The Poetry of Pollinators: Neltje Blanchan’s Garden Revolution

Neltje Blanchan

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. October 23, 1865 Today we also remember the birth of Neltje Blanchan, and oh my dears, if Annie Lorrain Smith taught us to see the microscopic world of lichens, Blanchan taught an entire…

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Blazing a Trail: Otto Jennings and the Star of the Prairie

Otto Emery Jennings, Formal Portrait

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. October 4, 1877 On this day, dear readers, we celebrate the birth of Otto Emery Jennings, a man whose passion for the natural world would leave an indelible mark on both the scientific…

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A Sanctuary Amidst Academia: The Bluethenthal Wildflower Preserve

Herbert Bluethenthal Memorial Wildflowen Preserve

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. April 24, 1974 On this day, dear gardening enthusiasts, we find ourselves transported to a moment of horticultural splendor that would make even the most jaded of botanists swoon with delight. The year…

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A Botanical Birthday: Celebrating Arturo Gómez-Pompa

Arturo Gómez-Pompa

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. October 21, 1934 On this day, dear gardeners, we celebrate the birth of a true luminary in the world of botany. Arturo Gómez-Pompa, that esteemed Mexican botanist, drew his first breath on this…

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The Seedling of Conservation: Forest and Stream’s Debut

Forest & Stream

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. August 14, 1873 On this day, dear readers, we find ourselves transported to a time when the great outdoors beckoned with an irresistible siren song. The year was 1873, and the world of…

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Tiny Troublemaker: The Orchid That Stopped a Highway

Navasota Ladies' Tresses

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. July 10, 1983 On this day, dear readers, a most peculiar headline graced the pages of The Town Talk in Alexandria, Louisiana. It proclaimed, with no small measure of astonishment, ‘Rare Plant Halts…

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A Voice for Nature: Sir David Attenborough’s Earthly Symphony

Sir David Attenborough, 2015

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. May 8, 1926 On this day, the world welcomed a true champion of nature, Sir David Frederick Attenborough, born in a quaint suburb of London, England. Little did anyone know that this babe…

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Seeds of Conservation: The Birth of the Native Plant Society of Texas

The Native Plant Society of Texas (NPSOT)

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. April 25, 1981 On this day, dear champions of indigenous flora, we celebrate the founding of The Native Plant Society of Texas (NPSOT) at Texas Women’s University. This momentous occasion marked the beginning…

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The President’s Tree: Harry Truman’s Sugar Maple Moment

Truman planted a sugar maple in NY on Arbor Day, 1958

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. April 25, 1958 On this day, dear readers, we witness a most presidential act of arboreal affection. Picture, if you will, the scene in New York as former President Harry Truman, his tenure…

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