#plantlove
Specimens contained in the William and Lynda Steere Herbarium represent the endless…
A botanist's best friend
Botanists and dogs make good companions in the field. Dogs provide companionship, warn…
A trip to Fire Island with Peggy Hopkins
While we might not get to summer with the likes of Madonna…
Aquatic Hitchhikers
Although all plants need some water to grow, aquatic plants have adapted…
Art Cronquist's Hat
If you spend time looking at herbarium specimens collected by Arthur Cronquist,…
Attractive Frances Baker
This specimen arrived as part of an exchange from another herbarium, wrapped…
Autumnal
Grab a warm beverage and your favorite sweater—the colors on these specimens evoke…
Ballast Plants
Ships transporting cargo and passengers use ballast to stabilize the ship at…
Becoming a mountain woman
Marie Mooar spent a lot of time in the wilds of western…
Before & After: P. F. Zika 28277
The unmounted herbarium specimen, as it arrived at the garden in the…
Bigelow's mushroom photographs
In the herbarium of the New York Botanical Garden there are over 30,000…
Brown and Beautiful
Whether naturally brown, or turning brown during the preservation steps needed to create herbarium…
Chock-full of chromosomes
Cabinet of CuriositiesFocus on Science
Behold this fern which has the highest recorded chromosome number of any living…
Confetti
No party is complete without confetti—especially when ringing in the new year.…
Damaged by enemy action
Herbarium specimens are windows into the past and can help us answer…
Dog Days of Summer: Bad Dog!
Specimen StoriesWhat's in a name?
Dogs have not always been the beloved companions and family members they…
Draw and Create Specimen Challenge
Herbarium specimens are an important piece of a larger puzzle; helping people…
Duck dispersal
As more land is developed, plants have an increasingly difficult task of…
Escapes from cultivation
Humans have a long history of moving and cultivating plant species. But…
Firewood and pathogens
As plants travel the world with people, these plants can bring along…
Floral Fireworks
When fireworks are needed, no matter the reason, these herbarium specimens will help…
Fruit-eating lemurs
Given the abundance of tasty fruit, it is clear that many plants…
Fruits of Rosaceae
Flowering plants differ from all other plants by producing seeds within fruits;…
George Washington Carver
George Washington Carver (1860s–1943) was an inventor, teacher, botanist, and mycologist (a…
Good grief, Charles Geyer
Charles (Karl) A. Geyer was a pioneer botanical collector of the Northwestern…
Granite outcrop specialists
Plants are amazing and can adapt to live in the most unlikely…
Greetings from Camp
Even if you have never attended a sleepaway summer camp, chances are you've gotten a…
Hitchhikers
Some plants have evolved to literally hitchhike on passing animals. They have…
Indicators of past settlement
Humans alter the environments where they live and we can use those…
It's not easy being green
People might pass over these green specimens 'cause they're not standing out…
J. K. Small's exploration in Southern Florida, 1915
John Kunkel Small, botanist and herbarium curator at the the New York Botanical…
Jeanne Baret
CollectorsWomen in ScienceExpeditions
Jeanne Baret was the first woman ever to circumnavigate the globe, but…
John Kunkel Small
John Kunkel Small (1869-1938) was a taxonomist and botanical explorer, who specialized…
John Muir
John Muir (1838–1914) was an influential naturalist and conservationist, and co-founder of the…
Label Appreciation: Borders
Labels are as important to a herbarium specimen as the plant, alga, or…
Label Appreciation: Favorites
Labels are as important to a herbarium specimen as the plant, alga, or…
Modern Art
Herbarium specimens play an important part in plant science research. But the specimens themselves can…
Most Vibrant
Cabinet of CuriositiesWorks of Art
If we were to give yearbook superlatives to herbarium specimens, these would…
Mulled Cider
Put these fruits, seeds, bark, and flower buds together to get mulled…
Newspaper time capsule: B. Maguire 23559
A trip to the field isn't always necessary to describe a new…
Palm Patterns
Creating specimens of palms pose a challenge to collectors—how best to trim, arrange,…
People for Scale
A picture is worth a thousand words, and sometimes it's easier to…
Point Judith
Can't get away to the beach? Let these field photographs and algae…
Polka-dot Ferns
Unlike flowering plants, ferns reproduce with spores instead of seeds. Fern spores…
Salix loan to Japan
Botany is a collaborative science that relies on sharing data and specimens…
Season it with Leaves
Culinary herbs are plants with aromatic properties and that are used for…
Seeds go ballistic
Getting help is great, but sometimes you just have to do something…
Seuss-ian Specimens
While the illustrations in books by Dr. Seuss depict fanciful folliage, reality…
Springtime with Peter Zika
If seasonal allergies or the depths of winter have got you down,…