In a recent conversation with Suite101, David Brandenburg talked about what he sees as special about his new wildflower field guide, his love of plants and Dawes Arboretum.
“I fell in love with plants, (when I see one) I have to know where it came from, what it is, how it is used,” declared author, David Brandenburg. Dr. Brandenburg has been in botany for 40 years, half that time at Dawes Arboretum in Newark, Ohio. A native of Ohio, he started his career at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Then at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources he did field work with native plants.
Dr. Brandenburg was greatly influenced by his professor, Dr. John Thieret. “He was the best field botanist I have ever known,” said Brandenburg. “We traveled in excess of 65,000 miles together; unfortunately he never saw my book published as he died in 2005.”
North American Wildflowers Field Guide
The National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Wildflowers of North America was written by David Brandenburg and published in April 2010. Regarding his new field guide, “It is not like any seen before, the first field guide with national maps, representative photos depicting plant variations, and an introduced species section. I made it so a layman could see a range of colors and variations of plant parts.”
The field guidebook, which covers 49 of the United States and all of Canada, was written over several years while Dr. Brandenburg compiled his research and plant information.
Dawes Arboretum in Newark Ohio
David Brandenburg is the on-staff botanist at Dawes Arboretum in Newark, Ohio. The living museum of trees and shrubs on 18,000 acres was started in 1929, and, today, has more than 15, 000 plants.
Among the features at Dawes Arboretum Dr. Brandenburg encourages visitors to see are:
- A new woodland garden trail planted with wildflowers all labeled with markers and bridges that are handicap accessible.
- The Living Fossil Trail recording the story of collected Dawn Redwood seed planted at the arboretum.
- Dutch Fork’s Wetlands restoration that has been completed including the five wetland ponds.
All woody plants in the central grounds are labeled however; the naturalized areas remain without markers. Locally, Dawes Arboretum is well known for its 2,040-foot long evergreen hedge lettering that spells out “Dawes Arboretum.”
Love of Wildflowers and Botany by David Brandenburg
As if it is a guarded secret, Dr. Brandenburg quietly reasserts, “I am passionate about wildflowers but I favor sedges and grasses.” In National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Wildflowers of North America, the author’s love of wildflowers and botany is easily found among his writing on conservation. He states, “I have a vivid memory of standing in a woodland in Idaho one spring day and staring with profound awe at the incredible display of native wildflowers.”
David Brandenburg is a member of the Society for Economic Botany. The international organization encourages research and education on past and current uses of plants and the influence on human beings. “I want to know how plants impact peoples lives,” said Dr. Brandenburg.
Permission received for all photos used in this article.
Chris Eirschele - Chris writes on plants grown and gardens explored; she is a member of the Garden Writers Association.
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