Carbariums are plant libraries.

They're filled with fragile specimens that have been carefully documented and stored away.

Every specimen has a label that indicates where it was collected, who collected it, the date.

Every specimen is like the page of a book.

It's Monday, May 6th, and you're listening to Science Friday. I'm Cyfry producer Rasha Arredi. The

oldest herbarium specimens are hundreds of years old and they're still chock full of information

for scientists to go back and look for.

So today on the show, a sneak peek into the Ada Hayden Herbarium at Iowa State University and later a birthday celebration for Science

Fridays Podcast Universe of Art featuring some of your own stories.

Here's Ira Plato.

We've brought Cy Fry to Ames Iowa this week.

We're at Iowa State University.

The Ada Hayden Herbarium contains more than 700,000 specimens collected from the Hawkeye State and beyond.

Joining me here in the Iowa Public Radio Studios are Dr Lynn Clark,

director of the Ada Hayden Herbarium and curator Deb Lewis.

Welcome to Science Friday.

Thank you.

I've got to get the Lewis and Clark out of the way first, right?

You've heard that just a few times.

Yes.

Yes.

I'll bet you have.

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