April Archives

Benjamin Maund

The Botanic Garden April 21, 1864 Today is the anniversary of the death of the English bookseller, printer, publisher, pharmacist, and botanist, Benjamin Maund. Benjamin had a large garden where he enjoyed cultivating seeds from around the world. He had a special curiosity about wheat and was interested in crossing and growing different wheat cultivars.…

John Muir

John of the Mountains April 21, 1838 Today is the birthday of the Scottish-American naturalist, conservationist, and author John Muir. Muir was known by many names: “John of the Mountains,” “Father of Yosemite,” and “Father of the National Parks.” In particular, John’s work to preserve Yosemite resulted in a famous picture of Muir posing with…

William Bartram

The Flower Hunter April 20, 1739 Today is the birthday of the American botanist, artist, and naturalist known as The Flower Hunter, William Bartram. The son of the Quaker botanist John Bartram, William – or Billy (as he was known to his family) – was the first American to pursue a life devoted to the study…

Charles Plumier

The Father of Fuchsia April 20, 1646 Today is the birthday of the French priest and botanist Charles Plumier. He was born in Marseille. Regarded as one of the most important botanical explorers of his time, Charles served as a botanist to King Louis XIV of France. He traveled many times to the New World,…

April 20, 2021 Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, Charles Plumier, William Bartram, George MacDonald on April, Ken Druse’s New York City Gardener by Ken Druse and Peter Barr

Today we celebrate the botanist who named the fuchsia plant. We’ll also learn about the first American to become a full-time naturalist. We’ll hear some charming thoughts on April and May from a Scottish author who mentored Lewis Carroll. We Grow That Garden Library™ with a 25-year-old garden classic written to help gardeners in the…

E. Lucy Braun

First Female President of the Ecological Society April 19, 1889 Today is the birthday of botanist, ecologist, and expert on deciduous forests of the eastern United States E. Lucy Braun. The “E” stood for Emma, but she always went by Lucy. In 1950, Lucy was the first woman elected president of the Ecological Society of…

Adrian Hardy Haworth

The Zebra Succulent April 19, 1797 Today is the birthday of the British entomologist and botanist Adrian Hardy Haworth. Adrian was trained to be a lawyer, but once he inherited his family’s estate, he devoted himself to the study of natural sciences. Today, the Haworthia genus described by French botanist, Henri Auguste Duval, honors Adrian.…

Sir Edward Salisbury

The Graveyard Garden April 16, 1886 Today is the birthday of the English botanist and ecologist, Sir Edward Salisbury. The youngest of nine children, Edward’s passion for plants started as a young boy. Edward loved to go out into the countryside to dig up plants to grow in his own garden patch at home. Once…

Ellen Thayer Fisher

The Blackberry Botanical Illustrator April 16, 1847 Today is the birthday of the American botanical illustrator Ellen Thayer Fisher. Born in Boston, Ellen’s family eventually moved to Brooklyn, New York. The daughter of a Civil War surgeon and doctor, Ellen’s younger brother Abbott became a famous American painter and naturalist. When Abbott attended the Brooklyn…

Francis Hallé

Whimsical Flora Sketches April 15, 1938 Today is the birthday of the French botanist, biologist, and conservationist Francis Hallé. Francis has spent over forty years studying the ecology of tropical forests and the architecture of their trees. These scientific areas of study have shaped how Francis views not only trees and forests but also our…

Lisa Stina

Flashing Flowers April 15, 1782 Today is the anniversary of the death of the Swedish botanist and the daughter of Carl Linnaeus, Elisabeth Christina von Linné, known to her family as Lisa Stina. Lisa Stina fell in love with one of her father’s star pupils, Daniel Solander. Linnaeus himself approved of the relationship. He had…

Henry Walter Bates

The Amazon Explorer April 14, 2020 On this day the book, A Naturalist in the Amazon: The Journals & Writings of Henry Walter Bates was published. Unlike many of his scientist friends and peers, Henry was entirely self-taught. Early in his career, Henry met the great English naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace. By 1848, Henry and Alfred left…

Helene Cramer

The Garden of Women April 14, 1844 Today is the birthday of the German landscape and flower painter Helene Cramer who was born on this day in 1844. Helen and her sister Molly were both painters in Hamburg, Germany. Their father, Cesar, forbade his daughters to become painters. And so, the two sisters didn’t start…

Thomas Nuttal

The Mackinac Island Botanist April 12, 1810 On this day, the 24-year-old English botanist Thomas Nuttal hopped on a coach and left Philadelphia. Thomas was leaving on an expedition to study the flora of the Northwest that was arranged by Professor Benjamin Smith Barton of the University of Philadelphia. With a salary of $8 per…