Hi there. I’m Bob Holland, co-founder of Holland Wildflower Farm. Since many of these blog posts are written by me, I should perhaps introduce myself. My appreciation of wildflowers and wild plants goes back to my childhood—my grandmother loved and taught us about native flowers. I remember she especially loved Joe Pye Weed. Her brother-in-law, my “Uncle Hutch”, was Dr. Ross E. Hutchins, a professional naturalist and photographer who wrote nature books and articles for national magazines. My own training began when I signed up for a course at Oklahoma State University called, Environmental Biology, my first ecology class. I was immediately hooked and changed my major to Wildlife Ecology.
After a couple of years as a field research botanist, I obtained a master’s degree in Plant Pathology (plant diseases) and spent much of my career as a research biologist working on tree diseases and soybean diseases. All along the way, I sustained my love and fascination with wildflowers and native grasses. Julie and I visited the Nature Conservancy’s, Joseph H. Williams Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, near Pawhuska, Oklahoma this summer—buffalo roaming a 50,000-acre ocean of prairie grasses, wildflowers, and birds. The more we get out and romp through natural places, the more our love for it is reignited.
Another passion of mine is acoustic music, especially fiddle music. Beautiful music and the beauty of nature–that’s what drives me. Holland Wildflower Farm is here to help you bring the beauty of native grasses and wildflowers to your spot on this globe. My posts are meant to help you along in that quest.