Posts Tagged ‘historical botanists’
The Mother of Ripon College was a Botanist: The Inspiring True Story of Clarissa Tracy
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 12, 1818 On this day, Clarissa Tucker Tracy, a passionate botanist and the Mother of Ripon (RIP-un) College, is born. Clarissa was a remarkable woman who found her life’s purpose in both…
Read MoreWilliam Copeland McCalla: Pioneer of Alberta Botany and Botanical Photography
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 8, 1872 On this day, William Copeland McCalla was born Born into a family where his father ran a conservatory in St. Catharines, Ontario, McCalla developed twin passions that would define his…
Read MoreA Pioneering Voice in Texas Botany: Maude Jeannie Young
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 12, 1818 On this day, Clarissa Tucker Tracy, a passionate botanist and the Mother of Ripon (RIP-un) College, is born. Clarissa was a remarkable woman who found her life’s purpose in both…
Read MoreThe Walking Botanist: Celebrating Charles Wright
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. October 29, 1811 Today we celebrate the birthday of Charles Wright born on this day in Wethersfield, Connecticut. Wright embodied the spirit of botanical exploration in early America, becoming one of the most…
Read MoreA Flora of Concord from Thoreau’s Time to the Present Day
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. October 29, 1972 On this day, The Berkshire Eagle published a revealing article about Henry David Thoreau [pronounced: THOR-oh] titled “Thoreau: The Amateur Botanist.” The piece, penned by Wayne Hanley, drew heavily from…
Read MoreBlooming Against the Odds: Ellsworth Jerome Hill’s Botanical Triumph
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. December 1, 1833 On this day, dear friends of the garden and admirers of human perseverance, a most remarkable individual drew his first breath. Ellsworth Jerome Hill, destined to become a Presbyterian minister,…
Read MoreCloud forests and quinine: José Celestino Mutis’ botanical expedition
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. April 6, 1732 Dearest reader, On this day, we celebrate the birth of José Celestino Mutis, a Spanish priest, botanist, and mathematician whose remarkable dedication and vision shaped the understanding of New Granada’s…
Read MoreA Turbulent Mind at Fifty: Carl Linnaeus’ Battle with Age and Despair
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: February 10, 1758 Dearest reader, On this day, the esteemed Carl Linnaeus—venerated as the “father of modern taxonomy”—was wrestling not with the names of plants this time, but with the heavy shadows of his own mind. At fifty years of age, Linnaeus found himself not…
Read MoreThe Ecology of Belonging: Eugenius Warming and the Hidden Life of Plant Communities
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 3, 1841 Dearest reader, On this day, we celebrate the birth of Eugenius Warming, a Danish botanist whose pioneering work laid the cornerstone for the modern science of ecology. Though the term…
Read MoreA Botanist’s Journey West: Remembering LeRoy Abrams
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. October 1, 1874 Dearest reader, On this day, the prairies of Sheffield, Iowa, welcomed a child who would one day wander farther afield than any of his neighbors could dream. LeRoy Abrams, an…
Read MoreThe Plant Hunter’s Tale: Engelbert Kaempfer’s Botanical Legacy
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. September 16, 1651 My dearest garden enthusiasts, on this most remarkable day, we turn our attention to a true pioneer of botanical exploration, whose legacy blooms eternal in gardens across the globe. On…
Read MoreJohn Hope: Scottish Botanist and Pioneer of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
The Edinburgh Botanist May 10, 1725 Today is the birthday of the botanist, famous professor, and founder of one of the leading botanical gardens in Europe — John Hope. Alive during the Scottish enlightenment, John left his mark on the royal botanic gardens, plant classification, and plant physiology. He was appointed as the King’s botanist…
Read MoreA Botanical Love Story: The Remarkable Life of Mary Strong Clemens
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. December 1, 1833 On this day, dear friends of the garden and admirers of human perseverance, a most remarkable individual drew his first breath. Ellsworth Jerome Hill, destined to become a Presbyterian minister,…
Read MoreEllsworth Jerome Hill: Tenacious Botanist and Master of Field Exploration
Crawling to Canes January 22, 1917 Today is the anniversary of the death of the Presbyterian minister, writer, and American botanist Ellsworth Jerome Hill. Ellsworth was born in Leroy, New York. When Ellsworth was only 20 years old, one of his knees stopped working, and a doctor suggested he study botany. So, Ellsworth would crawl…
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