This morning during our walk, Miss Raylene and I were talking about a lot of things, and suddenly, I was thinking that I love taking pictures of nature and mainly of flowers. They are so beautiful and splendorous. Then, I imagined how the life of a botanist would be. Then I said: “That’s what I want to be in my next life, a botanist.” I can only imagine what a beautiful profession that would be. Your whole life concentrated on flora and I guess fauna also, so you know how to combat the friendly beasts and reptiles when you encounter them.
A botanist is a specialist in botany or in a branch of botany. Botany is a branch of biology dealing with plant life. Sounds just perfect for me. I imagine myself somewhere in the Amazon, or some part of the tropics, or in Antarctica, looking for plant life. I cannot imagine something more interesting or fascinating to do. The only risks with this field, I could see myself fending snakes, leeches, frigid or hot inferno weather, or plain savage animals. Ummm…Need to give it a bit more thought.
These beautiful images I borrowed from the book “Nature Notes for 1908” by Edith B. Holden. She also penned The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady. It was one of my best sellers when I had the bookshop. Beautiful illustrations! I imagined Ms. Holden had a beautiful life. That’s the reflection I get from her books.
I also remember once in an Estate Sale in Florida, I bought an old suitcase for $5. and when I went home and opened, there was a collection of weeds from the late 1800’s all classified with their latin names, each displayed on a piece of board. There were around 200 of these weeds. I sold the set to a gentleman from New England for something like $600. I really didn’t want to depart with them, but needed to pay rent.
How can you not like flowers. They are a beautiful part of life.
This is from Miss Raylene’s garden. It is a Weigela bush.
These are on the right, a Candy Tuft (white) and Dianthus-Fire Witch (pink)and on the left, blooming Azaleas in white, soft pin and reddish colors. A sight to behold!
And here’s Pepita the squirrel having her breakfast. This time she allowed me to come closer to her than ever before. I love nature! Here’s some information I copied from Purdue University’s “Women in Physics” site online, about one of our famous female botanists.
Elizabeth Britton
(1858-1934)
(September 1998)
Vital Life Statistics
Elizabeth Knight Britton was born on January 9, 1858, in New York City, New York. As a young girl, her parents moved to Cuba, and she was raised on the sugar plantation her family owned. She attended school in both Cuba and New York. She performed especially well in science.
Britton graduated from Hunter College in 1875. There she worked for the next ten years, dabbling in botany. Through her work, she established herself as a leading amateur botanist. She married Columbian College geologist Nathaniel Britton in August 1885.
She helped to found the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, NY. In 1902 she founded the Wild Flower Preservation Society of America.
Elizabeth Britton died in the Bronx, New York, on February 25, 1934.
I hope you have enjoy my somewhat different posting as much as I did preparing it. Expanding our horizons.
So it was today, 14th April, 2011 in Happyville, and on the way of becoming a botanist!
Your Happy Contessa
The name of this month, April, is derived from the Greek word for “opening.” From the “Nature Notes for 1906” book.
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