My name is Kristin Haney. I moved to Fairbanks 21 years ago to study NRM at UAF. I took Systematic Botany and as many plant related classes as I could during my first time around as a student. I have had lots of amazing experiences here in Alaska. I guided horseback tours in the Alaska Range for a few years. Beside riding horses, which I love, my favorite part of that ‘job’ was observing the incredible flora. Much of my employment and interests have been in agriculture. I worked on a market farm and in a commercial greenhouse. I am currently a research technician at the UAF Experiment Farm. My work involves grain breeding and soil/cover crop research. I am the director of Growing Ester’s Biodiversity Seed Library. This is a passion project and I enjoy every minute of it! I also enjoy gardening and berry picking with my family. I live with my husband and 3 boys in Ester.
My favorite plant is dogwood. My grandparents had a beautiful dogwood tree in their front yard. Every time I see our little Cornus canadensis it reminds me of them.
A patch of Cornus canadensis growing in my yard
Welcome Kristin,
sounds like you had a fun botanical journey. I hope we can add a few new tidbits to your knowledge and keep the excitement going. Cornus canadensis are amazing little dogwoods. They hold the world record of the fastest moving plant. Like a medieval catapult, the bunchberry dogwood shoots pollen grains into the air faster than the Venus flytrap can snap its jaws shut, giving this launcher the speed record for plants.”Most people think of plants as stationary and sedentary,” said Joan Edwards of Williams College. “We were even surprised how fast this flower opens.” The flower opens its petals and fires its pollen in less than 0.5 milliseconds. Watch the video here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFR17bX0noI