If you have been a regular follower of the Exploring blog, you likely have noticed the black and white color scheme apparent throughout the posts, indicative of the archival materials and the time period we are dealing with. Though the…
Though I have yet to make it to the Minnesota State Fair this year, of course, it is the lead story on every local news broadcast and newspaper headline, so I am well aware of the proceedings thus far (low…
Yesterday, I shared photographs of the Minnesota Seaside Station from the collection of the Department of Botany. But I didn’t share them all… The Minnesota Seaside Station, located near Port Renfrew off of the coast of British Columbia in the…
If a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, then how much are two birds in the hand worth? – Night Hawk, young, two young birds in hand, Cass Lake, July 1916. (Glass plate negative from the…
On page 676 of Vol. 19, No. 487 of the journal Science, a notice appears from Conway MacMillan, professor of Botany at the University of Minnesota, and State Botanist for the Minnesota Geological and Natural History Survey. The notice informed…
An important component in the study of plants is an understanding of the plant life cycle, the process of germination, and how a seed becomes a flower. Therefore it isn’t too surprising to find images of these little seedlings in…
On March 1, 1872 the legislature of the state of Minnesota approved a bill that ordered the commencement of a geological and natural history survey of the state, to be implemented and overseen by the Board of Regents of the…
It’s time yet again for another bird photo session – complete with staged props – courtesy of T.S. Roberts. In June of 1903 Roberts set up these photos with Chickadees at Brook Lodge near Lake City, MN. – Chickadees on…
Things are moving along this summer on the Exploring project. To date, we have scanned over 45,000 pages of archival materials and images from our natural history related archival collections. As I have shared previously, viewing the unique photographs that…
Last Friday, I walked across campus from Andersen Library to the Bell Museum of Natural History in order to research the animal habitat groups that are featured in the museum’s stunning dioramas. As I stood in front of a display…