Sending Specimens Away: How Sharing Supports Global Biodiversity Research
Natural history collections have served as libraries of our world’s biodiversity for centuries. These libraries—holding plants, fungi and insects—are known as herbaria. There are over 3,565 herbaria
Understanding and Conserving Genetic Diversity in Native Plant Restoration
Last month I had the pleasure of moderating a symposium at the Society for Ecological Restoration North American Conference in Vancouver, Canada. The theme of the conference was Cross-Biome
History of Mushroom Toxicology
Mushrooms can be poisonous. That is one of the first things we are taught as kids. Even though plants produce more detrimental toxins than mushrooms, society, rightly or wrongly, tends to teach the
Studying Fungal Associates of Two Native Wildflowers
If you’ve been on a hike and seen a pinedrop, you might have thought, “Hey, why isn’t that green? Isn’t it a plant?” Well, it is! But it doesn’t do the one thing that makes plants so unique – it
Collaborating on Plant Conservation Around the World
Botanic gardens are wonderfully vibrant places where we connect people to plants in myriad ways. Not only do gardens provide respite and beauty to our visitors, but they play an important role in
Learning from Locals: Adventures and Challenges of Fieldwork in Diverse Ecosystems
When in Rome, do as the Romans do; when on a field expedition in Colorado, do as the local flora do! Colorado is home to an impressive diversity of geographies and environments, from prairie to
Uniting the Forces of the Research & Conservation Department
The Research & Conservation Department at the Gardens has two main branches: conservation/ecology and biodiversity. As a 2021 scientific article from scientists at the Gardens describes, floristic
Mosquitoes: From the High Line Canal to My Kitchen
Raising the world’s deadliest animal in your kitchen is easier than you may think. Mosquitoes are easy to raise, taking very little space, water and food to make it to adulthood. To become adults
"Shrouded in Light" Book Release Lecture and Party!
The new book "Shrouded in Light: Naturalistic Planting Inspired by Wild Shrublands" by Kevin Philip Williams and Michael Guidi has been internationally hailed as a game-changer in how we perceive not
Conservation & Storytelling
Conservation is the careful maintenance and upkeep of natural resources to prevent them from disappearing. A natural resource is the physical supply of something that exists in nature, such as soil
A Newly Documented Orchid for Deer Creek Natural Area
During this year’s City Nature Challenge, researchers and citizen scientists alike in the Denver-Boulder metro area documented different lifeforms, capturing the biodiversity of the places we recreate
Collectors and Their Legacies
Denver Botanic Gardens houses more than 100,000 preserved plant, fungal and insect specimens that are used for a multitude of purposes including scientific study. As part of my job as the collection's