From 1920’s adventure narrative to new species –…
Focus on ScienceWhat's in a name?
The amount of time between when a species is first collected and…
Salix loan to Japan
Botany is a collaborative science that relies on sharing data and specimens…
Dog Days of Summer: Good Dog!
Cabinet of CuriositiesWhat's in a name?
Dogs have a special place in our lives, as trusting companions and…
Dog Days of Summer: Bad Dog!
Specimen StoriesWhat's in a name?
Dogs have not always been the beloved companions and family members they…
The Lackluster Major William Rich
Major William Rich was selected to be the botanist on the U. S.…
Where the Gold was First Discovered
Cabinet of CuriositiesExpeditions
Herbarium specimens have been collected at poignant points in history. Major William Rich was…
Catnip: A Felicitous Herb
Focus on ScienceWhat's in a name?
Calling all cat lovers! As I was digitizing plants for the Southern…
Tomato Persona
Choose your tomato persona. While all the same species, Solanum lycopersicum, tomatoes…
Floating Flowers
If you're staying cool this summer in your favorite swimming hole, here are…
A botanist's best friend
Botanists and dogs make good companions in the field. Dogs provide companionship, warn…
Attractive Frances Baker
This specimen arrived as part of an exchange from another herbarium, wrapped…
Iconic plants of the Amazon
The Amazon Rain Forest, Earth’s largest tropical rain forest, is an immense…
Exploring the Bahamas with Lewis Jones Knight Brace
The Bahamas suffered its worst natural disaster recently as Hurricane Dorian, a…
Learning from Extinct Plants
Specimen StoriesFocus on Science
From the woolly mammoth to the passenger pigeon, many extinct species owe…
Ghost Forests of the Mid-Atlantic
One of the most visually apparent impacts of climate change are the emerging…
Herbarium Specimens Show Changes in Carbon Dioxide Levels
It has been documented that since the industrial revolution there has been an…
Herbarium Specimens Show Changes in the Landscape
Changing climate means changing landscapes. Herbarium specimens document what plants are growing in…
Phenology and Herbarium Specimens
As habitats get warmer, a plant's life cycle can change. For example, when spring…
Climate Research and Herbarium Specimens
Climate research requires lots of data. Data about the conditions on earth now,…
Studying the DNA of Herbarium Specimens
Molecular biologists study the DNA of plants. They use this data to identify…
Autumnal
Grab a warm beverage and your favorite sweater—the colors on these specimens evoke…
Bioremediation
Bioremediation is the use of living organisms to remove contamination from the…
Maize & Teosinte
Maize (Zea mays), or corn, is a domesticated cereal crop native to…
Traveling Plants: Plants on the move
Plants might not be able to move the way animals do, but…
Traveling Plants: People lend a hand
Plants have lots of ways they can move and distribute their propagules…
Firewood and pathogens
As plants travel the world with people, these plants can bring along…
Tumbleweeds
Tumbleweeds aren’t restricted to one species or plant family, but are an…
Duck dispersal
As more land is developed, plants have an increasingly difficult task of…
Ballast Plants
Ships transporting cargo and passengers use ballast to stabilize the ship at…
Hitchhikers
Some plants have evolved to literally hitchhike on passing animals. They have…
Seeds go ballistic
Getting help is great, but sometimes you just have to do something…
Fruit-eating lemurs
Given the abundance of tasty fruit, it is clear that many plants…
Escapes from cultivation
Humans have a long history of moving and cultivating plant species. But…
Traveling Plants
While plants can’t walk, they can definitely travel. Plants have evolved a…
Indicators of past settlement
Humans alter the environments where they live and we can use those…
Aquatic Hitchhikers
Although all plants need some water to grow, aquatic plants have adapted…
Rice and its Wild Relatives
Humans have been farming rice for approximately 10,000 years. The two major…
Alpine Invaders
Climate Change can negatively impact Alpine regions by making them more susceptible…
Alpine Adaptation: Stay Shaggy!
Temperatures may be low but sun-exposure is extremely intense at high-elevations due…
Alpine Adaptation: Red is the New Black
Hairs are one way to deflect damaging UV radiation while locking in…
Alpine Meadows
Alpine meadows exist where soils have deepened and matured through centuries of…
Climate Change & Alpine Retreat
Temperature and moisture availability are factors which influence the distribution patterns of…
Treeline Expansion
The absence of trees at high-elevations both defines Alpine zones and is…