Posts Tagged ‘North American Wildflowers’
The 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 MoreMary Vaux Walcott: The Audubon of Botany and Pioneer Botanical Illustrator
The Audobon of Botany It’s the birthday of the botanical illustrator Mary Vaux Walcott who born in Philadelphia on this day. Gardeners appreciate Mary for her meticulously accurate watercolors of plants and flowers. For this reason, Mary is regarded as the “Audobon of Botany.” Mary began her career as an illustrator one summer after being challenged…
Read MoreJohn Hendley Barnhart: Historian of Botanists and Master Bibliographer
The Botanist Biographer Today is the birthday of the Master Collector of Botanists, John Hendley Barnhart, who was born on this day in 1871. Barnhart was an American botanist who specialized in the biographies of other botanists. Like many botanists, Barnhart came to botany through medicine. After training to be a doctor, he never practiced…
Read MoreThe Lady of the Wildflowers: Mary Vaux Walcott’s Botanical Revolution
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast: Click here to see the complete show notes for this episode. July 31, 1860 On this day, dear garden friends, Mary Vaux Walcott drew her first breath in Philadelphia, and little did the world know that a botanical titan had arrived. One might say…
Read More