Every picture of a plant tells a story…

From botanical illustrations and herbarium specimens to illustrated manuscripts and contemporary photographs, images shape how plants are named, understood, and valued. They also reveal deeper stories about exploration, colonialism, science, and whose knowledge is preserved.

Join Tracy Qiu and Catherine Seavitt on October 13 at noon Eastern for an interactive lunchtime virtual conversation that uses four images to explore how botanical knowledge is created, shared, and challenged. Together, they will examine the colonial legacies of botanical gardens and plant science, consider how terms like native, exotic, weed, and invasive influence our thinking, and highlight the contributions of Indigenous communities and other often-overlooked knowledge holders.

Held the day after Indigenous Peoples’ Day, this timely conversation invites participants to reconsider the stories we tell (and the ones we don’t) and discover how the ways we picture plants continue to shape our relationships with the living world.

A Zoom link will be emailed to all registrants in advance of the program. Morris Arboretum members $10, nonmembers $15. https://www.morrisarboretum.org/learn-discover/adults/lecture-series