Pat Ledlie: Moss community scientist and UMaine supporter

Pat Ledlie is mad about mosses. The longtime resident of Buckfield, Maine is so passionate about the primitive plants that she collected and meticulously cataloged thousands of specimens from across the Pine Tree State. Ledlie donated her collection of 1,590 moss specimens–representing decades of field work – to the University of Maine’s Herbarium in December as well as funding to digitize the collection.

“I’ve had adventures and wonderful times collecting these many mosses. I was fortunate to have a wonderful mentor in Bruce Allen from the Missouri Botanical Garden who taught me a great deal about identifying and cataloging the mosses I found. Now that this collection is housed at the UMaine Herbarium, people from across the state and beyond will have ready access to it,” Ledlie said.

Ledlie, whose five-decade career at the helm of Patricia Ledlie Bookseller, Inc. Natural Science, Conservation Biology Books produced 80 catalogs of books about natural history and conservation biology, was inspired to share her treasure trove of specimens to advance research on the subject.

Jose Eduardo Meireles, assistant professor of plant evolution and systematics who oversees UMaine’s herbarium, described the collection as a priceless contribution to the university’s research mission.

“Pat’s collection is a key contribution to advancing our knowledge about mosses in the state. Her generous financial contribution will help make it possible to digitize the collection, though it doesn’t come close to the value of the collection itself,” Meireles said. “Herbarium collections are threatened across the nation. This represents a huge loss for basic and applied plant science research that uses state-of-the-art genetics, spectroscopy, and machine learning technology to study these specimens. This gift opens a new chapter on plant science research at UMaine.”

In addition to the cash contribution that Ledlie made with the donation of her collection, there is a contribution to the Herbarium in her will.

In celebration of Maine Impact Week, we’re profiling members of the Black Bear community who have made a difference for UMaine’s Research enterprise.