Butterflies, Beetles, and Bees, Oh My! National Pollinator Week
Posted by: Nate Smith
Learn about the work performed by various pollinators during National Pollinators Week.
Category: Gardening
The School Garden Army in the First World War
Posted by: Yvonne Dooley
This guest post was written by Constance Carter, the previous head of Science Reference who now volunteers here at the Library. As the seed catalogs replace the Christmas catalogs, our thoughts turn to gardens and gardening. In 2017, gardening occupies an important place in the 100th anniversary of World War I. The Library’s collection of …
Posted in: Gardening, Guest Blog Posts, Science, World War I
How Community Gardens Can Save America: Book Talk and Lecture, May 19
Posted by: Jennifer Harbster
LaManda Joy wants to inspire everyone she meets to grow their own food. She is an author, national speaker, award winning master gardener, and considered the “Best Urban Farmer in Chicago.” Her rallying cry “We can grow it!” recognizes the influence of the past while invigorating the American can-do spirit to create a positive future. …
Posted in: Cookbooks and Food, Gardening, Guest Blog Posts, Lunchtime Lectures and Videos, World War II
The Plant Hunters
Posted by: Jennifer Harbster
Today’s post is authored by Constance Carter, head of the science reference section. Connie has written for Inside Adams before- see her posts on Presidential Food, Presidential Wheels, Civil War Thanksgiving Foods, Food Thrift, the Chocolate Chip Cookie, LC Science Tracer Bullets, and her mentor Ruth S. Freitag. Plant hunters were adventurous, passionate, and innovative. They were …
Posted in: Gardening, Guest Blog Posts, Lunchtime Lectures and Videos
The President and the Parsnip: Thomas Jefferson’s Vegetable Market Chart (1801-1808)
Posted by: Jennifer Harbster
Today’s post is guest authored by Julie Miller, historian of early America in the Library’s Manuscript Division During most of his two terms as president of the United States, (1801-1809) Thomas Jefferson carefully compiled a chart recording the seasonal appearances of fruits and vegetables in Washington’s market. This seems like a funny way for a president …
Posted in: Cookbooks and Food, Gardening, Guest Blog Posts, Presidents
George Washington Carver and Nature Study
Posted by: Jennifer Harbster
Today’s post is guest authored by Michelle Cadoree Bradley, a science reference specialist in the Science, Technology, and Business Division of the Library of Congress. She is also the author of the blog post, “Stumbled Upon in the Stacks, or the Chimp in my Office.” …a very large part of the child’s education must be …
Posted in: African American History, Biography, Gardening, Guest Blog Posts, Heritage Months, Holidays, and Today in History
‘Tis the Season for Squash
Posted by: Jennifer Harbster
Once Autumn hits the Northern Hemisphere we begin to see a plethora of gourds, such as pumpkins and squash, popping up all around our towns and homes. We use them as decorations to signify the season, as well consume them in pies, casseroles, and even beverages! Squash and pumpkins are angiosperms (flowering plants) and part …
Posted in: Cookbooks and Food, Gardening
Stinky Flowers
Posted by: Jennifer Harbster
As the world was on royal baby watch there was another arrival that folks have been waiting for here in D.C. (and perhaps the world as well) – the blooming of the Sumatran (Indonesian) Amorphophallus titanum (titan arum) a.k.a. the corpse flower or stinky plant at the U.S. Botanic Garden (USBG). Like the arrival of …
Posted in: Gardening
Field of Cherries
Posted by: Jennifer Harbster
I doubt that anyone would disagree that the best time to visit Washington D.C. is when the Japanese cherry trees are in bloom. It is said that the cherry blossoms are awakened in spring by the ‘maiden who causes trees to bloom’ or by fairies who visit the emperor at the Palace of Yoshino in …
Posted in: Gardening, Heritage Months, Holidays, and Today in History