Aven Nelson: Father of Wyoming Botany and the Yellowstone Expedition

Aven Nelson, a prominent American botanist known for his work on Rocky Mountain plants.

The Father of Wyoming Botany March 24, 1859 Today is the birthday of the American botanist, who specialized in the Rocky Mountains, Aven Nelson. In 1899, Aven led a 14-week botanical expedition through Yellowstone. Aven had hired a student named Leslie Goodding to be the chore boy for $10 per month. The group assembled at…

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July 26, 2020 How to Grow Blueberries, Garden Self-Care in the Heat, Roland Hallet Shumway, George Bernard Shaw, Aven Nelson, July Folklore, Once Upon a Windowsill by Tovah Martin, and Winthrop Mackworth Praed

The Daily Gardener Podcast Album Cover with a pot of rosemary - the herb for remembrance - beckoning gardeners to remember to listen to the show. Updated September 2025.

Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart Support The Daily Gardener Buy Me A Coffee  Connect for FREE! The Friday Newsletter |  Daily Gardener Community Curated News How to Grow and Care for Blueberry Bushes for Buckets of Sweet Blueberries | Stephanie Rose over at Garden Therapy “Add a few blueberry plants…

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30,000 Specimens and One Boiled Leg: Aven Nelson’s Yellowstone Legacy

Aven Nelson thumbnail image

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. July 26, 1899 On this day, dear garden friends,  a tale of botanical ambition and scalding mishap unfolded in the steaming wilderness of Yellowstone, where two young men learned that Mother Nature’s garden…

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June 24, 2019 Where to Plant Lilies, Thomas Blanchard, Stephen Endlicher, Kona Coffee, Queen Elizabeth’s Cerus Atlantica Glauca, Paul McCartney, John Ciardi, Plant Names Simplified by Arthur Johnson, Joe Pye weed, Aven Nelson and the Rocky Mountain Herbarium

The Daily Gardener Podcast Album Cover with a pot of rosemary - the herb for remembrance - beckoning gardeners to remember to listen to the show. Updated September 2025.

Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart Support The Daily Gardener Buy Me A Coffee  Connect for FREE! The Friday Newsletter |  Daily Gardener Community Monologue Did you know that lilies enjoy being planted in part shade? They don’t really like to be baked in full sun. If you plant them in…

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Aven Nelson: Father of the Rocky Mountain Herbarium

Aven Nelson c. 1931

“The sentry cited the group with multiple infractions – not understanding the botanical work and the materials necessary to collect and archive specimens.” June 24, 1899 On this day, a Yellowstone Park Sentry discovered six people camped beside the Madison River inside Yellowstone National Park.   The group consisted of Professor and botanist Aven Nelson…

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