Joined Wild Ones: March 19th, 2014
Board Term: 2023-2026
Serves on:
Contact Wild Ones: [email protected]
Chapter: Wild Ones Red Cedar (MI) Chapter
Chapter Role: Plant Sale/Seed Swap Chair
Favorite Native Plant: Anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum)
About:
Carolyn received her bachelor’s degree in botany and plant pathology from Michigan State University. She is currently working on her master’s degree in biology at Miami University (Ohio), where her focus is developing innovative ways to inspire urban residents to landscape with native plants to help support native pollinators. She also currently serves as the plant recorder for Michigan State University, spending much of her time mapping and recording data for all the trees and shrubs across more than 5,000 acres of campus. Prior to this position, she was curator of plant collections at the Naples Botanical Garden (Naples, Florida), where she was involved in procuring plant material for a major garden expansion. After returning to her hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan, she became involved with the Wild Ones River City – Grand Rapids Chapter. During this time, her quest to learn more about and promote native plants took flight. Upon relocating to Lansing, Michigan, she became the program coordinator for the Wild Ones Red Cedar Chapter and currently coordinates the chapter’s native plant sales. In addition, she is president of the Wildflower Association of Michigan and the recording secretary for the Michigan Botanical Society. When she’s not botanizing or transforming unproductive lawns into productive pollinator habitat, she can be found spearheading efforts to remove invasive plants from local habitats.
What inspired you to become involved with Wild Ones:
After living in Florida for eight years, I returned to my home state of Michigan and wanted to connect with organizations focused on ecology and the environment. I enrolled in the Michigan Master Naturalist program and learned about Wild Ones. I immediately signed up, started attending meetings and never looked back. I was thrilled to be involved with an organization that informed and encouraged people to use native plants and protect the unique habitats we have.