DENVER — Through the doors of the Denver Botanic Gardens, tucked away from the beautiful blossoms outside is the herbarium. And plenty of important work is being done there.
"We like to document biodiversity across the landscape," said Jennifer Neale, the director of research and conservation at the Denver Botanic Gardens. "We have just over 100,000 specimens that are documented. They are available for study for the public and researchers."
The process isn't easy. Specimens are carefully dried, frozen, and then delicately glued onto archive paper. A key point in this process is identification. And identifying many of them behind a microscope is volunteer Loraine Yeatts.
"She's been with us for more than 55 years," said Neale.
"At that time, I did not know plants," remembered Yeatts. "But I started seeing all these wonderful wildflowers in Colorado, and I decided I needed to know what they are."
She became a Botanic Gardens volunteer right then and there, helping with the collection and adding to it herself.
"Her first specimens are from 1972, and she has more than 5,500 of them," " said Neale.
Her passion for plants and dedication to preservation is a gift, which is why we're proud to call Loraine Yeatts this week's Denver7 Everyday Hero!
"It's been my pleasure," said Yeatts. "I have enjoyed every minute, and especially with all the people that I've worked with."
Denver7 features a different Everyday Hero each week. To nominate a hero in your life, click here.
