Jack-in-the-pulpit is a beloved Tennessee native, quietly thriving in the shaded, moisture-rich forests of the eastern U.S. This unique wildflower has a clever pollination strategy, attracting tiny flies and gnats to do its bidding.
We had a great time last week hosting our plant collecting workshop! Thanks to everyone who came out! It was lovely weather and we had a great group! We discussed what goes into making research-grade herbarium specimens, from field notes to pressing techniques all while seeing some cool plants.
🌻☕️ Just 2 weeks until Specimens & Scones! 🌿
Join us April 8, 3–5pm for scones, coffee & tea + guided tours of our collections.
Meet UTK herbarium staff, faculty & students!
Check out this article discussing fungi’s role in post-fire landscapes, featuring an interview with UT mycologist Karen Hughes.
www.biographic.com/how-fire-fun...
🌿 HerbMadness is back!
32 genera from across the tree of life will face off in a bracket-style tournament.
Voting begins Monday in our Stories, cast your votes and help crown the champion! 🏆
#HerbMadness2026
Spring update! 🌷
The spring ephemerals around Knoxville are certainly putting on a show, be sure to get outside and smell the flowers!
In order: Mertensia virginica (Virginia bluebells), Trillium cuneatum (sweet Betsy), and Dicentra cucullaria (Dutchman’s breeches).
Spring is springing, and bloodroot has come to say hello!
This early woodland wildflower gets its name from the deep red sap in its root. The sap can range from deep red to yellow. The color and amount of sap decrease as the season goes on.
(Photo credit: Josh Kreis)
State flower spotlight: Louisiana’s Magnolia grandiflora
Trout lilies soon popping up! These beauties use myrmecochory: seeds have an ant-attracting coating. Ants haul them home, eat the treat, discard the seed, letting it grow away from mom.
As we wrap up Black History Month, we’re recognizing the leadership and impact of Dr. Robert J. Jones, Chancellor of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a distinguished plant physiologist!
🌼 Spring Ephemeral Alert!🌻
Harbinger-of-spring (Erigenia bulbosa), Virginia spring beauty (Claytonia virginica), and pennywort (Obolaria virginica) were all spotted this weekend in flower (or nearly so) near Knoxville.
Keep your eyes open and stay tuned for more exciting wildflower updates!
Specimens & Scones tomorrow from 3–5 PM!
Join us for a fun herbarium open house where you can enjoy coffee, tea, and scones while learning about our collections, current projects, and exciting updates. It’s a great chance to meet our staff, faculty, and students and see what we’ve been working on.
We’re excited to welcome Dr. Jacob Suissa as the new Curator of the Pteridophyte Collection (ferns & lycophytes) at the UT Herbarium!
He’s leading a reorganization of the fern collection using the latest PPG classification and growing it through fieldwork and global exchanges.
Welcome, Dr. Suissa!
Happy Lunar New Year!
Spring ephemerals usually start blooming in late February or early March. Examples of native spring ephemerals include Virginia spring beauty, bloodroot, yellow trout lily, and Virginia bluebells. Keep an eye out for our upcoming spring ephemerals series.
Happy Valentine's Day!
Black History Month spotlight: George Washington Carver, a pioneering botanist whose research on crops and soil health reshaped American agriculture.
Goldenrod, Kentucky’s state flower. A beautiful late-summer native and a vital resource for pollinators.
This Black History Month, we honor Dr. Marie Clark Taylor, botanist, educator, and the first African American woman to earn a Ph.D. in botany.
Brain? Rooster comb? Flower. 🌸 Meet cockscomb
New Spring Specimens and Scones dates!
Join us at the UTK Herbarium for guided tours, fascinating specimens, and a peek at how herbaria support biodiversity conservation—plus scones & coffee ☕🥐
📅 Feb 26 & Apr 8 | ⏰ 3–5 PM
📍 UT Herbarium, Temple Hall
We’re thrilled to announce the UT Fungal Collection has been officially dedicated to Dr. Karen W. Hughes & Dr. Ronald H. Petersen 🍄
Their legacy includes ~15,000 specimens (19% of the collection!) and 190 type specimens—foundational to fungal science.
Want to level up your botany skills this summer?
Highlands Biological Station is offering an awesome lineup of summer courses! These courses are hands-on and field based.
highlandsbiological.org/2026-courses...
Registration opens tomorrow at 10 AM EST — and spots fill fast, so don’t wait!
Peony is beautiful, but the native butterfly milkweed is the way to go!
Poinsettias are a holiday classic! 🌟
Plant hack: Don’t toss them when the holidays end. Poinsettias are perennials and can live happily in pots year-round. With the right light timing, those iconic red bracts will return next winter, no need to purchase again!
Our native mistletoe - American mistletoe (Phoradendron leucarpum) is a semi-parasitic shrub found in treetops across the eastern U.S. Its white berries are toxic to humans but a favorite snack for birds, who help spread mistletoe from tree to tree.
Violets are a spring favorite, for good reason! They're one of the first forest plants to flower in the spring, bringing much needed color after the winter months. The species featured in the photo can also be found here in Tennessee, so be on the lookout when spring hits!
