Local herbarium partnership brings botanical story to public
The Thunder Bay Museum has opened a new exhibit that places the city and region’s botanical diversity at centre stage. "Out of Place: The Strange Plants of Lake Superior’s North Shore" is the result of a partnership with Lakehead University’s Claude E. Garton Herbarium and will remain on the museum’s third floor until March 2027.
The display presents a selection of rare and unusual plant specimens collected along the North Shore, with curatorial material that links those species to the area’s unique geology and glacial history. For residents who want to see first-hand the plants that make this part of Ontario botanically distinctive, the exhibit provides an unusual opportunity: many of the items on display are specimens rarely available for public viewing.
What the exhibit shows
Exhibit panels and preserved specimens explain how local bedrock, glacial activity and microclimates have produced habitats where a wide variety of species coexist. Organisers say the show is part scientific record and part educational storytelling.
- Location: Thunder Bay Museum, third floor
- Partner: Claude E. Garton Herbarium, Lakehead University
- Run time: through March 2027
- Focus: rare and unusual plants from Lake Superior’s North Shore
Legacy and local research put on display
The exhibit also highlights the legacy of Claude E. Garton, a botanist and educator whose collection of local specimens helped establish the herbarium that now carries his name. By situating historical pressed plants beside interpretive material, the museum and herbarium aim to show how incremental collecting and preservation translate into a broader understanding of regional biodiversity and environmental history.
“Every herbarium specimen tells a story. Together, these pressed plants reveal how geology, climate, and time have shaped one of Canada’s most extraordinary botanical landscapes,” said Myles Cummins, Associate Botanist with the Claude E. Garton Herbarium.
Thunder Bay Museum executive director Scott Bradley framed the exhibit as both a celebration of the region’s biodiversity and a public gateway to the herbarium’s work. He described the partnership as an opportunity for residents and visitors to see specimens they would rarely encounter in person.
“This exhibit is an exciting partnership opportunity to highlight the rich biodiversity of this region and brings attention to the important work of the Claude E. Garton Herbarium in preserving and documenting it as well as the profound legacy of Claude Garton himself,” said Scott Bradley, Executive Director of the Thunder Bay Museum.
Why it matters to Thunder Bay
For a city that sits at the junction of urban services and a vast northern landscape, the exhibit draws a direct line between local research institutions and community learning. The herbarium’s specimens are scientific assets used by researchers to track changes in species distribution and habitat over time. Making those collections publicly accessible strengthens civic knowledge about the natural systems that surround the city and supports local stewardship and outdoor education efforts.
Visitors and educators can use the exhibit as a field-ready primer on why the North Shore supports a mosaic of plant life uncommon elsewhere in Ontario. It will be of particular interest to teachers, amateur naturalists and anyone curious about how geology and glaciation sculpt ecological patterns.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Exhibit name | Out of Place: The Strange Plants of Lake Superior’s North Shore |
| Venue | Thunder Bay Museum, third floor |
| Partner | Claude E. Garton Herbarium, Lakehead University |
| On display until | March 2027 |
The show underscores a broader conversation about how northern Ontario’s natural heritage is collected, conserved and interpreted. For Thunder Bay residents, it is a reminder that research undertaken at local institutions can directly inform public understanding of the landscapes beyond the city limits.
Those planning a visit or school trip should contact the Thunder Bay Museum for details on hours, guided programming and any related events connected to the exhibit.
