maple syrup season to gardening and weaving flower crowns, I’ve always felt an intimate and familiar connection to nature. I loved the blend of art and science that Field Botany offered. I took as much care sketching my observations and note-taking as I did understanding the plants technical components and habitat characteristics. Get me going on a good day and I’ll gladly share a crash course on my knowledge of the Latin names of herbs and trees.

I went on to take additional botany courses during college, and even a few geology courses feeling a desire to become more knowledgeable of our natural world. These classes opened my eyes to impacts of pesticides and the policy-driven decision-making of our agricultural system. I learned about genetically-modified foods, and about organic produce and nutrition. My Field Botany class in turn set me down a path of wellness, environmental stewardship, and policy activism. 

I went on to major in other fields of interest, but kept these botany classes close to my heart. Today I still have my first field guides, and my entire collection of botanical sketches. After following a career path that began in government and then real estate and design, it was these botany classes that laid my professional foundation for sustainability. More on this for another time. 

The takeaway here for me is that even when life gets too loud to hear, our passions find a way of finding us again. I am finally dabbling back into producing some botanically-inspired art, and the natural world is central to Arcadian Revival. It’s incredible what can happen when we slow down and listen to our calling.