Ten students from Hialeah-Miami Lakes Senior High School visited Montgomery Botanical Center as part of the Fairchild Challenge’s Environmental Immersion Day.

The students participated in activities, focused on cycad biology with four rotations lasting approximately 50 minutes.  Judy Kay taught students about pollination and seed development of cycads, in theory and practice, collection of seeds, checking for embryos and viability, and pollen collection and storage. Vickie Murphy gave students hands on experience with cycad conservation practices in the nursery. Dr. Chad Husby introduced students to features that characterize cycads and differentiate them from other plant groups. Ericka Witcher took soil cores at different sites on the property and described the soil layers and their properties to the students.

One student is an aspiring botanist and was thrilled to be visiting a botanic garden for Environmental Immersion Day.  We were thrilled to expose such and interested group of young students to botany at MBC.