A Field Study of Prairie/Range Plants
607 -- 2 or 4 cr. hr.
Friday, 15 June and Friday, 13 July 2007*
*note: instructor reserves right to revise dates that are published in the summer schedule
IF you need a grade issued at the end of Summer Session, you must submit your collection by 15 July. 
Otherwise, you will receive an "I" -- and those collections will be due by 1 December. Most people take this option.

You should begin your collecting ASAP -- check out plant press before June class from
Dr. Nicholson (AH 311) or Sheila (AH 302).
(NOTE: our plant press must be returned or course grade will be "U".)  
 

 

Ellis County Road Names  (requires Adobe Acrobat)

Map of Location of University Pastures (requires Adobe Acrobat)  NOTE: Areas are in cross-hatch - you must have a written permit from the instructor to gain access. Walk in only. Park OFF the road.

Map of FHSU Campus

 

Checklist of Required Gear to bring to Class Field Trips :  clipboard with note-taking paper, 2-3 rubber bands, pencil, pen, scotch tape with pocket-sized dispenser or equivalent 3-4 old magazines, e.g. Newsweek (avoid selecting magazines with pictures that might unduly distract the teacher!) sharp knife or small pruning shear -- you will want to acquire small reference specimens on our field trips, but procuring specimens for your collection will have to be done on your own time wear boots (no exceptions) repellent for ticks, chiggers, and insects container of drinking water picnic lunch, soft drink, etc. please be prepared for the weather conditions, e.g. jacket, hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, rain gear, etc.! restroom facilities on field trips will be very limited and primitive

•  

Collecting of Specimens:

• keep a field diary of all collecting activities and number each specimen collected
• herbaceous specimens must be dug with a shovel, roots washed, dried, and pressed
• woody specimens must be cut cleanly with a pruning shear or sharp knife
• in the field, prevent deterioration of specimens by using a vasculum for temporary storage until mounting

specimens must be small enough to fit mounting medium; some large specimens may be folded or sectioned before mounting
 
 

Pressing and Drying of Specimens:

• plant press/dryer is required. A loaner may be checked-out, or better yet, construct (plans will be provided) or purchase your own
• place loaded press/dryer in wind and sun or on air conditioner heat exchanger
• check specimens in press daily, tighten straps

specimens must be flat and dry before mounting
•  

Mounting of Specimens--All specimens should* be mounted (glued) on one or more of the following media:

• standard 11.5"x16.5" herbarium sheets (will be provided)
• sheets in 3-ring notebooks
• mounted on heavy paper with punched holes
• mounted on light-colored paper in plastic sheet protectors
• laminated on paper in clear plastic (doesn't require gluing)

laminated in heavy plastic only (can be viewed from either side)
*unmounted specimens are acceptable if each is in a separate folded newspaper including a complete label.

 

A label must be attached in the lower right-hand corner of each mount with:

• common name of specimen
• scientific name of specimen
• habitat of specimen
• locality of where specimen was procured (e. g. mileage and direction from nearest town)
• name of collector

date specimen was procured
 

Each mount must display only a single specimen having the following structures (do not combine parts from different specimens):

• flower and/or fruiting structures
• leaves
• stems (including stolons or rhizomes, if the species normally has such a structure)

root system (excepting woody plants)
•  

Submitting of Collection:

• at least one specimen of at least 50 different species of flowering plants must be submitted and the field diary
• due date for submitting collection: anytime between the last day of the summer session and the last day of the fall semester (incomplete grade will be given until collection is submitted)

more detail on the collection will be provided on the first day after the field trip
 
 
 

Kansas Wildflowers (by Mike Haddock)

Local List (Excel spreadsheet format)

Link to Field Guide to Common Local Rangeland Plants  (MS-Word format)

 Join the KANSAS NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY
(FKA KANSAS WILDFLOWER SOCIETY)

Some suggested references in no particular order (most of these should be available at the Sternberg Book Store):

Pasture and Range Plants	Wildflowers and Grasses of Kansas: A Field Guide	Grasses of So. OK and No. TX: A Pictorial Guide	Weeds of the West	Roadside Wildflowers of the Southern Great Plains	Tallgrass Prairie Wildflowers	Kansas Prairie Wildflowers	Flora of the Great Plains
Phillips Petroleum Co., 1963 FHSU Alumni Assoc. ($22.00) Custer Hall, FHSU 600 Park Hays, KS 67601 P: 785-628-4430 F: 785-628-4191	Michael John Haddock April 2005 384 pages, 325 color photographs, 18 drawings, 5-1⁄2 x 9-1⁄2 Paper ISBN 0-7006-1370-6, $19.95 http://www.kansaspress. ku.edu/book5.html	Coffey, Chuck R., and Russell L. Stevens. 2004. The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, Inc. Ardmore, OK. www.noble.org ISBN 0-9754303-0-0	Whitson, Tom D., Ed., 1992 The Western Society of Weed Science.  $19.50. Order directly from:  Bulletin Room P. O. Box 3313 Laramie, WY 82071-3313.  Make checks Payable to: Ag Revolving ISBN: 0-941570-13-4	Freeman, Craig C. and Schofield,Eileen K., 1991 University Press of Kansas Lawrence, KS 66045 ISBN: 0-7006-0448-0	Ladd, Doug, 1995 Falcon Press Publishing Co., Inc P O Box 1718 Helena, MT 59624 ISBN: 1-56044-299-9	Owensby, Clenton E., 1980 Iowa State University Press Ames, IA 50010 ISBN: 0-8138-0850-2	McGregor, Ronald, Coord. and  T. M. Barkley, Editor, 1986 University Press of Kansas Lawrence, KS 66045 ISBN: 0-7006-0295-X approx. $60.00