Linda Hardison is the leader of the Oregon Flora Project, based out of Oregon State University’s Herbarium. The Oregon Flora Project seeks to present scientifically sound information about the vascular plants of Oregon that grow without cultivation in formats that are useful to generalists as well as to scientists. With projects such as their interactive Oregon Plant Atlas, their smartphone app, and their upcoming book “A Flora of Oregon”, they are cultivating an invaluable resource for scientists and hobbyists throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Listen in to learn more about the Oregon Flora Project, the amazing benefits their research and data collection has on pollinators, and what’s in store for the future.

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“The Oregon Flora Project is striving to make information useful and relevant…to a broad sector of the population.“ – Linda Hardison

Show Notes:

• The mission of the Oregon Flora Project
• How the Oregon Flora Project benefits pollinators
• What started the project
• What benefits have been found in making the OFP database
• How Linda’s team streamlined the dichotomous key identification process
• How the Oregon Flora Project is taking advantage of new software and open-source platforms
• The exciting possibilities for citizen scientists to contribute
• What’s next for the Linda’s program
• How gardeners will benefit from a new development of Oregon Flora Project
• Why Linda’s favorite tool is a plastic bag

“A lot of people aren’t going to go to the effort and expense of making a plant specimen for a herbarium, so by having observations, the data sets are so much richer and so much more than if we had to rely only on specimens.“ – Linda Hardison

Links Mentioned:

• Learn more about the Oregon Flora Project
• Explore the Oregon Plant Atlas
• Check out their smartphone app
• Support the Oregon Flora Project
• Learn more about the Symbiota Software Project
• Check out Linda’s favorite book on Oregon’s plant life, “A Flora of Oregon”
• Connect with Linda Hardison at Oregon State University