Tributes for Cris Fleming
We are raising funds for a memorial bench at Woodend Nature Sanctuary in honor of Cris.
The bench will be located near the new wheelchair-accessible nature trail. A plaque with Cris’s name and words of memorial appreciation will adorn her bench.
To learn more, please click here.
It was a wildflower identification class with Cris that started my years long love of native flowers. 30 years later I still have the tiny magnifying glass that we used to see the different flower parts. She was a wonderful and generous teacher. Her memory will be a blessing for all who knew her and learned from her.
Betsy Kingery
When I moved from California to Silver Spring in 1987 one of my first stops was Woodend where I met Neal, Mark, Stephanie, and Cris. They immediately made this fellow naturalist from out West feel welcome with their friendly camaraderie. Cris and I soon became good friends, bonded by our love for natural history. Cris’s knowledge and enthusiasm for plants were infectious, as was her sly sense of humor, and she was just a lot of fun to be with. Soon we were working together on plant surveys and she was opening my eyes to the amazing habitats and plant life around the mid-Atlantic. Over the years, Marilyn and I also became close friends with John, and our young kids played with their grandkids in Chevy Chase and on Cape Cod. We shared many good meals with Cris and John and had numerous forays along the Chesapeake, Patuxent River, and Rock Creek. My fondest memories of time spent with Cris were exploring the tidal wetlands at Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary, pausing patiently to examine each new plant species we encountered; taking the time to look closely and to determine (or try to!) its identity. She was becoming by this time one of the premier field botanists in the region and was an expert on the rare plants of Maryland. I was fortunate to have been her friend - Cris enriched my life in many ways and will be missed.
Chris Swarth
I first met Cris at Green Acres School where she was a preschool teacher and parent. After I joined the faculty at Green Acres, Cris and I spent many years as colleagues and as good friends. My kids and I spent a lot of time with the Fleming family, exploring the nearby woods, camping and enjoying many meals together; during that time Cris shared her passion about plants, flowers, trees and gardening. Cris remained a mentor and teacher to so many people throughout her life. I think of her in peace whenever I am walking in beautiful places.
Roxane Kaufmann
Yesterday, I introduced myself to the ANS participants on a Stephanie (Mason) walk along the C&O canal, referencing Cris’s teaching at Woodend as a refuge for a recently transplanted Midwestern me in 1991. Even before I knew her well and became a close friend, I felt drawn to her in the classroom. She had that rare gift for teaching nature. She didn’t make any of us feel foolish for what we didn’t know, rather she lead us into an understanding of the plant family morphological characteristics. Her chalkboard floral formulas in the Woodend classroom paired with the botanical samples she brought each Wednesday night, opened up the lily and aster family floral formulas I had memorized at Washington University, but really didn't understand. I count her as one of the three professors/teachers in my life who demystified the world of natural history and conservation biology and encouraged me. I miss knowing she is here with us. I will always think of Woodend as Cris's classroom.
Tina Thieme Brown
I was so fortunate to have had Cris as a friend and teacher. I know she would be delighted with the snow we've had because it will restore the ground water after a very dry time. She was always such a patient teacher and made learning exciting. I think one of my favorite memories in a class was when she showed us how to dissect a tulip tree bud to reveal the perfect, tiny leaves inside. My favorite memory in the field was when she took us on the scoured rocks high above the Potomac and showed us the diversity created there by flooding. She will always be part of my life.
Marney Bruce
I will always think of Cris when I see a trailing arbutus or hepatica in bloom, two of the many wildflowers for which she had deep knowledge and love. I know that many of you have your own special “Cris” plants—trees and flowers she taught you—and your memories of “Cris” moments in the field when you and she grew quiet in the presence of wild beauty. And of course there are generations of us who have been taught to call the tulip-tree by its proper name, with nary a “poplar” escaping our lips in the presence of Liriodendron tulipifera.
Melanie Choukas-Bradley
Cris was my friend for 35 years and my mentor in all things natural history. She taught me to be curious, have fun and work hard to get the ID right without fearing to say, “I don’t know.” She had a great sense of humor and didn’t suffer fools. Cris and I laughed throughout Woodend and most of the natural places in the DC region. We always enjoyed a glass of wine together, and sometimes even let our husbands tag along. When I visit the stately senior trees at Woodend, I know Cris’s spirit will be there too. What a legacy of teaching and learning Cris leaves behind. So many of us have been inspired to learn more about the precious natural world Cris treasured and understood so deeply.
Lisa Alexander
ANS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. All gifts are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law.