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Discover the Grounds: Plants as Cultural Icons

Class/Workshop
Bellows/Cassatt Rooms
FREE
This event has passed
persimmons on a branch

Discover the fascinating, beautiful, and practical sides of the museum’s natural setting in this free, nature-themed class!

Led by the Trails and Grounds duo of Landscape and Outdoor Experience Manager Samantha Best and Manager of Horticulture Operations Joanna Mentzer, each month you’ll explore a new aspect of the natural world and see for yourself how it can inspire, inform, and shape our connection to nature. Best of all, you’ll learn practical applications to help you more easily and sustainably care for your own outdoor space.

This month, we’re taking a look at what spicebush, Osage orange, and persimmon have in common with Marilyn Monroe, Smokey the Bear, and apple pie—and the answers might surprise you. The Ozarks are home to American icons that can tell stories about our cultural history and evoke personal memories. Join Samantha as she discusses the folklore behind plants of the Ozarks and beyond.

See you there!

Free, tickets required. Reserve your spot online or by calling Guest Services at (479) 657-2335 today.

 

About the Instructor

Samantha Best 

portrait of samantha best

Samantha is a passionate advocate for connecting people to outdoor spaces. Using design, storytelling, and usually lots of hand-waving, she loves to welcome people into nature while showing them ways to become intimately connected to it. You can often find her on the trails eating flowers, wandering with her eyes toward the tree canopy, or intently analyzing a site. Occasionally she’s been known to pull aside someone on the trail to have them touch, smell, or taste a plant, so if you see her on the trails, beware!