1. clock
  2. Darwin the Botanist - not just the orchids!

Darwin the Botanist - not just the orchids!

By clock on February 12, 2008.

As a part of the Darwin Day celebration the North Carolina Botanical Garden has organized a series of events for today, culminating in the lecture "Darwin the Botanist" by Dr.William Kimler, a Darwinian scholar and the professor of History (of Science) at NCSU:

Most people do not think of Charles Darwin as a botanist. He is famously connected to the animals of the Galapagos Islands, and to the subjects of animal and human evolution and behavior. But Darwin's famous curiosity did extend to plants. In fact, among his numerous publications are a book on carnivorous plants and one on orchid pollination titled, "On the Various Contrivances by which British and Foreign Orchids are Fertilised by Insects." Dr. Kimler will discuss the influence of botany and some famous botanists on Darwin's training and on his work as a naturalist. A look at Darwin's lifelong interest in the biology of plants reveals some surprising insights into his scientific work on evolution.

The entrance fee of $10 rasies funds for the Botanical Garden, which is a Good Thing To Do. I'll be there, too, so come along and bring your friends...

Tags
history of science
north carolina
Plants

More like this

Visiting Darwin's Home, Part 3: The Greenhouse and Garden
tags: Sandwalk, Down House, Darwin, nature, photography, London, England, Bromley, England, sciblog A gate in a brick wall next to the greenhouse behind Darwin's Down House, where Darwin conducted a lot of his botany experiments. Image: GrrlScientist 31 August 2008 [larger view]. Sunday, the…
Good evolution talks at Appalachian State University
In Boone, NC: Michael Ruse will present "Darwin at Two Hundred Years Old: Does He Still Speak to Us?" Monday, Feb. 2, 2009, at 8 p.m. in Farthing Auditorium. Ruse is the Lucyle T. Werkmeister Professor of History and Philosophy of Science at Florida State University and the foremost philosophical…
Re: Design
From NESCent: > "Re: Design" - This is a dramatization of the scientific correspondence between Charles Darwin and botanist Asa Gray, and is a product of the Darwin Correspondence Project. NESCent is co-sponsoring this theatrical production with the NC Museum of Natural Sciences, WUNC-TV and…
The Beauty of Deceit
Sometimes a picture can tell you a lot about evolution. This particular picture has a story to tell about how two species--in this case a fly and an orchid--can influence each other's evolution. But the story it tells may not be the one you think. Coevolution, as this process is now called, was one…

A-HA! Here is the evidence I will use to counter claims of people who say 'how come all the best Darwin Day events have to be in London?'

All the best events of any kind have to be in Chapel Hill, of course.