Page 62 - MNLGA Free State Winter 2023_WEB

GROWING FORWARD (Continued)
the role they play in our cultural and
natural environments, and engage
people to conserve nature and
improve the human experience.”
Significant for housing plant samples
from all over the world and for its
role as one of only four botanical
publishers in the U.S., among
other distinctions, BRIT provides a
fascinating wealth of information
worth discovering. (fwbg.org/
research)

Key issues being studied at BRIT Photo 2: The ILLUMINATIONS Past, Present, and Future of Fern Research exhibition created by artist
range from better understanding Dornith Doherty includes the eye-catching ANTHENAEUM.
specific groups of plants, plants Texas. The Global Genome Initiative BRIT. Included in these collections are
from specific regions of the world, for Gardens is a partnership between archived field notes written by
and plants in human-influenced public gardens throughout the world botanists and naturalists, resources
environments. The Ericales program to collect herbarium specimens for teachers, and even a cache
studies species diversity and origin of and genome resources. The Urban of nursery catalogs. A special
various ornamental and sometimes Ecology Program studies urban tree climate-controlled section houses
edible plants of the order Ericales, populations and their associated rare books dating back to 1549.
including blueberries, silverbells, smaller life forms. See photo 1. Special collections also
and wintergreen. The Texas Plant Plant taxonomy resources relevant include botanical artworks ranging
Conservation Initiative is intended to to botany, horticulture, and related from early naturalists through
raise awareness about the value of fields are housed in the Library and contemporary artists. See photo 2.
plants and conserving biodiversity in
Special Collections department at

Photo 3: A sampling of herbarium specimens.

62 WINTER 2023 • Free State News