Rica Erickson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rica Erickson
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Erickson (left) in 1924
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Frederica Lucy Sandilands
10 August 1908 Boulder, Western Australia
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| Died | 8 September 2009 (aged 101) Mosman Park, Western Australia
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Frederica Lucy "Rica" Erickson (born 10 August 1908 – died 8 September 2009) was an amazing Australian naturalist, botanical artist, historian, author, and teacher. Even without formal science training, she wrote many books and articles. Her topics included botany (the study of plants), birds, genealogy (family history), and general history.
Rica wrote ten books by herself and helped write four others. She also edited twelve books and wrote many papers for magazines and encyclopedias.
Contents
Her Early Life and Education
Rica Erickson was born Frederica Lucy Sandilands in Boulder, Western Australia, in 1908. She was the oldest of eight children. Her parents moved to Western Australia in 1906 and met in the gold mining town of Boulder. Her father worked in the Great Boulder Mine.
When Rica was young, her father served in World War I. After he returned, he bought land in Kendenup to start a farm. This is where Rica met a botanical artist named Emily Pelloe in 1921. Emily Pelloe's book, Wildflowers of Western Australia, was given to Rica's family as a Christmas gift.
Rica went to Eastern Goldfields High School in Boulder. While there, she joined Girl Guides Australia. This helped her become very interested in birds and flowering plants.
Becoming a Teacher and Naturalist
Rica decided to become a teacher. In 1924, she started teaching in her family's town of Kendenup. She then taught in other country towns like Mount Barker and Gnowangerup.
In 1927, she went to Claremont Teachers College in Perth for one year of training. There, she met Dom Serventy and joined the Western Australian Naturalists' Club. This club helped her learn even more about nature.
By 1931, Rica was teaching in very isolated schools. These included places like Aurora and Young's Siding. The beautiful nature along the southern coast sparked her interest in orchids. Her friend Emily Pelloe had just published a book called West Australian Orchids.
Rica started sending sketches of orchids she found to famous orchid experts. These experts encouraged her to study even more. They taught her how to draw plants using pen and ink.
Life on the Farm and First Books
In 1934, Rica moved to teach at a school in Bolgart. Here, she often passed by Hawthornden, an old house that belonged to a pioneer botanist named James Drummond. Rica later wrote a detailed history of the Drummond family. She also wrote histories of the areas around Bolgart.
While in Bolgart, Rica also studied bees and wasps with an expert named Tarlton Rayment.
She met Sydney "Syd" Uden Erickson, a farmer, in Bolgart. They got married in 1936. In 1938, they bought land in Bolgart and started their own farm. They named it Fairlea. They had four children: Dorothy, John, Bethel, and Robin. For several years, Rica focused on raising her children and helping with the farm.
However, Rica kept her interest in natural history. In 1951, she published her first book, Orchids of the West. She drew all the pictures in the book herself. Her second book, Triggerplants, came out in 1958.
In 1958, Rica was asked to lead wildflower tours. She enjoyed these trips because they were like paid holidays where she could share her knowledge of nature. She led many such tours across Western Australia.
Later Life and Historical Work
In 1965, Rica and Syd traveled to Europe for a holiday. Rica spent time at the Kew Gardens herbarium in London. She studied plant specimens that James Drummond had sent from Western Australia many years ago.
After their trip, they retired from farming and moved to Nedlands, a suburb of Perth. Here, Rica wrote more books. She joined the Royal Western Australian Historical Society. Her writing then focused on the early history of European settlement in Western Australia, including the convict era.
She helped create the first three volumes of the Dictionary of Western Australians. This huge project listed many people who lived in Western Australia. It was finished in time for the state's 150th anniversary in 1979.
In 1973, a very popular book called Flowers and Plants of Western Australia was published. Rica was the main coordinator for this book. It had over 500 color photos of wildflowers.
Syd, her husband, passed away in 1987. Rica Erickson died on 8 September 2009, in Mosman Park.
Rica Erickson Nature Reserve
In 1964, a local women's group asked for a forest area to be protected. This forest was along an old road that James Drummond had explored in 1842. The request was approved.
In 1996, the Department of Conservation and Land Management named this protected area the Rica Erickson Nature Reserve. It was unusual to name a reserve after someone who was still alive! More than 300 people came to the official opening on 11 August 1996.
Awards and Recognition
Rica Erickson received many awards for her important work.
- In 1980, the University of Western Australia gave her an honorary degree. This was for her research in botany.
- In the same year, she was named Western Australian Citizen of the Year for her work in arts and culture.
- In 1987, she became a Member of the Order of Australia. This award recognized her service as an author and illustrator.
Her beautiful botanical drawings have been shown in art galleries.
In 2007, she received an award for her lifelong contribution to preserving heritage in Western Australia.
Alex George, a famous botanist who worked with Rica, said she was "one of the foremost amateur natural historians in Western Australia in the 20th Century."
The J S Battye Library in Western Australia has a special "Rica Erickson collection." This collection includes her writings, field journals, and 500 of her botanical artworks. The library even has a website dedicated to her.
In 2004, two botanists named a new orchid genus Ericksonella in her honor. This was a wonderful way to remember her contributions to botany.
Her Works
The J S Battye Library holds many of Rica Erickson's works.
- Orchids of the West (1951)
- Triggerplants (1958)
- Plants of Prey in Australia (1968)
- The Drummonds of Hawthornden (1969)
- The Victoria Plains (1971)
- Old Toodyay and Newcastle (1974)
- Flowers and Plants of Western Australia (1973) – She was the main coordinator for this book.
- The Delights of Drawing Orchids (1977)
- The Bride of the Dog Road (1990)
Rica was also the main compiler for the many volumes of the Dictionary of Western Australians. This dictionary is a huge collection of information about people who lived in Western Australia.
She wrote many articles for different publications, including:
- The West Australian newspaper
- Australian Orchid Review
- Australian Plants
- The Emu: Official Organ of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union
- The Victorian Naturalist
- The Western Australian Naturalist
See also
In Spanish: Frederica Lucy Erickson para niños
