A blog of the Missouri Botanical Garden
Coffee is one of the most popular drinks on the planet, trailing only water and tea in global daily consumption. Although it’s a drink many people rely on for a morning pick-me-up, it can be easy to overlook the plant that produces this culturally and economically important caffeinated beverage. What is Coffee? Coffea is a…
As the Principal Investigator of the Garden’s Conservation Genetics Lab, Christy Edwards already has plenty on her plate. But equally important to Edwards is her work with graduate students. To her, it’s essential because despite the efforts of plant scientists, we still know relatively little about many plant species, and many are still undiscovered. At…
Autumn days may have you thinking of the red and orange hues of changing leaves, but if you want the bright pinks and yellows of spring, fall is the time to get those bulbs in the ground! Now is the time to start to watch for spring bulbs, like tulips and daffodils, at your local…
Proper safeguarding and stewardship of our flora has the very intended effect of also benefiting our fauna. Just like humans, animals depend on plants for things like food and shelter. And plants often rely on animals for pollination and seed dispersal. Protecting plant habitats allows these beneficial relationships to occur as nature intended. Monarch butterflies…
An exciting transformation is coming to the Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House Entomology Lab If you’ve visited the Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House in its first two decades of operation, you’ve likely marveled at the beautiful butterfly diversity on display, but have you ever wondered how these colorful creatures come to fill the Butterfly House’s…
Alexander von Humboldt is one of the most influential people you’ve probably never heard of. Yet you’ve likely heard the name, whether you know it or not. His name adorns cities and schools, mountains and glaciers, and a dozen plants and animals including the Humboldt penguins at the St. Louis Zoo. When combined, there are…
As we look to the future, solar power is one of the most promising energy sources. It’s efficient, it’s renewable, and St. Louis gets more than enough sunlight to be an ideal location. Perhaps the most significant downside of solar power is the cost of installation, which tends to be higher than other energy options….
Current Events Garden Party Lights Garden Treasure Hunt Leafing Through History: Plants That Make Paper Garden Named an Official Red List Partner The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has named the Garden an official partner presiding over the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™—the world’s most comprehensive information source on the global conservation…
Conservation work on the Peter H. Raven Library’s copy of The Orchidaceae of Mexico and Guatemala is almost complete! Follow along as we document this painstaking restoration of one of the largest and grandest volumes in the Garden’s rare book collection. The Orchidaceae of Mexico and Guatemala has been disbound, cleaned, mended, guarded and washed (at…
For many, a college dorm is the first “home” outside of their parents’ house. It’s a place to call their own, and a place where they’ll spend much of their time as they start college. If you’re headed to college and getting ready to deck out your dorm, consider adding a houseplant to the mix….
Zero Waste Ambassador volunteers help reduce the “waste line” of the Missouri Botanical Garden’s signature events. You can join this movement as a volunteer. It’s educational, impactful, shady and fun! Signature events like Japanese Festival and Best of Missouri Market are among the most popular activities at the Missouri Botanical Garden, offering thousands of visitors…
The Kemper Center for Home Gardening is the largest non-profit gardening information center of its kind in the nation. That means they get a lot of gardening questions every week. Many of those questions are about pests wreaking havoc on home gardeners. The type of pests doing the most damage varies from year to year,…