Sydney Weldon – Plant Collections and Records Intern

Hello, hello! My name is Sydney, and I am the Plant Collections and Records intern here at Reiman Gardens this summer. In the fall, I will be a junior at Iowa State working towards a degree in Biology. It was just this past year that I discovered my love for the botanical world, and since then I’ve taken courses in plant biology, economic botany, and plant systematics. Following my degree, I plan on pursuing a position working with my favorite photosynthetic pals in some capacity in the Pacific Northwest.

As a student with a passion for plants, non-profits, and public gardens, it was only perfect that I would have the opportunity to spend my summer working to improve the plant records at Reiman Gardens. Since beginning my internship, I’ve had a wonderful time learning new things with regard to plant identification, taxonomy, and computer software (AutoCAD, Maticard, Xenetech). I’ve also learned some of the ins and outs of other departments (Entomology, Indoor Horticulture, Outdoor Horticulture) here through my rotation experiences in these areas.

If you see me out and about staking plant identification plates, tagging accession labels, or drawing garden maps, be sure to say hi!