Posts Tagged ‘natural history’
Odoardo Beccari: Discoverer of the Titan Arum and Pioneer Botanist of Southeast Asia
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. November 16, 1843 Dearest reader, On this day, we celebrate the birth of a remarkable figure in botanical history—Odoardo Beccari, the intrepid Italian botanist whose legacy has forever altered our garden lore. Orphaned…
Read MoreJan Swammerdam: The Biologist Who Revealed the Secrets of the Hive
Queen Bee February 12, 1637 Today is the birthday of the Dutch biologist and entomologist Jan Swammerdam (Yahn SWAH-MER-dam). Before Jan’s work, people believed that insects were created spontaneously. Jan proved that insects were born from eggs laid by the female species and that the larva, pupa, and adult, were just different forms of the…
Read MoreThe First Flower of Winter: Jack Sanders on Skunk Cabbage’s Early Arrival
by Jack Sanders In much of North America, skunk cabbage has earned the widespread reputation as the first flower of spring. It might be more accurate, however, to call it the first flower of winter. “The skunk cabbage may be found with its round green spear-point an inch or two above the mold in December,”…
Read MoreJean-Baptiste Lamarck: Father of Evolutionary Theory and Botanical Protector
The Father of Evolutionary Theory December 18, 1829 Today is the anniversary of the death of a French naturalist, biologist, and academic, Jean-Baptiste Lamarck. Lamarck died lonely, blind, and impoverished in Paris on this day in 1829. He was buried in a common grave. Regarded as the Father of Evolutionary Theory, Lamarck paved the way…
Read MoreJan Ingenhousz and the Discovery of Photosynthesis
Discovery of Photosynthesis December 8, 1730 Today is the birthday of the Dutch physician, physiologist, and botanist Jan Ingenhousz (“ENG-in-house”). Jan made one of the most significant botanical discoveries in history: photosynthesis. Jan served as the personal physician to the royal Habsburg family in Austria. In 1771, Jan traveled to England with a group that…
Read MoreAsa Gray: Pioneering American Botanist, Darwin’s Confidant, and Defender of Evolution
For Team Darwin November 18, 1810 Today is the birthday of one of the leading American botanists of his time and a member of Team Darwin, Asa Gray, who was born on this day in 1810. In 1857, Asa Gray received a confidential letter from Charles Darwin. In the letter, Darwin confided: “I will enclose…
Read MoreThomas Nuttall’s Botanical Journey: Discovering Michigan’s Flora on Mackinac Island
Adventures in Mackinac On this day, a 24-year-old botanist named Thomas Nuttal jumped in a birch bark canoe with Aaron Greeley, the deputy surveyor of the territory of Michigan, and they paddled to Mackinac Island arriving two weeks later on August 12. Thomas spent several days on Mackinac – He was the first real botanist…
Read MoreEdith Coleman’s Birthday: The Housewife Who Unveiled Orchid’s Secret Pollination
The Wasp and the Orchid Today is the birthday of the Australian naturalist and prolific writer Edith Coleman. Until recently, little was known about Edith. The author, Danielle Claude, wrote a book about Edith called The Wasp and the Orchid, which explored how Edith went from being a housewife until the age of 48 and then…
Read MoreCharles Sauriol’s Garden Toad Companion
Garden Toad On this day, the Canadian Naturalist Charles Joseph Sauriol (“Sar-ee-all”) wrote about sharing his garden with a toad. He wrote, “One particular toad has taken quite a fancy to the Wild Flower garden. His den is alongside the Hepatica plant. There he sits half-buried, and blinks up at me while I shower water…
Read MoreRachel Carson’s Maine Awakening: How One Summer Led to Silent Spring
A Summer in Maine On this day, the environmentalist Rachel Carson arrived in Maine and she promptly fell in love with the state. That summer, she rented a cabin on the Sheepscot River. She wrote: “The only reason I will ever come back is that I don’t have brains enough to figure out a way…
Read MoreFern Unfurling: Ted Hughes on Silence and Renewal
by Ted Hughes Here is the fern’s frond, unfurling a gesture, Like a conductor whose music will now be pause And the one note of silence To which the whole earth dances gravely – A dancer, leftover, among crumbs and remains Of God’s drunken supper, Dancing to start things up again. And they do start…
Read MoreWilliam Bartram: Nature’s Poet of the American Wilderness
A Student of the Natural World Today is the birthday of the naturalist William Bartram. In 1775, when he was 36 years old, William Bartram left Charleston, South Carolina, on horseback to explore the Cherokee Nation near Franklin, North Carolina. In addition to his botanical discoveries, Bartram was a student of all aspects of the…
Read MoreJan Swammerdam: The Scientist Who Revealed the Secrets of the Hive
Queen Bee Today is the birthday of the Dutch biologist and entomologist Jan Swammerdam (Yahn SWAH-MER-dam). Before Jan’s work, people believed that insects created spontaneously. Jan proved that insects were born from eggs laid by the female of the species and that the larva, pupa, and adult, were just different forms of the same species.…
Read MoreCharles Darwin and His Mentor John Stevens Henslow: The Cambridge Connection
Origin of Species Today is the birthday of the English naturalist and writer Charles Robert Darwin. Darwin was born into a large Christian family in Victorian England. His dad was wealthy; he was a doctor and an investor. For generations, Darwin’s family were staunch abolitionists. Darwin’s mother died when he was just eight years old.…
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