Posts Tagged ‘bryology’
From Swiss Peaks to American Peat: The Remarkable Journey of Leo Lesquereux
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 18, 1806 On this day, the world welcomed Charles Leo Lesquereux, a Swiss botanist whose life would unfold like a rare and resilient flower, facing adversity yet blooming in the most unexpected…
Read MoreFrom Moss to Malaria: Richard Spruce’s Amazonian Adventures
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. October 21, 2024 On this day in 1817, we celebrate the birth of Richard Spruce, a botanical adventurer whose passion for the diminutive wonders of the plant world would forever change our understanding…
Read MoreThe Deaf Botanist Who Mastered Mosses: Charles Leo Lesquereux
Living with Nature November 18, 1806 Today is the birthday of a son of Switzerland, Charles Leo Lesquereux, (“le crew”), who was born on this day in 1806. Leo was born with a naturalist’s heart. A self-described dreamer, Leo loved to go out into the forest, and he collected all kinds of flowers and…
Read MoreWilliam Starling Sullivant: America’s Father of Mosses and Master of Bryology
Founding Family of Franklinton Today is the birthday of William Starling Sullivant. Sullivant was born to the founding family of Franklinton, Ohio. His father, Lucas, was a surveyor and had named the town in honor of the recently deceased Benjamin Franklin. The settlement would become Columbus. In 1823, William Sullivant graduated from Yale College. His…
Read MoreNathaniel Lord Britton: Founder and First Director of the New York Botanical Garden
Kew Gardens Inspiration Today is the birthday of the American botanist and taxonomist Nathaniel Lord Britton. Britton married the famous bryologist Elizabeth Gertrude Knight. Together, they used Kew Gardens in London as their inspiration for the New York Botanical Garden. An obituary of Britton, written by the botanist Henry Rusby shared this charming anecdote -…
Read MoreElizabeth Gertrude Knight Britton: Pioneer Bryologist and Conservation Champion
The Famous Bryologist Today is the birthday of the famous bryologist Elizabeth Gertrude Knight Britton. Elizabeth married the botanist Nathaniel Lord Britton. She was a teacher, and he was a professor of botany at Columbia University. Together, they helped create the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx. Their primary source of Inspirationtion was Kew…
Read MoreCharles Leo Lesquereux: Deaf Bryologist and Pioneer of Paleobotany
The Botanist Born With a Naturalist’s Heart Today is the birthday of a son of Switzerland, Charles Leo Lesquereux, (pronounced “le crew”), who was born on this day in 1806. Leo was born with a naturalist’s heart. A self-described dreamer, Leo loved to go out into the forest, and he collected all kinds of flowers…
Read MoreThe Moss Whisperer: Remembering William Starling Sullivant
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. April 30, 1873 Today marks the anniversary of the departure of William Starling Sullivant, a man who devoted his life to the humble moss – those diminutive verdant pillows that cushion our forest…
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