“Part-2” of Two Decades of Botanical Explorations in Northern California with Lowell Ahart
A Pictorial Overview of Our Work and Explorations of Northern California Landscapes
September 19, 2024
7:00 – 8:00 PM (Via Zoom)
Presented by John Dittes
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During the first portion of this pictorial reminisce (All Things Botanical, May 16, 2024), John Dittes introduced us to Lowell, retired rancher and farmer, renowned Northern California botanist and plant collector, and namesake of the Herbarium at CSU Chico. We learned of Lowell’s early days, growing up on The Peter Ahart Ranch, and how he became the accomplished botanist we know today. John, a consulting botanist shared stories and photos, describing their friendship and first decade of working and botanizing together in the northern California Landscape. This second-half of “the story” will pick up where we left off last time, when in 2013, we visited and interviewed Dr. Marge Anthony at her home at Sea Ranch on the Sonoma Coast. Dr. Anthony was a remarkable woman who was Lowell’s Plant Taxonomy teacher at Chico State College in 1961, and whom he’d last seen in 1971. We’ll continue from there, enjoying photos and stories of botanical projects, Northern California landscapes, and interesting people met along the way, from 2013 to present.
John Dittes has worked since 1990 on botanically-related projects throughout California and the western states. He has been employed as a Rare Plant Botanist for the PNF, as consultant with Jones and Stokes Associates (now ICF), and since 2000 along with Josephine, has been an independent contractor with Dittes & Guardino Consulting. Since 2015, he has also worked as a Registered Nurse, the last 3 years on the Medical Surgical-Oncology Unit with Enloe Health in Chico. John also developed and taught technical workshops for the CSU Chico Herbarium, including Introduction to Plant Identification, ID of Plants from Vernal Pools and Seasonal Wetlands, and Introduction to ID of Poaceae, Asteraceae and Fabaceae. In addition to botanical interests, he has deep appreciation for the natural and cultural history of California, conducts research on Pleocomid Rain Beetles, is an avid photographer, enjoys fishing, and is fond of dogs.
