This Arbor Day, we are getting in touch with Robert Ridgway's astute observations of the changing woodlands in the area surrounding his hometown of Mount Carmel, Illinois.

Dr. Marie-Hélène Sachet joined the Smithsonian in 1966 as a special advisor in tropical botany at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. When the program ended in 1968, she was transferred to the Department of Botany, where she remained, eventually serving as a curator in the division, until her death in 1986. #Groundbreaker

Deborah Bell, Assistant Collections Manager for the U.S. Herbarium at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, 1975–2014, conserved, documented, and made accessible the collection of five million plant specimens. She participated in numerous expeditions, collecting specimens and training local students and staff. #Groundbreaker

Nothing brings a couple together like scientific research, right? Celebrate Valentine’s Day by exploring a love so deep, new species were named about it.

Research botanist Dr. Ashley Egan, Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, works with the museum's 86,000 legume specimens to understand the processes and patterns that have formed biodiversity throughout the course of evolution. #Groundbreaker

The Archives’ work was recently front-and-center of an episode of The Sidedoor Podcast about America’s first food spy.

On this National Talk Like a Pirate Day we take a look at the 17^th century explorer and privateer/pirate William Dampier. The scope of his travels, observations, and writings has influenced us in ways that many never knew.