Draw and Create Specimen Challenge
Herbarium specimens are an important piece of a larger puzzle; helping people…
Garden Vegetables
If you're planting your own garden this spring what will you choose to grow?…
Pollination after dark
Although sometimes overlooked, bats are vital pollinators for many economically important species…
Virtual Road Trip: Southern Wildflowers
Many Americans are currently practicing social distancing and self-quarantine as a way…
Kate Furbish and the Flora of Maine
Catherine Furbish was born in 1834 in Exeter, New Hampshire. From an…
The Tecate Cypress: What a Tangled Web
While working as a digitization intern, one of the most pleasing features…
A World of Tulips
Tulip bulbs that have been tucked safely underground all winter are springing…
Exploring the Conservation Status of Jamaican Root Tonic…
Jamaican root tonics are fermented beverages composed of roots, bark, and other…
Sticky Rice
Focus on ScienceWhat's in a name?
A couple of years ago I was asked by Michael Purugganan (Dean…
Octopodotus stupendus
Octopodotus from octopus and the Greek suffix–otus, indicating resemblance, because of the…
Mystery Tree of Rondônia
In September 2019 I went to Rondônia state in Brazil in the…
Modern Art
Herbarium specimens play an important part in plant science research. But the specimens themselves can…
Arthonia stevensoniana
Arthonia etymology unknown stevensoniana from Stevenson, honoring Robert Louis Stevenson, author of…
Label Appreciation: Borders
Labels are as important to a herbarium specimen as the plant, alga, or…
Greetings from Camp
Even if you have never attended a sleepaway summer camp, chances are you've gotten a…
Rainbow of Plant Dyes
People have been dyeing their clothing with plants since ancient times. All around…
Traditional Medicine: Momordica charantia
Momordica charantia L. is a plant species that is used in the…
The Sacred Plant of Peru: The San Pedro…
For thousands of years, the indigenous people of Peruvian Amazon have used…
The Three Sisters
Companion planting is the technique of growing plants closely together for mutual…
Extraordinary Oak Leaves
Cabinet of CuriositiesSpecimen Stories
Oak trees are a familiar sight to people all around the world,…
Creepy Cultivars
The word "cultivar" is a blend of the words "cultivated" and "variety".…
Brown and Beautiful
Whether naturally brown, or turning brown during the preservation steps needed to create herbarium…
Flora Borinqueña
In February 1906, Nathaniel and Elizabeth Britton, founders of The New York…
"Posy" Dodge, an Exemplary Citizen Scientist
In an age of growing efforts to engage the public in research…
Conifers and Mistletoes
Evergreen trees and mistletoe both come to mind when we decorate with holiday…
Reindeer Lichens
In this most wonderful time of the year, Christmas is naturally on…
Thomas Gaither - Activist and Biologist
Dr. Thomas Walter Gaither (1938 - ) was born in Great Falls, South…
Rooted in Plants: An Interview with Arvolyn Hill
Arvolyn Hill is the Family Programs Coordinator at the Everett Children’s Adventure…
Sister Mary Clare Metz: Faith and Flora
While digitizing specimens for the Texas and Oklahoma Regional Consortium of Herbaria,…
Elizabeth Knight Britton's Expeditions and Honors
When the Garden began a series of expeditions to the Caribbean during…
Elizabeth Knight Britton's Childhood in Cuba
Elizabeth Knight Britton’s grandfather James Knight owned a sugar plantation and a…
Elizabeth Knight Britton's Legacy in Cuba
Elizabeth Gertrude Knight Britton’s career as a bryologist and her central role…
Elizabeth Knight Britton's Early Career
Elizabeth Knight Britton went on to complete her schooling at the Normal…
Polka-dot Ferns
Unlike flowering plants, ferns reproduce with spores instead of seeds. Fern spores…
Follow a 1910 Botanical Expedition through Western Cuba
The United States entered the Spanish American War in April of 1898.…
Views from a 1910 Botanical Expedition through Western…
New York Botanical Garden led around 136 botanical expeditions between 1898 and 1918.…
Meet Spiranthes bightensis: A New Orchid in Our…
Focus on ScienceSpecimen Stories
Botanists have probably described and named 99% of the plants native to…
Fire Island: Preserving a Unique Ecological & Cultural…
On a geological time scale, barrier islands are by definition impermanent, ever-changing,…
Leaves of three, let it be!
If you enjoy spending time outdoors, you surely have heard the age-old…
Vampires Among Us: The Ghost Pipe Plant
Did you know that some plants lack chlorophyll? Often confused for a…