Botany class visits The Birmingham Botanical Gardens – Department of Sciences & Mathematics

Michael Dodson’s BSB 251 Botany class took a group trip to visit the Birmingham Botanic Gardens on 18 November 2024.

Botany students standing in front of wall with a Birmingham Botanical Garden sign.

Mr. Dodson’s students applied the botanical skills of plant identification and plant anatomy they had learned throughout the semester to new and exotic plants found at the botanical garden, like the Dawn Redwood, as well to the native plants there like the Big Leaf Magnolia.

Two students and an instructor bent over, examining plant specimens on a trail.

Two students reaching into a tree to examine small berries, and a third student watching.

The class visited the various gardens within the facility, including the Japanese Garden, to experience different plant mixtures.

Eight students and an instructor standing in front of a grove of tall thin trees.

Eight students standing in front of a pagoda.

The class also made a stop at an International Grocery store in Birmingham to apply their flower and fruit identification skills with their produce section to see the variety of fruits and other plants that are used as food.

Student holding an Asian fruit in the aisle of a grocery store.

Students were quizzed on plant anatomy and identification skills in each setting.

Eight students standing around and examining a botanical display.

Three students examining the leaves of a tree.

With small, personalized upper-year classes, MUW can offer its Biology and other majors fun but illuminating experiences as part of our instruction.

Eight students on a sidewalk, waiting to enter a destination.

The trip was jointly funded by the MUW Department of Sciences and Mathematics and by the Mississippi Space Grant Consortium.