Posts Tagged ‘natural history’
Archibald Menzies’ Santa Barbara Sojourn: A Botanical Milestone
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 18, 1793 On this day, Archibald Menzies (MEN-zeez), the Scottish surgeon-botanist, reluctantly departed Santa Barbara aboard the HMS Discovery during Vancouver’s expedition. Menzies had spent several productive days exploring the Santa Barbara…
Read MoreThe Father of American Dendrology: Remembering Humphry Marshall
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 5, 1801 On this day, America lost one of its pioneering botanists, Humphry Marshall. His legacy as the “Father of American Dendrology” continues to influence our understanding of native trees and shrubs…
Read MoreJohn Joly: The Poet-Scientist Who Understood Plant Magic
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 1, 1857 John Joly (pronounced “JOLLY”) was born on this day in Hollywood House near the village of Bracknagh (pronounced “BRACK-nuh”) in County Offaly, Ireland. Joly was an Irish polymath whose profound…
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 1, 1826 Maude Jeannie Fuller Young (pronounced “MAW-duh JEE-nee FULL-er YOUNG”) was born on this day in 1826. Though she would become known for many accomplishments, it’s her groundbreaking contribution to botanical…
Read MoreMarianne North: The Victorian Artist Who Painted the World’s Flora
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. October 24, 1830 And it was on this day, my dear friend, that one of the most extraordinary botanical artists ever to wield a brush drew her first breath in Hastings, England. I…
Read MoreThe Lichen Lady: Annie Lorrain Smith’s Scientific Revolution
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. October 23, 1854 Today we also celebrate the birth of the remarkable Annie Lorrain Smith, and oh my dears, what a story she has to tell us about persistence in both gardens and…
Read MoreThe Poetry of Pollinators: Neltje Blanchan’s Garden Revolution
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…
Read MoreSermons in the Soil: The Naturalist-Parson Gilbert White
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. April 25, 1766 On this day, dear readers and fellow garden enthusiasts, a most delightful exchange occurred between two gentlemen of wit and wisdom. John Mulso, with quill in hand, penned a letter…
Read MoreThe Bird Man of Paisley: Remembering Alexander Wilson’s American Legacy
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. August 23, My dearest garden companions and winged-creature enthusiasts, today marks the anniversary of the death of that remarkable Scottish ornithologist and poet, Alexander Wilson. A man after our own hearts, wouldn’t you…
Read MoreThe Pope of Indian Ornithology: Allan Hume’s Journey from Birds to Botany
A Lifelong Naturalist June 6, 1829 On this day was born Allan Octavian Hume, a British civil servant whose life story reads like a cautionary tale about putting all one’s intellectual eggs in a single, poorly guarded basket. After dedicating more than three decades to service in India, Hume had developed such an affinity for…
Read MoreWoman’s Work: The Revolutionary Taxidermy of Martha Maxwell
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. May 31, 1881 This day marks the passing of one Martha Maxwell, that diminutive yet formidable force in the realm of taxidermy, who departed this earthly plane on this very day in 1881.…
Read MoreA Voice for Nature: Sir David Attenborough’s Earthly Symphony
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…
Read MoreSir Hans Sloane: From Plant Collector to National Treasure
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. April 16, 1660 On this day, dear gardeners, we celebrate the birth of that most extraordinary gentleman, Sir Hans Sloane – physician, naturalist, and collector extraordinaire. One simply cannot overstate the magnitude of…
Read MoreThe Naturalist Who Brought Goldfish to Holland: Remembering Job Baster
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. April 1, 1711 On this day, Job Baster was born. This remarkable Dutch naturalist was among the first in his country to examine the minute details of flora and fauna through the revealing…
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