Expert Explorations: Natural History Collections

A specimen is also a record

The Gardens’ natural-history collections document plant and fungi specimens from the Southern Rocky Mountain Region, as well as arthropod diversity at the Gardens. Their records can help show which species occur in particular places and preserve evidence relevant to changes in landscapes and populations.

The physical specimens also retain genetic and morphological information. That gives the collections a role beyond identification: they can preserve evidence about biological variation and place for later study.

Further reading: Natural History Collections | Denver Botanic Gardens ↗

Colorado plants, including their human uses

The Kathryn Kalmbach Herbarium of Vascular Plants began before Denver Botanic Gardens existed. Local plant enthusiasts collected scientific specimens to document Colorado’s wild and cultivated flora. The herbarium now holds nearly 70,000 specimens gathered across Colorado and the broader Southern Rocky Mountain Region.

Its smaller ethnobotany collection adds a human dimension to that record: it documents ways people use plants, including for medical and spiritual purposes. That material is part of the herbarium’s holdings, though the event description does not say whether it will feature in the tour.

Further reading: Kathryn Kalmbach Herbarium of Vascular Plants | Denver Botanic Gardens ↗

A mushroom enthusiast’s legacy and a newer arthropod collection

The Sam Mitchel Herbarium of Fungi was founded in 1967 by physician Dr. Duane H. (“Sam”) Mitchel. His interest in mushrooms began while hiking; over his lifetime he collected more than 2,000 specimens and wrote several publications about fungi. The herbarium now holds nearly 20,000 specimens from Colorado and the wider Southern Rocky Mountain Region.

The Gardens’ arthropod collection has a different beginning: staff established it in 2015 to document diversity at the Gardens and in wildlands, and to explain arthropods’ roles in those environments. It now contains more than 4,000 specimens. The collection includes insects, spiders and other arthropods, while the event description specifically names plant, fungi and insect specimens as its focus.

For follow-up beyond the visit, the Gardens makes collection records discoverable through SEINet for plants, MyCoPortal for fungi and ecdysis for arthropods. Its fungi page notes that digitization is ongoing; some records may have data without an image, or an image without complete data.

Further reading: Sam Mitchel Herbarium of Fungi | Denver Botanic Gardens ↗ · Collection of Arthropods | Denver Botanic Gardens ↗ · Kathryn Kalmbach Herbarium of Vascular Plants | Denver Botanic Gardens ↗

The collections moved; the meeting point did not

In 2020, the natural-history collections moved from the lower level of the Boettcher Memorial Center to the ground level of the Freyer–Newman Center. The Gardens says the move gives the collections room to grow and improves access for researchers and the public.

For this Expert Explorations tour, the published meeting point is the Boettcher Memorial Center lobby. The event description does not name the scientist or list particular specimens or collection rooms, so the broader collection histories here provide context rather than a guaranteed itinerary.

Further reading: Natural History Collections | Denver Botanic Gardens ↗ · Expert Explorations | Denver Botanic Gardens ↗