The University of Hawaiʻi at 惭ā苍辞补’s ’s mission is to inspire tropical plant biodiversity conservation through education. Since it temporarily closed to visitors on March 19, the Lyon Arboretum staff continues to fulfill its mission by providing a , conducting live Q&A sessions with experts on its and creating a .
Ethnobotanical garden virtual tour
The Beatrice H. Krauss Hawaiian Ethnobotanical Garden virtual tour features 20 locations. The web page allows users to click on a photo and move their cursor for a 360-degree view of each site. It also provides information about plants such as ʻō丑颈ʻ补 ʻai (mountain apple), kukui (candlenut) and kalo (taro).
“Although virtual tours can never replace experiencing Lyon Arboretum in person, we hope that it will pique viewers’ interest in learning more about the plants and landscape and inspires them to visit us when we do open,” Education Manager Raedelle Van Fossen said.
Facebook resources
Lyon Arboretum has boosted its social media presence by hosting live Q&A sessions with its experts and posting videos of calming nature scenes right from the arboretum.
Educational sessions with Horticulture Manager , Lab Seed Technician and Botanical Gardener have received hundreds of views. These videos are broadcasted live and archived on Facebook to view at any time. The arboretum has also posted a challenging viewers to identify the birds they hear.
Teacher/student resource page
Approximately 5,000 K–12 students visit Lyon Arboretum annually, in addition to many college classes. The arboretum’s on its website provides sections for kids ranging from pre-K to high school. Among the lessons taught include topics on the parts of a plant, pollination, plant defenses and watershed education.
—By Marc Arakaki