Ghost Forests of the Mid-Atlantic
One of the most visually apparent impacts of climate change are the emerging…
Muhlenberg's Smile
Almost everyone can name an endangered charismatic megafauna. But most would be…
Britton's Chara
In the United States, there is no formal regulation for the endangered…
Discovering a Darwin Collection
Cabinet of CuriositiesSpecimen Stories
In the museum world, there's a sort of joke that you never…
Old Man's Beard
This lichen grows as an epiphyte on trees. They require clean air,…
4 Millionth Specimen
With 7,800,000 specimens in our herbarium, reaching 4,000,000 specimens catalogued in our…
#plantlove
Specimens contained in the William and Lynda Steere Herbarium represent the endless…
Ellen Hutchins - Ireland's First Female Botanist
Between 1805 and 1813, in Ballylickey on the shores of Bantry Bay,…
Dolly's Lichen
NYBG lichen curator James Lendemer and then-PhD student Jessi Allen named this…
Ellen's Algae
See more of Ellen Hutchin's beautifully detailed marine algae collections.
Wolf lichen
The Wolf Lichen is one of the most showy North American lichens,…
A Horse, of Course
Collecting plants and algae was sometimes an artistic hobby, with dried or…
Gross
Sometimes collecting the perfect specimen means going places you'd rather not. Here…
Insect Zombies
Cordyceps are parasitic fungi that often parasitize insects in a way that…
Violetta White
Violetta Susan Elizabeth White Delafield (1875–1949) was a promising young mycologist at the…
Mushroom Paintings
When mycologists collect mushrooms or other fungal fruiting bodies, it's important to…
Jean Baptiste François Bulliard
Jean Baptiste François Bulliard was French physician and botanist, especially interested in fungi.…
W. A. Murrill
William Murrill became an assistant curator at NYBG in 1904, and was…
Ellen's Types
Among many of the interesting things Ellen Hutchins collected were collections that…
Ellen's Illustrations
We know Ellen Hutchins produced hundreds of detailed watercolors of marine algae. Some…
Royal Collector
Cabinet of CuriositiesCollectors
Prince Henri of Orléans, a French royal, collected this parasitic fungi in Tibet while…
Mary Emily Eaton
Mary Emily Eaton was an accomplished natural history illustrator employed at the…
Smooth rock tripe
This Umbilicaria species is regarded to be one of the largest lichens…
Mary Treat
Those who have read Barbara Kingsolver's newest novel, Unsheltered, will be familiar with the…
Christmas Lichen
Specimen StoriesCabinet of Curiosities
This bright-colored lichen is called the 'Christmas Lichen' because of its bright…
Some Algae of Nova Scotia
Although the bulk of specimens that find their way into the New…
Lettuce Lichen
Similar to the Old Man’s Beard, Lungwort lichens can only thrive in…
Pertusaria andersoniae
Specimen StoriesWomen in Science
Some of our herbarium specimens are of incredibly rare species. This is…
Giant puffball
This spectacular giant puffball can be found in meadows, fields and forests…
John Cage
Mostly remembered for his experimental music compositions, John Cage was also a…
Richard Spruce
“Whenever rains, swollen streams, and grumbling Indians combined to overwhelm me with…
Lace Algae
Many of the red algae are incredibly delicate and beautiful, as exemplified…
Truffle
Specimen StoriesFocus on Science
Truffles are fruiting bodies of Tuber fungi that grow underground. The fungi…