“People only protect what they love,
but they can only love what they know.” —
Jacques-Yves Cousteau
That is the compelling truth that drives this website.
The website www.NameThatPlant.net is a storehouse of information about native and naturalized plants of the Carolinas and Georgia, including plants found throughout the Southeast. It “packages” knowledge that plant people have patiently shared and provides a venue for that sharing.
For those of us who are not botanists, NameThatPlant.net is like a window, a bridge to the body of knowledge that’s there but we don’t know how to access. And it invites us to enter. It’s useful to students, of course, but it’s also useful to anyone who is curious about the natural world. Discovering the identity of just one wild plant means that the green blur is now made up of individuals, each with a name. One can allow oneself to become interested....
There’s more in the site than is immediately obvious, and I can do a short powerpoint presentation for your group, demonstrating how it can be used.
People sometimes ask, how did this website come to be? The idea had been in my mind for years. A collection of native plant photographs (my original 40-hour volunteer commitment for Master Gardeners) spurred me on. As I worked on that, I gradually came to the conclusion that a website such as I envisioned — the website that I wished existed — probably wouldn’t happen unless I built it. The idea took on a life of its own; I joined the South Carolina Native Plant Society and set to work.
I had no idea how many thousands of hours I would invest, but I knew that I didn't possess the knowledge needed. NameThatPlant.net would not be possible without the help of many patient and knowledgeable people. Perhaps you have something to add? Your contributions* are welcome!
Thank you!
Janie Marlow
Travelers Rest, SC
webmaster @ namethatplant.net
*I'm referring above to contributions of time (I have a list of chores you can pick from), or of knowledge, or a combination (are you willing to read and record Latin names?), or of photographs of under-represented plants or features, or of other things you might suggest that I haven't thought of. There are not a lot of expenses incurred by the NameThatPlant.net project, but it demands enormous amounts of time. If you feel led to help in a financial way, that would be unexpected but very welcome. You may send a check to the SC Native Plant Society at PO Box 1311, Chester, SC 29706. They are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Please include a prominent note that it is to be used to support further development of www.NameThatPlant.net (and please let me know). Thank you!