Audubon’s Robins: A Nest at His Grave
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast:
April 26, 1785
On this day, John James Audubon, the beloved painter of birds, first opened his eyes to the world.
His legacy is feathered, winged, and forever in flight.
He once wrote,
“A true conservationist…knows the world is not given by his fathers but borrowed from his children.”
Such words echo in every robin’s song come spring.
Years after his death, the Ottowa Daily Republic recorded a tender scene: robins built their nest in the stone cross above his grave. Though caretakers removed it, the birds’ attempt was poetry itself—an avian tribute to the man who painted them into eternity.
For gardeners and bird lovers alike, the image lingers: Audubon at rest, robins circling faithfully overhead, nature refusing to forget its friend.
John James Audubon portrait with dog
