Ynes Mexia

Ynes Mexia

Sunflower Lover Today is the anniversary of the death of the botanist Ynes Mexia (“EE-nez Muh-HAY-ah”). In terms of her botanical career, Ynes was a late bloomer. The first half of her life was turbulent, but at the age of 50, Ynes joined the Sierra Club. Nature had always been a balm to her. Eager…

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July 12, 2020 A Garden at Maturity, the Water Lily, Henry David Thoreau, David Douglas, Charles Darwin, Ynes Mexia, Fern Poem, The Gardener & the Grill by Karen Adler and Judith Fertig, and Yerba Buena

20200101 The Daily Gardener Album Cover

Today we celebrate the man who inspired National Simplicity Day (It’s dedicated every July 12th). We’ll also learn about the tragic death of a Scottish botanist and prolific plant collector. We celebrate the friendship between Charles Darwin and his mentor. And, we also celebrate a woman who started botanizing late in life, yet made a…

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Ynes Mexia

Ynes Mexia

The Sunflower Gardener It’s the birthday of Ynes Mexia, A Mexican American botanist born in 1870. After a lifetime of turbulent personal challenges, Mexia discovered the Sierra Club at age 50. Throughout her life, nature had been a balm to her. She decided to enroll at Berkeley in order to take botany classes. She would…

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May 24, 2019 Gardeners and Weeds, Ynes Mexia, Queen Victoria, Frank Cabot, Les Quatre Vents, Linda Leinen, The Naming of Plants, Anna Pavord, The Naming of Names, Photo Friday in the Garden, and Ynes Mexia’s Exploits in Mexico and South America

20200101 The Daily Gardener Album Cover

Emerson once wrote, “To science there is no poison; To botany no weed; To chemistry no dirt.” As much as I like this quote, I know most gardeners will beg to differ. To gardeners, there are weeds. As I mentioned in an earlier episode this month, we often forget one key variable in gardening; the…

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Plant Explorers Ynes Mexia’s Adventures and Botanical Legacy

Ynes Mexia

“Once she realized such posterity was possible, it was almost as if Ynes was scrambling to ensure her legacy. Today, fifty species have been named in her honor.” May 24, 1870 On this day, the Mexican-American botanist Ynes Mexia, was born.   When researching Ynes, I learned she loved having plants named in her honor.…

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