A collection of curiosities from the Sterling Morton Library

Stop by the Sterling Morton Library to view a special display highlighting some of the more unusual aspects of our collections.

• Curious about the oldest book in the Library’s collection? Feast your eyes on our copy of Pliny’s Historia Naturalis published in 1481. (Published in Parma, Italy – 11 years before Columbus encountered America.)
• Ever wonder what else we have in the Library besides books? Take a gander at selections from our collection of butterflies and moths created by naturalist, Sherman Denton, in 1895.
• Have you heard of David Fairchild, noted botanist and plant explorer? In preparation for a 1946 lecture in Palm Beach, Florida, he wrote his lecture notes on a sea grape leaf. Stop by to view the actual leaf ... and decipher his remarks!
  
  There are a host of other curious and unique items in this display selected to amuse, intrigue and inform visitors at the recent Open House. Like all good things – the opportunity to view these resources will soon be coming to an end. Stop by the Library before Thursday (July 2nd) afternoon to view these treasures

Independence Day Holiday

The Sterling Morton Library of The Morton Arboretum will be closed Friday, July 3rd and Saturday, July 4th in celebration of Independence Day. We will reopen to the public on Tuesday, July 7th. Wishing you a safe and happy holiday!

The Sterling Morton Library is open Tuesday – Friday from 9-5 and Saturday from 10-4.

Open House at The Morton Arboretum

Sunday, June 28th, is the Arboretum's Open House. This is a time when we open up our doors/labs/offices from noon until 4:00 p.m to the world! During this event, we invite you to visit the Sterling Morton Library and learn more about what we do. On the event schedule there is a wide variety of activities, but of special note (and because this is the Sterling Morton Library blog) are the activities hosted by the Library. Open house attendees in the Library will have the opportunity to:

• Meet Jim Ballowe, author of the recently published biography – A Man of Salt and Trees : the life of Joy Morton
• Discover wood engraving techniques with artist, Arlene Widrevitz
• View examples of wood engraved illustrations in our collections
• Preview our new exhibit, Darwin's Flowers: Unlocking Natural Selection
• Listen to Rabbit Ears, flute and guitar duo, in the May T. Watts Reading Garden
• Meet with Library staff to learn more about our collections
• View a selection of unusual items from our special collections that are seldom on display
  
  There will be lots of opportunities to meet Library staff and gain an exclusive perspective on our work and passion. For complete details about the event and registration information, please see:
  http://www.mortonarb.org/calendar/article/13549/member-open-house-.html
  
  Hope to see you on Sunday!

Raindrops on roses and ... rain gardens!

Usually this time of the year, I’ve started to log some serious hours in my garden --tethered to a hose and clutching a water wand as I minister to a wilted plant. In northern Illinois, we oftentimes experience extended dry periods during the growing season. This year, however, is different. We have been receiving consistent rainfall throughout the spring – the Morton Arboretum looks spectacular! The combination of cool, wet weather has created lots of luxurious growth on plants ranging from the sweet peas outside the Library entrance to the conifers along the walk to Frost Hill. It is a great time to be gardening or, at least, to be an admirer of gardens!
Making the most of resources is something that gardeners seem to do especially well. The following resources available in the Sterling Morton Library explore making the most of a very precious resource – our rainwater:

• Ciesinski, Therese. "Rain Check." Organic Gardening 55.6 (Aug. 2008): 62-66.
• Davis, Julie Bawden. "Showering of Gifts." Native Plants 22.4 (Summer 2006): 24-29.
• Doyle, Janice J. "What about Rain Gardens?" National Gardener 77.3 (Summer 2006): 26-27.
• Dunnett, Nigel and Andy Clayden. Rain Gardens : Managing Water Sustainably in the Garden and Designed Landscape. Portland, Or.: Timber Press, 2007. SB475.83 .D86
• Fortnam, Joanna. "Let it Rain." Garden Design (June 2006): 62-63.
• Haapoja, Margaret A. "Rain, Rain -- Grow Away!." Northern Gardener 133.2 (Mar. 2005): 40-43.
• Loven, Zazel. "Your Natural Landscape." Organic Gardening 54.3. (Apr. 2007): 52-57.
• Maloney, Cathy Jean. "Let It Rain." Chicagoland Gardening 11.2 (Mar. 2005): 70-74.
• Reas, Lisa. "Rain Gardens." Garden Gate (Apr. 2009): 6-7.
• Rottle, Nancy, and Anna O'Connell. "Designing and Rating Sustainable Sites." Public Garden 20.4 (Dec. 2005): 35-36.

Additional resources are available at:

• Rain Gardens by Jack Broughton
• Rain Gardens: a how-to Manual for Homeowners by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the University of Wisconsin Extension
• Rain Gardens—Using Spectacular Wetland Plantings to Reduce Runoff by Janet Marinelli

Come in out of the rain and peruse these resources in the Sterling Morton Library! Remember: the Library is open Tuesday through Friday from 9-5 and Saturday from 10-4.

CBHL Literature Awards Recognize Excellence in Botanical and Horticultural Literature

The Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries, Inc. (CBHL) presented its tenth Annual Literature Awards on May 13, 2009. This presentation was made during the Council’s 41st annual meeting hosted by the Missouri Botanical Garden. The Annual Literature Award, created to recognize significant contributions to the literature of botany and horticulture, honored three exceptional resources this year. Genera Palmarum : the Evolution and Classification of Palms by John Dransfield, Natalie W. Uhl, Conny B. Asmussen, William J. Baker, Madeline M. Harley, and Carl E. Lewis and published by Kew Publishing has won the 2009 award in the Technical category. Fruits and Plains : The Horticultural Transformation of America by Philip J. Pauly and published by Harvard University Press has won the 2009 award in the General Interest category. In celebration of the 10th anniversary of the CBHL Annual Literature Award, a Special Recognition Award was presented to TL-2, more formally known as Taxonomic Literature : a Selective Guide to Botanical Publications and Collections with Dates, Commentaries and Types, 2nd edition. This monumental work is one of the most important resources in taxonomic literature. Originally created by Frans Antonie Stafleu and Richard S. Cowan, this resource was most recently continued by Laurence J. Dorr, Erik A. Mennega and Dan H. Nicolson and honored by CBHL for significant contributions to the literature of botany and the study of plants.
Genera Palmarum was nominated for consideration by Lawrence Currie, Librarian of the California Academy of Sciences Library, who wrote: “The high production quality of this book, coupled with the comprehensive coverage of the subject, will certainly make this the standard reference on palms for many years to come.” Among a field of very good nominees, this work stood out. More than just an update of the first edition, the second edition of Genera Palmarum represents a synthesis of the most current data available on the palms. While the bulk of the book comprises a detailed description of the palm genera, many other aspects are also detailed, such as morphology, palynology, paleobotany, biogeography, and conservation. Nearly anything that a researcher could need to know about palms is in this book.

Fruits and Plains : the Horticultural Transformation of America by Philip J. Pauly has been described as a “provocative and persuasive re-interpretation of several interrelated research fields; namely American plant pathology, biogeography, and cultural history. Moreover, it was a brilliant and novel re-interpretation of nineteenth-century American history using American cultivated plants as a primary resource.” (Thomas J. Schlereth, U. of Notre Dame, in Arnoldia, 66:28-31). This final work of Pauly’s has been honored with the award because “… this historical account of the ways horticulture shaped the American landscape would offer readers a new understanding of what it meant and means to be native, naturalized, or alien. And we hoped that, by understanding the values that shaped the landscape around us, readers of this book would be better able to manage that landscape today.” (Jane Maienschein, President of the History of Science Society).

The Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries, Inc. is the leading professional organization in the field of botanical and horticultural information services. It recognizes the critical importance of collecting, preserving, and making accessible the accumulated knowledge about plants for present and future generations. For more information, visit its web site at http://www.cbhl.net.