Location
Home to more than 1.3 million specimens of algae, fungi, lichens, and plants, the Wisconsin State Herbarium is dedicated to preserving, documenting, and increasing knowledge about our world’s flora. Join the Academy on a guided behind the scenes tour of the collection with hands-on activities from the expert botanists at UW-Madison. Advance registration is required, as space is limited. The tour is offered on a pay-what-you-can basis.
One of the first orders of business that the UW-Madison’s Regents considered in 1849 was a proclamation that “efforts should be made at once to begin the formation of a cabinet of natural history.” From a modest collection of 1,500 plant specimens donated to the ‘cabinet’ that same year, the Wisconsin State Herbarium (WIS) was born. Today WIS is estimated to hold >1.39 million specimens of algae, fungi, lichens, and plants, placing it among the top 1% of the world’s largest herbariums.
This event is offered in conjunction with Joseph Mougel’s exhibition Herbarium, on view at the James Watrous Gallery from November 18th until January 22nd. Mougel's photographs capture botanical specimens native to the prairie as well as non-native species that are new to the landscape. His work explores these natural elements and their relationship to the unknowable and the analyzed.
The tour will follow the Seeds of Resilience event held in the morning at the James Watrous Gallery. Find more information about Seeds of Resilience here.