Pressed Plants – BIOL F190: Intro to Alaska Flora

Attached are photos of my pressed plants as well as my foraging them. I was lucky in that some friends were moving so I went to their house and they dug up some plants they bought from a nursery two hours away that were supposed to be native. Of course, when I ID’d them for the label I came across several articles saying they were invasive. Still- they are beautiful and for a short period until I can find them a home- so is my fire escape.

My friend digging up their Bee Balm instead of taking English Ivy. Bee Balm doesn’t flower in the “gardens” b/c there isn’t enough sunlight between the buildings blocking it.

Author: Pierette Imbriano

My name is Pierette Imbriano, but it would be great if you could call me Pier. I have always been interested in ethnobotany but didn’t have the language to know and articulate it. I was fascinated by natural survival although can’t claim the brave title of survivalist like others in the program. I have worked on farms and obtained a license in aromatherapy where I can practice medicinally. I grew up in a small town in the suburbs, lived briefly in a rural area and for the majority of my life in cities. I’m currently a Brooklynite in New York City but have lived in various places where I learned to love at times being a naturalist, other times a pragmatist and many times just simply adapting. I hope to learn how indigenous cultures live sustainably and interact with botany. I also hope to be able to adapt these lessons on a larger scale that I can transfer to city planning in NYC, accomplishing sustainable climate & culturally friendly universal trends that can be incorporated on individual and greater levels. I want to reunite with my love of wild plants and ecosystems, while engaging on an intellectual level but mostly appreciating people and living beings w/instinct and common sense on a social, ecological, culturally sensitive/relevant level that will also provide insight into basic economic community insights. While my passion for plants is primarily around the medicinal use, I’m hoping to broaden that view again and love making pragmatic items such as baskets and clothes, toys and jewelry as I had in Minto, AK. I’m looking to understand the socio-economic cultural and ecological connections on many levels from basic necessities to adornments/enhancements, transportation, infrastructure and more. But I’m also looking for other skills. I want to know how to document individual studies and their connection/relativity to each other in a way I can share where appropriate and approved by the culture and especially in a way where I can pick it up and jump right back into the information in 10 years as if no time had passed. I’m especially excited to learn from each person in this course- everyone is so unique. The material is amazing and I have no doubt meeting everyone in person during field study will be awe-inspiring.

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One comment

Stefanie Ickert

July 15, 2021 at 11:17 am 3 years ago

Excellent job on these Pier! Love the images of your friends digging up their plants and sharing them with you. Well done on the labels too, great job! All the info is there and the pressing turned out nicely too!

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Author: Pierette Imbriano

One comment