SFA Gardens Lecture Series to feature wildflower expert

NACOGDOCHES, Texas - The SFA Gardens at Stephen F. Austin State University will host the monthly Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 19, in the Agriculture Building, Room 110, located at 1924 Wilson Drive on the SFA Campus.

Botanist and author Dr. Charles Allen will present "Wildflowers of East Texas and Louisiana." Allen is a senior botanist with Colorado State University stationed at Fort Polk, La. He is a retired professor of biology from the University of Louisiana at Monroe and a charter member and past president of the Louisiana Native Plant Society.

Allen is the co-author of "Edible Plants of the Gulf South," "Trees, Shrubs and Woody Vines of Louisiana," "Grasses of Louisiana," and the recently published "Louisiana Wildflower Guide." He has presented talks on edible plants, wildflowers and butterflies to many groups across the South.

He and his wife Susan own and operate Allen Acres Bed and Breakfast, a nature-oriented paradise in west central Louisiana where he organizes and leads many area field trips.

The Theresa and Les Reeves Garden Lecture Series is normally held the third Thursday of each month at the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture's SFA Mast Arboretum. A rare plant raffle will be held after the program. The lecture is free and open to the public, but donations to the Theresa and Les Reeves lecture series fund are always appreciated.

For more information, contact Greg Grant at (936) 468-1863 or grantdamon@sfasu.edu.