Whether you stroll through a shaded park or hike deep into the woods on the Olympic Peninsula, look a little closer and you will encounter beguiling bryophytes on your journey. Bryophytes are mosses, liverworts and hornworts that thrive in our moist environment adding to our area’s biodiversity and beauty. Join natural science educator Barbara Blackie for the Green Thumb Education Series presentation, “Small but Beautiful: Bryophyte Ecology and Diversity,” and learn more about the important role these lovely, overlooked plants play in our ecosystem.

The 2024 Green Thumb Education Series presentation will be held in person on Thursday, June 27th from noon – 1:00 p.m. at Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 510 E Park Ave, in Port Angeles and will be broadcast live via Zoom.

Find a direct link to the live presentation here.

Or join by phone: 253-215-8782

Meeting ID: 936 2989 8830

Passcode: 676224

Barbara will explore some of the botanical distinctions among the three groups of bryophytes and will offer some tools to help you identify several common types. She’ll also delve into the important ecological roles that bryophytes play in our local forests, streams and mountains.

Barbara has lived on and explored the Olympic Peninsula for many decades. Currently she teaches natural sciences, including botany, at Peninsula College and natural history of the Pacific Northwest at Western Washington University College of the Environment – Salish Sea Region. Previously she was a research specialist with the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary; Program Director with Olympic Park Institute (a.k.a. NatureBridge); a backcountry ranger and biological technician Olympic National Park; and a biological technician for Glacier Bay National Park and Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. Barbara holds a master’s degree in Wildlife Science from Oregon State University, a Master of Education Degree from Lesley University and a bachelor’s degree in Zoology from Miami University. She loves to share the beauty of often overlooked elements of our natural history with others.