Search Results for: BRIT Library Collection
Pages
Events
Drawing in the Garden: BRIT Library Collections
Discover and polish your drawing skills at the Garden! Bring your favorite portable medium and explore a new artistic focus each month. Our award-winning artist instructor will start with a demonstration, then answer questions and provide tips and one-on-one attention throughout a free-drawing session. We will end by gathering to share our experiences and drawings. Registration includes Garden admission for the day—we encourage you to explore the Garden after class!
Drawing in the Garden: Herbarium
Discover and polish your drawing skills at the Garden! Bring your favorite portable medium and explore a new artistic focus each month. Our award-winning artist instructor will start with a demonstration, then answer questions and provide tips and one-on-one attention throughout a free-drawing session. We will end by gathering to share our experiences and drawings. Registration includes Garden admission for the day—we encourage you to explore the Garden after class!
Art Exhibition: The Hidden Beauty of Plant Patterns
About the Exhibition: The Hidden Beauty of Plant Patterns Discover the mesmerizing world of cacti and succulent plants through Victor Mozqueda’s recent project. As a nature photographer, Victor captures the...
Begonia Terrariums: Next Steps
Take home a piece of the Fort Worth Botanic Garden by creating a unique terrarium featuring begonias from the largest recognized begonia collection in North America! Start with a tour...
Gardens
Blog Posts
Spring 2024 Goats In The Garden Interns
In the Spring of 2024, Taryn Mitchell and Sydney Lowenthal were selected for undergraduate student internships as part of the Goats In The Garden Project, supported and made possible by...
2023 Conservation & Collections Intern Experiences
In the Summer of 2023, Jade Affleck, Kate Morton, Gabrielle Perez, and Gabriela Wolfe took part in a 10-week Conservation & Collections Summer Internship program, led by co-mentors Tiana Rehman...
Botanical Research Institute of Texas Adds 1.5 Millionth Specimen to Herbarium
The addition of the recently collected Texas sandmint (Rhododon ciliatus) specimen marks a milestone and calls attention to the importance of herbaria in conservation efforts. The Botanic Research Institute of...
XX International Botanical Congress
The XX International Botanical Congress was held Madrid, Spain from July 21 – 27, 2024. BRIT staff presented the following posters either physically or virtually: Download Download Download...
Xylarium
A xylarium, xylotheque, and xylothek are all words to describe a collection of wood (the Greek word for “wood” is xylon). In trees, the secondary xylem, the tissue that transports water from the roots...
Digitizing Specimens of the Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge
Imagine standing quietly at a lookout in the hill country of central Texas as the sun begins to set. Oak and Juniper trees blanket the hills as far as the...
Get to know the Garden’s new flagship Texas plants and the interns researching them
Every year, the research team adopts a few special plants as a focus for study and conservation, especially for the student interns who join the Garden every summer. This year, interns and their mentors are paying special attention to two plants, a wildflower native to Texas and a rare and remarkable native orchid, Meanwhile a third intern is investigating fungi growing in the Garden itself.
2022 Research & Conservation Intern Experiences
Ulysses Oles I am about to start my first semester of grad school. My experience going into the internship was very limited with regards to herbaria. I expected most of...
Botanical Art = Botanical Science
The history of civilization can be told through pictures of plants. The roots of botanical art and the science of botany began in ancient Greek and Roman times, depicting plants as a means of understanding and recording their potential uses.
Sean Lahmeyer of the Huntington Herbarium
As part of the Library's Collection Lens series, BRIT Librarian, Brandy Watts, interviews Sean Lahmeyer of the Huntington Herbarium who discusses the history of the collection and its growth through the years.
National DNA Day
A Peek Inside Sumner Lab on National DNA Day Lab Volunteer, Jerrod Stone, shares his experience and the latest projects April 26th is National DNA Day! Researchers have been busily...
Barbara Thiers: Funding Natural History Collections & the Extended Specimen Network
BRIT Librarian, Brandy Watts, interviews Barbara Thiers, Director of the William and Lynda Steere Herbarium at the New York Botanical Garden, who she discusses funding natural history collections and the Extended Specimen Network.
Pondering Poaceae Across Texas
Dan Caudle discusses his interest in grasses and grasslands, giving particular attention to his work with Meredith Ellis, a young rancher and committed conservationist in Cooke County, Texas.
National Old Stuff Day
In honor of National Old Stuff Day (March 2nd), the BRIT Herbarium wants to highlight one of our more interesting specimens from Oklahoma. Although not as old as the oldest...
FWBG | BRIT Research Teams Awarded More Than $1.95M for Plant Exploration at Home and Abroad
Last December, two BRIT botanists and their teams of colleagues were awarded separate grants from the National Science Foundation’s Systematics & Biodiversity Science Program for a combined total of $1,950,000....
John Atwood: The Bryophytes of the Missouri Botanical Garden Herbarium & Library
BRIT Librarian, Brandy Watts, interviews John Atwood, Research Specialist at the Missouri Botanical Garden, who discusses the Herbarium's Bryophyte Collection and the Peter H. Raven Bryology Library.
Susan Fraser of the LuEsther T. Mertz Library
Former Vice President and Director of the LuEsther T. Mertz Library at the New York Botanical Garden reflects on her tenure with the Library.
Gina Douglas of The Linnean Society of London
Gina Douglas, Honorary Archivist of the Linnean Society of London, discusses her many fruitful and enriching years with the Linnean Society and the wonderful collections that she has worked with during her tenure.
Searching for Mertensia through the Mountains of China
From the mountains of China, comes a botany story in search of Mertensia (Bluebells), of the Boraginaceae family. Through the summer of 2010, botanist Mare Nazaire Ph.D. of California Botanic Garden (RSA) conducted numerous field collecting trips throughout the alpine regions of China.
Grace Lloyd Bascopé: Flora of Belize & Maya Research Project
Resident Research Associate, Grace Lloyd Bascopé, talks about her summers in Blue Creek, Belize working on Flora of Belize & Maya Research Project.
Collecting Collections; Tiana F. Rehman, BRIT Herbarium
Tiana F. Rehman, BRIT's Herbarium Collections Manager, tells us about the many collections that compose the Herbarium. This is the first interview of the Library's new Collection Lens series, which highlights collection managers from around the world across botanical libraries and herbaria as collections move into the future.
A Library Encircling A Herbarium
Imagine a herbarium of just under 400,000 plant specimens in cabinets with a corresponding botany library of 40,000 books lining the periphery, along the walls of the herbarium collection accessible to researchers working in the collection. This was the design of the SMU Herbarium and Library housed on the SMU campus before moving to BRIT in 1991.
1,000 Ascensions: Madagascar expedition
These are all just some of the steps involved in discovering new plant species and understanding plant biodiversity – or at least they were on my most recent trip to Madagascar in search of strange and wonderful plant life.
Muir, Muir…In Our Halls
It was 1875, and John Muir was a busy man. He was already well-known for his journeys through central and northern California. His writing was published in newspapers and magazines around the...
Librarian Lens: Plant Discovery In the Southern Philippines Expedition Two
In December of 2019, BRIT Librarian participated in expedition two of the Plant Discovery In the Southern Philippines project.
Encounters with Plants that BITE!
In late 2018, the BRIT Philecology Herbarium received funds from the National Science Foundation Grant: “Endless Forms most beautiful and most wonderful” to digitize collections of species across 15 plant...
Eula Whitehouse’s Field Camera
Eula Whitehouse's field camera was recently gifted to BRIT Library by her family.
Will the real four-leaf clover please stand up?!
There are many plant species bearing the iconic clover look in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. The true lucky clover is believed to be the white clover of the legume family...
(En)TADA! The herbarium holds specimens of the LONGEST legumes in the world
The BRIT Philecology Herbarium is composed of a melting pot of several orphaned collections across the south and southeast. In addition to those large collections, we also receive specimens through...
Library Exhibition: Among the Birds and Flora of Texas
The second rotation of the BRIT LIbrary's exhibition Among the Birds and Flora of Texas is ready for viewing.
Dr. Eula Whitehouse’s Family Visits BRIT Library
The BRIT Library had the pleasure of welcoming members of the Eula Whitehouse family this week.
Micromorphology of DFW Metroplex Fern and Lycophyte Spores
This article was written by Ivan Rosales, 2019 BRIT Summer Intern and student at University of Texas at Arlington. Ivan interned with Dr. Alejandra Vasco, working on fern diversity and anatomy. Who Would...
BRIT® Receives $1.5M Award from National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation (NSF) recently awarded the Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT®) $1.5 million over four years to digitize its 355,000 herbarium specimen collections from Texas and Oklahoma. The prestigious grant...
Saga of the Texas Prairie
This article was written by Edward Bickett, 2019 BRIT Summer Intern and student at University of Texas at Arlington. Edward interned with Dr. Brooke Best and Resident Research Associate Dan Caudle, working with the All...
Summer in Paradise: Preserving Plant Genomes across Texas
This article was written by GGI-Gardens Summer 2019 Fellow, Seth Hamby. Texas is a state that you can drive through for 7 hours and still be in Texas, believe me...
Rows (and Rose) of Wood!
This summer the BRIT Herbarium began investigating and curating a unique collection of specimens comprised mostly from the Houston Public Museum (HPM) (now known as the Houston Museum of Natural History) collection acquired...
Botanists Amidst the Texas Flora: A GGI Summer Fellowship
This article was written by GGI-Gardens Summer 2019 Fellow, Farahnoz Khojayori. Climbing up the Tobe Spring Trail over 7,000 feet elevation past rattlesnakes, tall evergreens, and countless thistles and shrubs...
Peter Fritsch Reporting on Field Research in the Philippines
The first expedition to the Philippines has been going splendidly, with many hundreds of collections, photographs, DNA samples, and associated field data being collected by the team. The four areas to...
Highlights from the Oliver G. Burk Children’s Library
As part of the BRIT LIbrary's summer internship, Annie Martin, our summer intern, is highlighting a selection of books from the Oliver G. Burk Children's Library Collection. Over the course of the summer more items will be added so please check back!
Dr. Sherwin Carlquist Collection
In honor of National Library Week, BRIT Library would like to highlight a recent acquisition of the BRIT Library & Archive collection. In July of 2018, BRIT Library acquired the collection of botanist Sherwin Carlquist. This acquisition includes 100,000 color field photograph slides, 5,000 microscope slides, and 15 field notebooks.
Mary Sophie Young
In honor of International Women’s Day 2019, on March 8, 2019, BRIT Library highlighted the botanist Mary Sophie Young. As one of the earliest botanists at University of Texas, Mary Sophie Young’s...
Two Dozen Reasons – Photos
Return to “Two Dozen Reasons” blog post.
Two Botanists and An Artist Walk Into the Desert…
The Amon Carter Museum of American Art (ACMAA) sponsored Barney Lipscomb and Tiana Rehman to serve as botanical guides to West Texas for artist Mark Dion. Commissioned by the ACMAA, Mark—a contemporary artist who...
The Importance of Studying Natural History Collections Past, Present, and Future
Article written by Lani DuFresne, 2018 BRIT Herbarium and Research Intern and student at Rice University. Out of everything I’ve learned so far in my education, cursive was one of...
Back For More
his article was written by Serina Taluja, 2018 BRIT Summer Intern and student at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Serina interned with Research Manager and Special Collections Librarian Alyssa Young working on aspects...
Summer 2017 Research and Herbarium Interns
Education: Junior in Microbiology at the University of Alabama at TuscaloosaMost Recent Project: Vanessa is currently collaborating with Dr. Harold W. Keller at BRIT on a paper about corticolous myxomycetes, a type...
A Summer Deep in the Weeds: Surprises Found Along the Way
Article written by Kelly Carroll, 2018 BRIT Herbarium and Research Intern and student at Trinity University. Kelly interned with Dr. Brooke Best and Resident Research Associate Dan Caudle, working with the All Saints Episcopal School...
BRIT Receives $1.3 Million Dollar Grant from the National Science Foundation to Study Biodiversity in the Philippines
Texas botanists will collaborate with other U.S. institutions and international personnel to conduct research in threatened forests of Southeast Asia. FORT WORTH, Texas (August 28, 2018) – Researchers at the Botanical...
Dr. Eula Whitehouse
In our "Hidden Treasures" series, Special Collections Librarian Alyssa B. Young features notable works in the BRIT rare book collection. The work of Dr. Eula Whitehouse spreads tentacles throughout BRIT.
A Ferntastic Day with NLU
On Sunday, February 25th, BRIT staff had the pleasure of hosting members of the Southwestern Fern Society, our local chapter of the American Fern Society, for a volunteer day. Six...
All Sealed Up
One of the first steps in curating the NLU collection is ensuring its security. Herbarium specimens are vulnerable to damage from light, bugs, rodents, dust, and water. The metal cabinets used to...
Curating the NLU Collection
The R. Dale Thomas Collection (NLU) officially completed its journey to BRIT in August 2017. However, this was only the beginning! Follow the NLU rescue team for the next year as they...
Bringing NLU to BRIT
In March 2017, the scientific community was ablaze with the news that the University of Louisiana at Monroe would no longer be able to care for its natural history collection, including...
Holiday Botany: Poinsettia
The poinsettia is a quintessential part of typical holiday decor. Its bright red, burgundy, or white foliage are common sights in locations both private and public throughout the winter months, from apartment balconies and church altars to bank lobbies and coffeehouses.
My Summer Education: The Microscopic World
This post was written by Vanessa Marshall, 2017 summer intern and student at The University of Alabama. BRIT has been amazing – a catalyst that has unlocked the doors to...
The Legacy of Alexander von Humboldt
How much do you know about Alexander von Humboldt, one of the most influential naturalists in history? More species and plants are named after him than after any other human being, but in the last 150 years he's been nearly forgotten. Let's
Books, Botany, and Bugs
This article was written by Sydney Jackson, 2017 BRIT Summer Intern and student at Austin College in Sherman, TX. This past summer, summer of 2017, I was a research intern...
Cabinet Curiosities: The New Zealand Kauri
Our “Cabinet Curiosities” series explores significant items in our Herbarium collection. This article was written by Haley Rylander, Research and Herbarium Assistant. The New Zealand Kauri – Agathis australis – is a truly...
Botanical Research Institute of Texas Rescues Orphaned Herbarium at the University of Louisiana-Monroe
FORT WORTH, TEXAS (July 3, 2017) – The Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT®) is pleased to announce the nonprofit has been selected to receive almost half a million plant specimens...
The Unusual Binding of “Flora Sibirica”
In our year-long "Hidden Treasures" series, Alyssa B. Young, Special Collections Librarian, features notable works in the BRIT rare book collection.
As you look through the shelves in our rare book room, you see rows and rows of beautifully-bound books. They have bindings of leather and vellum, ornate embossed and gilded decorations on the covers and spines.
Botanical Specimens with a Mysterious Past!
This article originally appeared in BRIT’s former newsletter publication, Iridos, Issue 16(1) 2005. “Wow!” is the most frequent comment from visitors viewing the two oldest plant specimens in the BRIT...
Alexander von Humboldt and the Scientific Discovery of America
In our year-long "Hidden Treasures" series, Alyssa B. Young, Special Collections Librarian, features notable works in the BRIT rare book collection.
Frontera, Texas
Our “Cabinet Curiosities” series explores significant items in our Herbarium collection. Posts are contributed by staff, volunteers, and interns. In 1852, the former Republic of Texas was two years past...
Curtis’s Botanical Magazine
One of the treasures of BRIT’s rare book collection is Curtis’s Botanical Magazine, a premier journal for early botanical illustrations and descriptions. The journal has featured over 10,000 color illustrations in its 230 years of publication. Originally titled The Botanical Magazine, it is the longest running illustrated botanical periodical and is still being published today.
Yunnan, China
Dr. Peter Fritsch, BRIT’s VP of Research and Director of the Herbarium, is on a visiting scholarship from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, based at the Kunming Institute of Botany...
Youth Range Workshop 2016
Just imagine trying to keep up with 25 energetic, enthusiastic, inquisitive high school students for a week in the middle of a hot, dry summer in the semi-arid country around...
BRIT’s Computer Vision(aries)
Our interns and volunteers are invaluable at BRIT. In this series, they discuss their experiences with us. This summer, four high school students from Trinity Valley School interned at BRIT through our...
Grey Fox: Exploring an Ancient Maya Center
Over the past two summers (2015 & 2016), BRIT Resident Research Associate Dr. Grace Bascopé, a Medical and Environmental Anthropologist, worked with the Maya Research Program’s (MRP) Blue Creek Archaeological...
Survey of BRIT’s Tarrant County Bryophyte Collection
Our interns and volunteers are invaluable at BRIT. In this series, they discuss their experiences with us. This post is by Hanna Liebermann, Hendrix College biology student / BRIT intern,...
The Sweep of Time
Article originally submitted for The Leaflet (June 2014) by Brian Witte, PhD, BRIT Research Associate Most of us live in the moment. Paycheck-to-paycheck, living for the weekend, summer vacation, twitter updates. Updates...
The Living Herbarium: Many Hands Make Godzilla
Article originally published in The Leaflet (May 2014) by Brian Witte, PhD, BRIT Research Associate There is a stereotype of the scientist as a lone genius, laboring in obscurity until their “Eureka!”...
The Living Herbarium: Instructions for Life
Article originally published in The Leaflet (April 2014) by Brian Witte, PhD, BRIT Research Associate (Disclaimer: The technical aspects of this article are dramatically simplified in the interests of communicating with an...
Plant Hunting on the Islands in the Sea of Cortez
This “Notes from the Field” post is from BRIT Biodiversity Explorer Dr. Sula Vanderplank, a Biodiversity Explorer for BRIT. She is a field botanist who loves natural history, floristics, and...
Nameless in the Living Herbarium
Article originally published in The Leaflet (March 2014) by Brian Witte, PhD, BRIT Research Associate Identifying a nameless specimen brings tremendous satisfaction. Naming seems simple. It’s just two words, after all. And yet, a...
The Living Herbarium: A Life’s Work
Article originally published in the The Leaflet (November 2013) by Brian Witte, PhD, BRIT Research Associate A herbarium can be as much a cabinet of mysteries as it is a repository of...
Mary Sophie on the Move: Busted Freezer Gets Relocated, Repurposed
By Research Associate Will Godwin, PhD Adaptive reuse or re-purposing has become a popular method to achieve green or sustainable design. It even extends into the aesthetics of interior design...
Botanizing with La Mula Mil
This “Notes from the Field” post is from BRIT Biodiversity Explorer Dr. Sula Vanderplank Riders: Trudi Angell, Leslie Pringle, Theodora “Teddi” Montes, Karen Brown, Polly “Polita” Parker, Marlene Jones, Steve Enright...
A Month in the Field in Baja California Sur: Part II
Part II — “Rancho Chivato, Sierra de las Cacachilas” Botany Team Colleagues: Dr. Jon Rebman (SDNHM, San Diego Natural History Museum ) John LaGrange (SDNHM) Dr. Alfonso Medel (CIBNOR, Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del...
A Month in the Field in Baja California Sur: Part I
Part I—“Bighorn Sheep Habitat, Sierra Tres Virgenes” Colleagues: Dr. Alan Harper, Benjamin Wilder, Rodrigo Rentería Guides and muleteers: Jesus “Chuyito” Arce Ojeda and wife María Marcial Morales Rafael “Falo” Lopez...
