The public is invited to a program presented by Dr. Kelly Allred, retired NMSU professor and author ofFlora Neomexicana, the definitive compilation of the plant species that occur in New Mexico on Wednesday October 5th at 7:00 p.m. at the NM Museum of Natural History (1801 Mountain Rd. NW, Albuquerque),. He will discuss the often unknown back stories of our current understanding of the New Mexico flora, and our current efforts in revising the 2012 edition of Flora Neomexicana.
Dr. Kelly Allred has been enchanted by the plants of New Mexico since 1979, when he accepted a position at New Mexico State University to teach and research the native plants of our fair state. He is particularly fascinated by grasses, mosses, old botanists, and the magical monikers of our fabulous flora, which led him to produce the three volumes of Flora Neomexicana. His delight in natural history is conveyed by Charles Carryl:
Then we gather as we travel,
Bits of moss and dirty gravel,
And we chip off little specimens of stone;
And we carry home as prizes
Funny bugs, of handy sizes,
Just to give the day a scientific tone.
Dr. Allred is also the author of “A Field Guide to the Grasses of New Mexico” now in its third edition, which has allowed the students and citizens of New Mexico to vastly improve their understanding of the grasses.
A short chapter meeting precedes the talk. Native plant books will be on display and available for purchase. This free public program is sponsored by the Albuquerque Chapter, Native Plant Society of New Mexico. More information about the organization is available at www.npsnm.org.
