Bonnie C. Templeton facts for kids

Bonnie Carolyn Templeton (born October 23, 1906 – died January 29, 2002) was an American scientist who studied plants. She worked as the main plant expert, called a curator of botany, at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County for a long time, from 1929 to 1970. This was a special achievement because it was a time when not many women worked in science.

Early Life and Discovering Her Passion

Bonnie Templeton was born in Newman Grove, Nebraska, on October 23, 1906. She found her love for plants by accident! In 1922, when she was 16, she moved to Los Angeles. She took on many different small jobs. One of these jobs was helping a plant enthusiast organize his large collection of dried plants. This experience sparked a new passion for botany in Bonnie.

Starting Her Career

Bonnie learned very quickly. In 1928, she became an Assistant Botanist at the California Botanic Garden in Los Angeles. The next year, in 1929, she was named the Curator of Botany at the County Museum of Natural History.

Discovering a New Plant

In 1932, while collecting plants in the El Segundo sand dunes, she found a rare plant. It was a parasitic plant, meaning it gets its food from other plants. She thought it was a new species and named it Pholisma paniculatum. However, other scientists debated if it was truly a new species.

Later, buildings were constructed on the sand dunes. People worried that this plant had disappeared because its home was destroyed. But in the mid-1980s, the area was protected to help the endangered El Segundo Blue Butterfly. During a survey, scientists found the plant still growing on the dunes!

Balancing Work and School

While working full-time at the museum, Bonnie also went to classes at night. She earned her bachelor's degree in botany in 1941 from the University of Southern California. She then earned her master's degree in 1947. Her master's paper compared two types of Pholisma plants.

A Plane Ride to Her Wedding

In November 1938, Bonnie married Charles Steinhoff. He was a police officer who was teaching her how to fly a plane. They were flying to Yuma for their wedding when their plane had engine trouble. They had to land in the sand dunes near Palm Springs, and the plane was damaged. But they didn't give up! They found another plane in Palm Springs and flew to Yuma to get married. Bonnie married a second time in 1942 to Chester D. Weiche, and they were married until she passed away.

Later Career and Big Discoveries

Bonnie Templeton's main research was in paleobotany and paleoclimatology.

• Paleobotany is the study of ancient plants, often from fossils.
• Paleoclimatology is the study of Earth's past climates.

She earned her doctorate degree in 1964 from Oregon State University. Her research focused on the Rancho La Brea tar pits in Los Angeles.

Secrets from the Tar Pits

When the tar pits were first dug up, people mostly looked for animal bones. They often threw away plant material. But Bonnie found old records, photos, and samples of tree trunks, cones, and branches from the pits. She even found seeds and other plant parts stuck inside animal skulls, bones, and even inside ancient beetle bodies from the tar.

Her work showed that many plants that no longer grow in Southern California (because it's too dry now) used to thrive there. This proved that the climate of Southern California during the Pleistocene era (a very long time ago) was not hotter and drier, as some believed. Instead, it was cooler and wetter, with meadows, marshes, small streams, and woodlands.

Amazing Accomplishments

Bonnie Templeton started her career when very few women worked in science. Many university programs refused to accept women. In an interview, she remembered that the head of the biology department at USC told her no woman would get a doctorate in botany while he was there. Because of this, she went to Oregon State University to get her Ph.D.

Besides her work as a curator, Bonnie also helped the Los Angeles Police Department as a forensic botanist. This meant she used her plant knowledge to help solve cases. She also gave public talks about California wildflowers, desert plants, poisonous plants, and gardening. She organized plant shows at the museum and was an active member of the American Association of University Women.

She left the museum in 1970 after 41 years. But she didn't truly retire! She started her own plant consulting business called the California Botanical Science Service. She ran this business for another 20 years.

Death and Legacy

Bonnie Templeton passed away on January 29, 2002, at the age of 95. She left money to Oregon State University to help students studying plants and to support the plant collection there. The Dr. Bonnie C. Templeton Annual Lecture at Oregon State was created to honor her memory.

Selected Publications

• Templeton, Bonnie C. (1932). "Methods of Preserving Cacti for Herbarium Use." Desert, March, p 127.
• Templeton, BC. (1938). "A new species of Pholisma." Bulletin of the Southern California Academy of Sciences, vol. 37, pp. 98–100.
• Templeton, Bonnie C. (1947). A morphological comparison of Pholoisma arenarium Nutt. and Pholisma paniculatum Templeton. Thesis (M.S.),University of Southern California.
• Templeton, Bonnie C. (1964). The fruits and seeds of the Rancho La Brea Pleistocene deposits. Thesis (Ph. D.), Oregon State University.