Who says botanizing ends with the first frost?

Delaware once bloomed with more than 800,000 peach trees across the state!

Are you planning on removing any pesky invasive species this month? Be sure to snap a photograph and get a free native plant seedling from the TN-IPC! Yay native plants! 🌳

Our next Specimens and Scones is less than a week away! Please come join us next Thursday, November 13th between 3-5pm to learn more about the herbarium and all of our wonderful resources! Plus, we will have tasty treats and coffee or tea to enjoy! 🌼 😃

We are happy to announce two new opportunities for UTK undergrads! We will be offering a paid job opportunity over the 2026 Winter Mini-Term (Jan. 5-15), as well as an internship opportunity for credit over the 2026 Spring Semester. Students may apply for one or both opportunities.

Certainly a favorite here in Tennessee as well!

Happy Halloween!!

Our next Specimens and Scones is just around the corner! Please join us November 13th from 3:00–5:00 PM for an open house where guests can enjoy coffee, tea, and scones while learning about our exciting work here at the TENN Herbarium!

Definitely a fan favorite!! Similar to our red-flowered Tennessee native, Aquilegia canadensis.

Don't miss seeing this witchy native species in flower!

Need an extra boost to get through the rest of the week? Try our native Yaupon!

The iconic Saguaro!!

Bird-of-Paradise: a favorite houseplant for many! Bring tropical charm into your living room, no squawking or feathers required!

🌼 State flower of the week!!🌼 Myosotis alpestris (Boraginaceae) Like many members of the borage family, M. alpestris is covered in stiff hairs that can feel rough to the touch. These hairs, sometimes fortified with silica or calcium, act as a natural defense and can cause skin irritation.

Don't forget to stop by at the UT Herbarium next week for some delicious scones and engaging conversation! We will be giving tours of the herbarium while highlighting many of our amazing specimens! Fungi ✅ Flowers✅ Moss ✅ Scones ✅ Biologists ✅

The common name says it all!

Alabama’s state flower wasn’t always the camellia. Originally it was goldenrod, a native wildflower! In the 1950s it was swapped for camellia, but by the 1990s Alabama added the oak-leaf hydrangea as its State Wildflower to honor native plants.

This is no bird! The White Egret Orchid uses its "unique" shape to attract pollinators. 🐞 🦋 🐝

The partridge pea is a pollinator favorite, even though its flowers don’t produce nectar! Instead, nectar comes from special glands called extrafloral nectaries, attracting bees and beneficial insects alike. Photo courtesy of Thomas G. Barnes

Would the Bee Orchid fool you? 🐝

It’s tomato season! 🍅 Derived from a single species native to South America, Solanum lycopersicum has spread worldwide and become a favorite food for many. But this beloved fruit wasn’t always celebrated, Its toxic relatives and a few “deadly dinners” gave it a bad reputation!

Pawpaw season is here!!! Asimina triloba, or pawpaw, is a small tree in the custard-apple family (Annonaceae). These tropical-tasting fruits grow across the eastern U.S. Be sure to get out and enjoy them while you can!

Pucker up for Psychotria!

We're excited to announce this year's dates for our #Specimens & Scones events! The first date is Wednesday, October 1st, and the second is Thursday, November 13th, from 3 to 5 p.m. Please join us to learn what our #Herbarium offers while enjoying coffee, tea, and delicious scones! See you there!

Have you ever seen this plant before?

No squinting necessary to see the similarity!

Fall semester is here, and we couldn’t be happier to have our students back in action! We’re looking forward to another great semester filled with plants, people, and exciting new projects!

Check out this great video www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6-x... that @utknoxville.bsky.social graduate Cruz Gouveia put together about our US National Science Foundation funded May mini-term class (EEB 466 - Immersion in Collections Research)!

Of course I had to show my boyfriend all my new stickers 🙂‍↕️ #botany2025

Stop by the Society of Herbarium Curators booth at #Botany2025 to learn more about the society and to get some free stickers to show your support for herbaria! Not a member, join us using this link. www.herbariumcurators.org/membership/

Peak bloom time for rhododendrons is in late June! The best place to see rhododendron blooms in Tennessee is Roan Mountain State Park. The park is home to the worlk’s largest natural rhododendron garden, streatching over an increadible 600 acres! Photo curtesy of Dennis D. Horn.

Monarch caterpillars eat and rely on milkweed as a host species. In order to combat the declining populations of both milkweed and Monarch butterflies, TDOT is giving away free milkweed seeds. Get your free seeds here: tnpollinators.org/milkweed/ Photo courtesy of Thomas G. Barnes.

Did you know violets have a summer secret? While spring is the peak season for violet blooms, many species, like Viola sororia, will continue flowering through the summer in a surprising way. They produce cleistogamous flowers: small, closed blossoms that self-pollinate without ever opening.

Fleischmannia incarnata, also known as Pink Slender-Thoroughwort, is part of the Asteraceae family. This specimen was collected by Elaine Walker on August 23rd, 2023. It was located in Hawkins County, Tennessee. In terms of habitat, this species prefers moist soils and low, open fields.

Callicarpa americana, also known as the American Beauty-Berry, is part of the Lamiaceae family. This specimen was collected by V.E. McNeilus on August 9th, 1990. It was located on Jones Bluff in Knox County, Tennessee. In terms of habitat, this species prefers open meadows, woodlands and streams.

Bluebells are pollinated by butterflies, hummingbirds, hummingbird moths, skippers, and long tongued bees. Checkout our sign for more bluebell facts!

Lycopodiella appressa, also known as Southern Appressed Club-Moss, is a part of the Lycopodiaceae family. This specimen was collected by David H. Webb and Brenda S. Webb on August 11th, 1978. It was located on a wet, sandy roadside in Benton County, Tennessee.

Selaginella apoda, also known as Meadow Spike-Moss, is part of the Selaginellaceae family. This specimen was collected by R. Dale Thomas on April 4th, 1974. It was located in Jackson County, Louisiana.

Our team had a wonderful time participating in the 75th Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage in the GSMNP! Herbarium director Jessica Budke and lead digitizer Alex Dowd led moss walks, and collections manager Garrett Billings led wildflower walks. #SpringWildflowerPilgrimage #botany #gsmnp #NaturalHistory

Asclepias tuberosa, also known as Butterfly Milkweed, is a part of the Apocynaceae family. This specimen was collected by L. Phillippe on September 14th, 1973. It was located south-west of Rockford, in Blount County, Tennessee.

Arisaema triphyllum, also known as Jack-in-the-Pulpit, is part of the Araceae family. This specimen was collected by Dr. & Mrs. A. J. Sharp on May 1st, 1964. It was located near Calderwood in Blount County, Tennessee.

Our amazing volunteers transcribed 503 specimens at #WeDigBio! Thank you so much to our volunteers and our herbarium staff for making this possible. Pictured here is a beautiful specimen of Heterotheca camporum var. glandulosa collected by Frosty Levy. #CommunityScience #Herbarium #Botany #Tennessee

For our 2nd #WeDigBio presentation, TENN Collections Manager Garrett Billings walks us through the prominent collectors and species of the ETSU plant collection, highlighting some of the collection's unique localities and rare species Go Garrett! #Botany #NaturalHistory #EastTennessee #Herbarium

For our 1st #WeDigBio presentation, TENN Herbarium Assistant Tessa Nuchols takes us on a journey through the history of the ETSU Herbarium (which the TENN Herbarium acquired in spring 2024) and the plant communities of Roan Mountain in East TN. Great work, Tessa! #NaturalHistory #Tennessee #Botany

Day 2 of WeDigBio starts now! Dr. Jessica Budke, director of the Tennessee Herbarium, is giving us an intro to the herbarium and the work we’ll be doing. Soon we’ll start transcribing specimens from the ETSU Herbarium! #CommunityScience #Herbarium #Botany #NaturalHistory #EastTennessee #WeDigBio

Trillium cuneatum, also known as Little-Sweet-Betsy, belongs to the Melanthiaceae family. This specimen was collected by A.J. Sharp on April 22nd, 1949. It was located on the bluffs of Beech Creek in Wayne County, Tennessee.

Botrychium dissectum, also known as Sceptridium dissectum or Cut-Leaf Grape Fern, is part of the Ophioglossaceae family. This specimen was collected by Jesse M. Shaver on August 29th, 1937. It was located in Kelso, Lincoln County, Tennessee.

Betula alleghaniensis, also known as Yellow or Golden Birch, is part of the Betulaceae family. This specimen was collected by Michael Brandon Martin on May 31st, 2010. It was located in Roan Mountain Park, Carter County, Tennessee.