Green is in! You’re invited to another exciting free workshop at the Edith J. Carrier Arboretum and Botanical Gardens at James Madison University, and become an expert on one of our region’s garden favorites! The workshop Tuesday, October 14, 2008 from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM, at the Frances Plecker Education Center will focus on one of nature’s botanical show-offs!
It is said that, “nature produced ferns to prove what it could do with leaves.” The clearly seen erect parts of ferns are the leaves… but where is the stem? And what are all those little dots on the backs of fern leaves that are attractively arranged, even artistic? Are ferns flowering plants? Do they produce seeds? How do they reproduce? Have you ever heard of a frond, a fiddlehead, a sorus, a gametophyte? How many kinds exist? Where do they grow? Do they have value? 
The EJC Arboretum will offer a free workshop where Dr. Norlyn Bodkin will answer these questions and will include a hands-on element of the workshop using live specimens and herbarium sheets of species found in our region. You'll learn the secrets of this beautiful group of vascular plants found in diverse ecosystems throughout our planet, but that remain little known to most people. You’ll probe the mystery of ferns using a 20X hand lens and even a dissecting microscope to see fern structures. You’ll get to experience the method professional botanists use to identify plants: diagnostic keys. Keying uses a dichotomous method that will lead to solving the name of the subject species! And yes - keys are books! In this exciting way, you’ll learn to identify various fern species.
Attend this workshop with a friend or fellow garden enthusiast, and you’ll know the difference between ferns, fern allies, gymnosperms and angiosperms and have a great time in the learning process. You’ll broaden your understanding of how important ferns are and how they fit into plant ecosystems. And after attending this workshop, the ferns in your garden will be the most vibrant and green they can possibly be! For more information contact the Edith J. Carrier Arboretum and Botanical Gardens at (540) 568-3194.