Shaping the West

Terrain of History

Critical Habitat

Between the Tides

Botanizing California, 1840-2008

This visualization looks like a finished piece of art. Indeed, perhaps it is. But it is also very much a rough draft, first cut look at a massive data set that is meant to provoke questions and inspire research rather than provide answers. And it has. This visualization shows nearly half a million botanical specimen records stored in herbaria throughout California. It raises questions about the patterns of botanical collecting over time, the construction of knowledge about California's environment, and the ways that these historical sources might be used to explore questions about the present and the future as well as the past. This visualization has inspired research projects, ranging from explorations of the changing fieldwork patterns and collaboration networks of botanists over time, to the movement of species across the landscape influenced by climate change and other factors.