Herb Festival Programming at Pioneer Woman

Oklahoma, A Botanical Crossroads
Oklahoma’s location in a major ecological transition zone of North America provides a number of different habitats that support a rich diversity of plant life. Take a botanical tour of the state and learn about its plant communities past and present, some of its interesting botanical citizens, and what the future may hold for the plants of Oklahoma.

Have You Thanked A Green Plant Today?
Plants are an important part of daily life, from the herbs we use to flavor our meals to medicines that save lives. In this presentation, Dr. Gibson will talk about some of the important and odd things plants do and why they do them, how plants and people depend on one another, and a brief look at the botanical history of Ponca City.

Free with museum admission.

Raised in Ponca City, Phil Gibson Ph.D. earned degrees in Botany and Ecology from Oklahoma State University, the University of Georgia, and the University of Colorado. He has worked at the Smithsonian Institution and the University of Colorado Mountain Research Station. He was Chair of the Biology Department at Agnes Scott College, and is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology and the Department of Biology at the University of Oklahoma. Dr. Gibson is currently Director of the Kessler Atmospheric and Ecological Field Station at OU and Chair of the Education Committee for the Botanical Society of America.