A Sister of Science: How Lucy Braun Charted Her Own Path Through American Forests

April 19, 1889

On this day, the botanical world welcomed one of its most formidable daughters - Emma Lucy Braun, though she insisted upon "Lucy" with the same determination she later applied to her scientific pursuits.

Born in Cincinnati to parents who clearly knew the value of a proper education in nature, young Lucy was not destined for the conventional trappings of society life. No, dear readers, this specimen of womanhood was cultivated for greater things than drawing room conversations and marriage prospects.

By 1950, our intrepid Lucy shattered the glass ceiling of the scientific establishment, becoming the first woman elected president of the Ecological Society of America. A quiet revolutionary, she wielded her botanical knowledge with the precision of a social strategist, all while maintaining the outward appearance of a dedicated field scientist at the University of Cincinnati.

Lucy's fascination with the natural world began in childhood - a passion nurtured by parents who would transport her and her sister Annette by horse-drawn streetcar to Rose Hill's woods. The girls were taught to identify wildflowers with the same importance other young ladies might learn needlepoint or piano. They eagerly collected specimens for their mother's herbarium, displaying an early aptitude for scientific documentation rather than gossip collection.

Both Braun sisters pursued doctoral degrees - Lucy in botany, Annette in zoology - at a time when most women were pursuing husbands. Neither ever married. One might speculate about the reasons, but this correspondent finds their choice of academic companionship over matrimonial obligation rather refreshing.

Instead, the sisters established their own unconventional household in Mount Washington, transforming their upstairs into a laboratory and their gardens into an experimental paradise. Even at the distinguished age of 80, Lucy was still leading field expeditions across Ohio, demonstrating that passion for discovery knows no age limit or gender restriction.

Those fortunate enough to accompany her into the field report:

"To be with her in the field was something. She made everything so real, so exciting she was just so knowledgeable."

"She loved to be out in the field rain wouldn't stop her. She could walk forever."

Lucy herself declared with characteristic insight:

"Only through close and reverent examination of nature can humans understand and protect its beauties and wonders."

By the end of her remarkable life, Lucy had amassed an impressive 11,891 specimens for her personal herbarium—a collection that would make even the most accomplished botanical collector green with envy. Her dedication to scientific documentation saw her traverse over 65,000 miles during a 25-year botanical quest throughout the eastern United States.

Lucy's true affection belonged to the forests, and her scholarly work, Deciduous Forests of Eastern North America, remains a definitive text in the field—proof that a woman's intellectual contributions can outlast even the most ancient oaks.

When entertaining company with tales of her fieldwork, Lucy would delightfully recount how she navigated around moonshiners' stills in Kentucky's hills, collecting botanical treasures unseen by her contemporaries. One can only imagine the shock on the faces of those illicit brewers had they discovered this proper scientist in their midst!

When Lucy departed this world in March 1971 at the age of 81, succumbing to heart failure after a lifetime of passionate pursuit, she ranked among the top three ecologists in the United States - an achievement that speaks volumes about her intellectual prowess and determination.

Her herbarium, that precious collection representing a lifetime of scientific devotion, found its final home at the Smithsonian National Museum in Washington D.C., where it continues to educate and inspire those with a proper appreciation for botanical excellence.