Profile of Sue Panteluk …. In Her Own Words

For as long as I can remember, I have always been most comfortable with my nose in a book or wandering in woods and fields and along shorelines looking for interesting plants, animals and rocks. 

My family moved to Edmonton from Montreal after I completed grade one. We moved to the Grandview area which was still being developed. From the age of eight,  I spent many hours, dawn to dusk, exploring the Whitemud ravine (prior to the building of the Quesnell bridge and Fox Drive). After a few years, my parents bought a farm near Tofield. The farm had many plants that I hadn't seen in the ravine. It was a fine place to wander with Labrador tea, blueberries and honeysuckle. 

One year for Christmas I received a book, Wild Flowers of Alberta by R.G.H. Cormack. I decided that I needed to find each flower in the book! To this day I write down my finds with the date and location.

After I retired from teaching I saw a call on Facebook for volunteers for the native plant bed at the John Janzen Nature Centre. I started working with two amazing mentors: Liz D. and Gail F.  At John Janzen we had others who came to check on the status of the demonstration bed. I admit to being a bit intimidated by these folks who I secretly called the 'Grand Poobahs' of native plants -  Cherry, Judith and Patsy. All of these ladies were incredibly knowledgeable and used Latin plant names that twisted my tongue in knots. Fortunately, they were all as kind as they were knowledgeable! I've learned so much. 

Several years ago, Bunchberry Meadows Conservation Area opened and I began working regularly with Cherry, Liz and Adrian. I've continued learning from them and have continued roaming Bunchberry, looking for new and interesting finds. 

So, my interest in native plants has not waned; if anything, it has grown. I have printed off plant lists for Bunchberry, Wagner Natural Area and Clifford E. Lee Nature Sanctuary, and I've found many of the plants listed, as well as some that are not on these lists!  I'd like to find all of Alberta's native orchids.  I shall never be done!

Editor’s note: Sue omitted to mention that she lives close to Bunchberry Meadows and is proving to be an exceptional steward of the site, taking part in work bees, keeping all transplants in the new beds well-watered, and constantly patrolling this extensive site, monitoring old plant locations and making new finds! She’s also a great photographer!