Purdue Spring Fest

The Herbaria is a proud participant in the annual Purdue Spring Fest held every April. The Herbaria is open to the public during this event, with displays of notable specimens and scientists, tours by staff and students, and interactive activities.

In 2023, the Herbaria hosted the public to engage in a scavenger hunt for the names of prominent mycologists, or fungal scientists, in displays posted throughout the Herbaria. Visitors could submit their lists of mycologists, with clues being related to each researcher's accomplishments, titles, and areas of expertise, for a chance to win merchandise from the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology. The Herbaria staff and volunteers also led visitors in an activity, "Make Your Own Plant Specimen", in which participants were able to learn and assist in the methods of specimen mounting and preservation. Guests took home the prepared specimens "on loan", in the hopes that these examples of curatorial arts, a first-time experience for most, might prompt exploratory, inquisitive examinations into the world around them, igniting a spark in the natural history collectors and investigators of tomorrow.