Dr. Amy Freestone knows a little something about field research, having called Antarctica and Madagascar home while conducting hands-on research. That experience made her the perfect candidate to take on the role of Director of the new Temple University Ambler Field Station.
Today researchers from a variety of disciplines currently conduct research at the Ambler Campus in everything from urban hydrology and stormwater management to ecology and seismology. Now researchers from Temple and well beyond have a new home and access to a broad range of natural resources and technology.
Landscape Architecture senior Abigail Long, isn’t someone whose not willing to get her hands dirty. She’s not one to just wait around for something to come to her either. Rather than diving right in, Long said she took a few classes before joining the Landscape Architecture program, offered at Temple by the Tyler School of Art and Architecture.
Paige Levan’s life is currently all about striking a balance. Working toward her Psychology degree at Temple Ambler while also working full-time makes it a requirement.
Alexandra Carr is a Temple Owl through and through. In fact, she comes from a whole nest of Owls!
Monkey Brains in the Arboretum! Not really, but kind of. “Monkey Brains” is one of the common names for the lumpy, bumpy lime green fruit of the Osage Orange tree.
Some people are dog people. Others are cat people. Still others have a marvelous menagerie of furry, feathery and scaly friends. Sarah Naughton, a Certified Investigator Trainer at Temple University Harrisburg, took a decidedly different path.
Did you know there is National Moth Week! Moths range in size from smaller than your pinky nail like tube moths and fairy moths to the large sphinx and silkworm moths like the Waved Sphinx (gray above) and the Polyphemus (brown below). Both of these were found on the Arboretum grounds last summer.
What's in a name? Perhaps as you have been exploring the natural areas around you and learning the names of plants you have encountered some strange names. All plants have a scientific name. This is the name written in italics and it is the same all over the world. There is only one plant with this scientific name. Plants also have common names. These are names given to the plants regionally by the people who use the plant or grow the plant. While the scientific names of plants can be interesting in their own way, common names are often interesting too.
If you happen to take a walk into damp shaded woods, perhaps next to a creek or stream or along a boardwalk, you may encounter Skunk Cabbages (Symplocarpus foetidus).
