Nebraska Archives

Purple Serendipity: The Day James Bates Discovered Nature’s Violet Surprise

This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. April 24, 1914 On this day in horticultural history, a serendipitous discovery graced the fields of Nebraska, forever altering the landscape of botanical intrigue. James M. Bates, a keen-eyed observer of nature’s whims,…

The Kentucky Floral Emblem: Goldenrod

“Goldenrod has a lot of haters; many people confuse it for ragweed. I hate even to say that – because I think that makes people think they must look similar. That’s just not true.” May 16, 1926 On this day, Kentucky selected the Goldenrod as its State Flower. Previously, Kentucky’s flower had been the…

Treeless Nebraska Inspired the First Arbor Day

“Incredibly, a million trees were planted in Nebraska on America’s first Arbor Day. I’d say that was a good start.” April 10, 1872 On this day, the first Arbor Day in the U.S. was observed in “treeless Nebraska.” The day was established for Nebraska by the Honorable J. Sterling Morton of Nebraska – later U.S.…