botany

Biologist Paul Ehrlich and director for the Center of Conservation Biology at Stanford University Anne Ehrlich dedicate this book, “To Homo sapiens, which through the extinction of others endangers itself;” an appropriate summary.  This husband and wife duo have spent decades warning about the dangers of overpopulation, and in Extinction they focus on the affect it can have on species’ populations, the environment, and, ultimately, humanity itself.  It is a straight-forward, compelling narrative that dissects why we should save even the lowliest of species, how we have threate

The Azores, an archipelago of volcanic islands west of Portugal, undoubtedly possesses one of the most unique and ever-changing environments on the planet.  Within these lush and vibrant islands lie flora and fauna never seen before.  In fact, it is not unusual to discover new species on the islands.

An early twentieth century book in which an older gardener named Giles teaches three children, named Mark, Dorothy, and Ruth how to create their first garden. The book chronicles them caring for the garden in their first year. The reader begins in January and ends with the garden blanketed with snow in December. The children learn the importance of doing garden chores each month and if you “take care of your plants and treat them rightly, they are sure to reward you with beautiful flowers.” The delightful illustrations throughout the book are by Gertrude M.

This wonderful book is about the history of the famous Japanese flowering cherry trees in Washington, D.C. It’s co-authored by Roland Jefferson, the first African American botanist  at the U.S. National Arboretum (USNA), hired in 1956.  Mr. Jefferson began his career studying crabapple trees, but eventually became an international authority on flowering cherries, making many plant collecting trips to Japan.

Johann Amman (1707-1741) was a Swiss-born doctor and botanist who actively corresponded with both Hans Sloane and Carl Linnaeus. Johann Amman did much to advance the study of botany in Russia—his 1739 Stirpium Rariorum was one of the first botanical works to be published by the Russian Academy of Sciences at Saint Petersburg, at which he was Chair of Botany. In addition, he cultivated a number of the specimens described in the book in the Academy’s Botanical Garden, which he founded.