I received the Lytro camera yesterday at the William and Lynda Steere Herbarium. I am interested in using it for photographing plant specimens that require broad depth of field, but I could not resist giving it a test drive at the 2013 Orchid Show.
Click the image to change the focal point. Double click to zoom in and out.
Submitted by Michael Bevens, Information Manager for Digitization, Herbarium
Fascinating and scary essay from Harvey Cotten of the Huntsville Botanical Garden on Triadica sebifera, also known as the Chinese tallow tree, the popcorn tree, the Florida aspen, and the chicken tree (and previously known as Sapium sebiferum). Regardless of what you call it, Triadica sebifera is highly invasive, and for many years it’s introduction to the United States has been placed squarely on the shoulders of Benjamin Franklin! But modern genetic testing has vindicated Franklin, and the mystery of this nuisance tree’s arrival (and domination) of the southern United States remains a mystery.
We are sometimes asked why herbariums are important. This article tracing the evolution of a highly destructive insect pest through herbaria specimens is a perfect example of why we should continue to support the collection and cataloging of botanical specimens.
Generations of scientists and amateur wildlife enthusiasts have collected plants, fungi, and algae and mounted them onto sheets of paper to preserve them. Many of these sheets now serve as historical records in vast archives called herbaria. Some herbaria hold specimens gathered more than 200 years ago; most started with the personal collection of one dedicated person who amassed thousands of plants. Carl Linnaeus, the 18th-century botanist who created the scientific naming system of species we use today, collected 14,300 specimens that are still kept in The Linnean Society of London’s herbarium.
Scienceline - A new use for 200-year-old pressed plants
Rosemary (in NYBG pot) and friend
Love you, Mom <3
Happy National Public Gardens Day! A female carpenter bee visiting the pea vines yesterday. She’s California’s largest bee.
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY
This Mother’s Day don’t just go local—go native: Fill your weekend with flowers and garden parties at the city’s botanical...
Be the change you want to see in the world.
-Gandhi
Lovely tree peonies at the NY Botanical Garden
