In our introduction to botany and common plants, we started by learning the background of all plants. In a pavilion adjacent to the parking lot we learned about how chloroplasts formed, as well as photosynthesis as a whole. We then learned about the different classifications of plants and how they arose. Field Ecologist Steve Langdon told us how to differentiate trees from bushes and shrubs. Then he told us how the plants we have today evolved from algae (generally) using a cladogram that had landmark events such as “developed vascular tissue” to show what changed between the featured species. Additionally he added factoids such as the fact that there were 4000 species of graminoids, including 220 sedges and 278 grasses in New York alone. After this we headed down the Boreal Life trail, with Steve checking out plants along the trail. He referenced Ethnobotany as he showed us how Dogbane was used by indigenous populations as twine. He also showed us how to Identify different conifers, explaining how the needles of a Red/Black Spruce are 4 sided, while the needles of a Balsam Fir are 2 sided. While these two trees have needles that arise from the stem, White Pine has fascicles of 5 needles that arise from the stem. He told us other factoids such as the fact that you can use Striped Maple or Witch Hobble as toilet paper. He also told us how some of these plants interact with the surrounding animals, such as how moose scrape the bark off of Striped Maple/Moosewood, and how Pitcher Plants are insectivores. He also told us about other trees such as the American Beech and the Eastern Hemlock. Lastly, in the forest he bent down and showed us many other small plants such as the symbiotic Indian Pipe, the Downy Rattlesnake Plantain, which prefers very specific conditions, and the Indian Cucumber-Root. We then went to the bog, the environment in which Steve specializes in. He explained to us that one of the reasons why there was a lack of common upland plants inside of the bog was the acidity of the soil, which was around 4. He shoved his whole hand into the bog and pulled out a sopping wet handful of peat moss, which he explained was not yet decomposed plant material. The rate of decomposition was greatly slowed due to the wetness of the bog. He said that peat moss held ⅓ of soils carbon worldwide. He identified the common plants inside of the bog such as the Sphagnum Moss, the Black Spruce, Tamarack and the Pitcher Plant, but he had to cut his presentation short as we were running short on time.