‘Plant lady’ identifies plants at Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge

By Kristen Forbes

The Beaverton Valley Times, Nov 27, 2009

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“It’s genetic through my grandmother, who had one of these green thumbs, and then my mother,” says Maffitt. “By age 10, I had my own corner of the backyard, and I was raising native plants. Now, my gardens love to grow plants.”

In addition to volunteering at the refuge, Maffitt also volunteers for the Berry Botanic Garden, a place she refers to as “Portland’s best-kept secret garden.” She is also on the Friends of the Herbarium board at Portland State.

Though she’s taken college courses in botany, Maffitt says most of her experience is more hands-on.

“I’ve gardened with native plants, so I have a real hand-on experience that a lot of the botanists don’t have. Typically, they go through the university system and might focus in on one family and have never handled them,” Maffitt says.

One of her main plant interests is penstemons, a large genus of North American and East Asian plants. Maffitt is a member of the American Penstemon Society.

“The penstemons are my hobby, and I’m the vice president of the group,” she says. “I help plan the tours and I’ve grown over 100 species of penstemons, trying to see what will acclimate itself to our climate.”

At the refuge, Maffitt spends most of her time identifying plants, putting specimens in vouchers, labeling them and either drying or freezing the specimens for future study. She is often approached by other volunteers or staff members, wondering what this plant or that plant is. She often knows the answer and when she doesn’t, she enjoys finding out.

The Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge is located at 19255 S.W. Pacific Highway in Sherwood. The Web site is www.fws.gov/tualatinriver.

(Kristen Forbes is a freelance writer. To view her blog, visit www.krissymick.blogspot.com.)

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