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Biodiversity Pics

@biodiversitypix.bsky.social

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The Biodiversity Heritage Library contains thousands of historical illustrations of flora and fauna. This unaffiliated bot shares random images from the collection.

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Biodiversity Pics @biodiversitypix.bsky.social · 36m

🍎 La flore et la pomone francaises
Paris: Chez l'auteur, rue Furstemberg, 1828-1833.

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Illustration of Arnica montana, a flowering plant with a bright yellow, daisy-like flower head and large green, serrated leaves on hairy stems. Below the main plant, detailed botanical sketches show the flower’s calyx, seed head, and individual floral parts. The image, from an early 19th-century French botanical book, highlights the plant's root system and floral structure for identification purposes. The background is plain with some age-related discoloration. The text below identifies the species as "ARNIQUE A RACINE NOUEUSE."

Biodiversity Pics @biodiversitypix.bsky.social · 2h

🍎 Dragon flies vs. mosquitoes
New York, D. Appleton and company, 1890.

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Illustration titled "Dragon flies vs. mosquitoes" from 1890 showing five detailed black-and-white drawings of dragonflies and damselflies labeled 1 through 5. The top figure (1) is a large dragonfly with broad wings featuring dark patches. Figures 2 to 5 are smaller damselflies with slender bodies and delicate wings depicted from various angles. The illustration emphasizes wing structure and body shape differences among species. The page is marked "PLATE VI." No visible connection to the keyword "apple" beyond the publisher's name.

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Biodiversity Pics @biodiversitypix.bsky.social · 4h

🐼 The botany of the Antarctic voyage of H.M. discovery ships Erebus and Terror in the Years 1839-1843.
London: Reeve Brothers, 1844-1860..

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Illustration of the plant Richea pandanifolia featuring long, wide green leaves, and clusters of small flowers on a tall, slender stalk. The drawing includes close-up botanical details of the flower’s structure, seed pods, and cross-sections. At the bottom left, a smaller scene shows two Richea pandanifolia plants growing near a body of water with hills in the distance. The style is a detailed, scientific botanical print from the 19th century.

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Biodiversity Pics @biodiversitypix.bsky.social · 6h

⭐️ Harriman Alaska series
Washington: Smithsonian Institution, 1910-1914.

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Historical scientific illustration from the Harriman Alaska series (1910-1914) depicting detailed anatomical parts of different starfish species, including Asterias victoriana, Orthasterias biordinata, and O. gonolena. The image is a sepia-toned, labeled plate showing close-up views of starfish arms, spines, and skeletal structures with magnification indicators. Various shapes and textures of the starfish components are rendered with fine line work, highlighting distinctive features like spines, grooves, and tube feet. The illustration is annotated with letters and numbers to identify specific parts for scientific study, offering a detailed examination of starfish morphology.

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Biodiversity Pics @biodiversitypix.bsky.social · 8h

🎣 Monographie der Medusen
Jena: G. Fischer, 1879-1881.

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Historical scientific illustration of the jellyfish Desmonema from "Monographie der Medusen" (Jena, 1879-1881). The image shows four detailed views: a large, bell-shaped jellyfish with numerous long, flowing tentacles extending downward; a top-down view of the bell revealing internal structures and radial symmetry; and two cross-sectional diagrams highlighting intricate anatomical features with labeled parts. Rendered in light brown and blue-gray tones, the illustration emphasizes the jellyfish's complex tentacle arrangement, delicate undulating bell margin, and internal organ systems typical of the Discomedusae group. The drawing is finely detailed for scientific study and identification.

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Biodiversity Pics @biodiversitypix.bsky.social · 10h

🌄 Collection de 60 sections transversales de bois des essences forestières les plus importantes à l'usage des élèves de l'École impériale forestière de Nancy
Nancy: N. Grosjean, libraire de l'École impérial forestière, place Stanislas, 7, [between 1851 and 1855?]

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Illustration of a rectangular cross section of wood, displaying detailed grain patterns and growth rings in shades of light brown and beige. The wood section is centered on a plain, off-white background, highlighting the fine texture and natural markings typical of tree wood used for educational study in forestry.

Biodiversity Pics @biodiversitypix.bsky.social · 12h

🌾 Flora Graeca, sive, Plantarum rariorum historia, quas in provinciis aut insulis Graeciae /
Londini: Typis Richardi Taylor et socii, in Vico Shoe-Lane: MDCCCVI-MDCCCXL [1806-1840].

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Illustration of a thistle plant featuring deeply lobed, spiny green leaves with sharp points along the edges. The central stem supports a large, full flower head with protective green bracts, displaying fine, hair-like structures typical of thistle blooms. Two smaller flower buds are shown nearby. To the right, detailed drawings of thistle seeds with feathery pappus are included, highlighting the plant’s seed dispersal mechanism. The botanical illustration is precise and finely colored, capturing both the texture and form of the plant from root to flower, with a focus on the distinctive spiny leaves and flowering parts.

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Biodiversity Pics @biodiversitypix.bsky.social · 14h

🌊 The natural history of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahama Islands: .
London: Printed for B. White, 1771..

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Illustration from 1771 depicting a dark-colored eel, labeled "Mureena maculata nigra," coiled gracefully among slender, branching orange coral. The eel's elongated body has a smooth, speckled texture and a pointed head with visible eye and mouth. The coral branches rise vertically behind and around the eel, providing contrast in color and form. The artwork combines scientific detail with artistic presentation typical of 18th-century natural history plates.

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Biodiversity Pics @biodiversitypix.bsky.social · 18h

🦜 A monograph of the Ramphastidae, or family of toucans
London: Published by the author, 20, Broad Street, Golden Square, [1852]-1854.

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Illustration of two toucans (Ramphastos erythrorhynchos) perched on a branch. They have large, curved yellow and red bills with black markings, striking blue skin around their eyes, black feathers covering most of their bodies, cream-colored throats, and a yellow patch near the base of their tails. Behind them are green palm-like leaves. The detailed, naturalistic style emphasizes their vibrant colors and distinctive features, typical of 19th-century scientific bird illustrations.

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Biodiversity Pics @biodiversitypix.bsky.social · 20h

🏞️ Exploration and survey of the valley of the Great Salt Lake of Utah, including a reconnoissance of a new route through the Rocky Mountains.
Philadelphia: Lippincott, Grambo & Co., 1852.

[Source]

Valley illustration from historical archives

Biodiversity Pics @biodiversitypix.bsky.social · 22h

☘ Flora sylvatica Koreana
Keijo: Forestal Experiment Station, Government General of Chosen, 1915-

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Illustration from "Flora sylvatica Koreana" (1915) showing detailed sketches of a tree branch and trunk sections. The main subject includes a segment of a tree trunk with visible bark texture and small nodes (labeled "a"), a cut portion of a branch displaying internal wood grain and a knot (labeled "b"), and a cross-section revealing growth rings (labeled "c"). The drawings emphasize botanical features such as bark pattern, branch structure, and annual rings, highlighting aspects relevant to plant identification and wood anatomy. The scientific and precise style reflects early 20th-century forestry documentation.

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Biodiversity Pics @biodiversitypix.bsky.social · 1d

🦊 Promyshlennoe razvedenie serebristochernykh lisits i pestsov v Severnoi Amerike: Petrograd: Tip. M. Merkusheva, 1916.

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Historical illustration of architectural plans for fox enclosures from early 20th-century North America. The image includes detailed drawings of small wooden buildings with labeled dimensions in inches, featuring multiple views—side perspective, floor plans, and sectional layouts. Key elements such as doors, ventilation compartments, entrance tubes, and nesting boxes are annotated in Russian script. The designs show structures with gabled and shed roofs intended to house silver-black foxes, with explanations of materials and construction techniques for insulation and animal comfort. The text references different breeders and companies involved in fox farming around 1916.

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Biodiversity Pics @biodiversitypix.bsky.social · 1d

🪡 Gemeinnüzzige Naturgeschichte des Thierreichs bd. 4 plates
Berlin ;bei Gottlieb August Lange, 1780-1789. The largely nocturnal spot-fin porcupine fish spends most of its time in caves or underneath coral & is poisonous 2 eat

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Illustration of a spot-fin porcupine fish, shown head-on with a round, spiked body covered in sharp, conical spines. The fish has large, protruding eyes and a small open mouth. Its fins, spotted with red and brown markings, are visible on the sides and top of the body. The image is a detailed, vintage natural history drawing emphasizing the fish’s protective spines and distinctive facial features.

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Biodiversity Pics @biodiversitypix.bsky.social · 1d

🏖️ The birds of Europe..
London, Printed by R. and J.E. Taylor, pub. by the author, 1837..

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Illustration from 1837 titled "Black Tern" showing two terns on a sandy beach with sparse beach grass behind them. One tern is fully black with detailed feathers, while the other has a white and gray body with a black head patch. Both stand on the ground with slender legs and pointed beaks. The scene captures coastal bird species typical of European beaches, highlighting their plumage and natural habitat.

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Biodiversity Pics @biodiversitypix.bsky.social · 1d

🐦 Upon the tree-tops
BostonHoughton, Mifflin and company, 1897.

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Black-and-white historical illustration titled "Love-Making – The Yellow-Breasted Chat" showing two small birds perched on tree branches amid detailed foliage. One bird, located higher, leans forward with an open beak as if calling, while the other birds looks upward with its beak open. Both have distinct markings, with darker backs and lighter, whitish undersides. Surrounding leaves and blossoms add texture and depth to the forested setting. The artist's signature "J. Carter Beard" appears at the bottom left of the drawing.

Biodiversity Pics @biodiversitypix.bsky.social · 1d

😸 Die Säugthiere in Abbildungen nach der Natur /.
Erlangen: Expedition des Schreber'schen säugthier- und des Esper'schen Schmetterlingswerkes [etc., 1774]-1846..

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Historical illustration of a platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) positioned on a bank near water with green reeds in the foreground. The animal is depicted with a dark brown, streamlined body, webbed front feet, and a distinctive broad, duck-like bill. Surrounding the main image are detailed sketches of the platypus’s skull, bill form, and a close-up of the bill's underside, highlighting anatomical features such as its bone structure and unique bill shape. The illustration combines both naturalistic color rendering and scientific line drawings to provide a comprehensive biological study of the species.

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Biodiversity Pics @biodiversitypix.bsky.social · 1d

🦑 Mollusques meÌditeraneÌens [!]
GeÌ ACnes: Impr, des sourds-muets, 1851.

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Historical scientific illustration of a squid (Loligo vulgaris) shown from a dorsal view. The squid is depicted with a rounded, elongated body covered in pink and greenish speckles. Its large eyes are prominently illustrated, along with ten tentacles, two of which extend to the sides and appear longer with detailed suction cups. To the right of the squid, an elongated, leaf-shaped internal shell or gladius is displayed separately. The illustration is labeled with scientific terms and appears on an aged beige background, typical of 19th-century natural history prints, emphasizing anatomical features for identification.

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Biodiversity Pics @biodiversitypix.bsky.social · 1d

🐮 Kaisenshu. v.1.
Kyoto: Yamada Naozoburo, 1914-1915.

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Illustration from "Kaisenshu" (1914-1915) showing seven detailed, hand-colored sea shells arranged across an aged beige page. Each shell is uniquely shaped and patterned, including conical, rounded, and elongated forms with stripes, spots, and intricate markings in shades of brown, pink, and green. The shells are labeled with numbers 75, 76, 77, 78, 80, 81, and 82 below or near each specimen. The illustration highlights the natural diversity and decorative textures of shells, which are associated with the keyword "cow" likely referencing cowrie shells, known for their smooth, glossy surfaces and historical use as currency and ornamental objects.

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Biodiversity Pics @biodiversitypix.bsky.social · 1d

🌴 Recueil de divers oiseaux étrangers et peu communs
A Nuremberg: Chez les Héritiers de Seligmann, 1768-1776.

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Illustration of a small Amazon parrot perched on a bare, gnarled branch growing from a mossy tree stump. The bird features predominantly green feathers with hints of blue on its wings and red-orange patches on its face and tail. The parrot’s curved beak is gray, and its eye is ringed in white. Detailed shading highlights the texture of the feathers and bark. The background is plain, typical of 18th-century natural history prints. German and French text surrounding the image identifies the bird as a “smaller green parrot” from the Amazon region.

Biodiversity Pics @biodiversitypix.bsky.social · 1d

🧜‍♀️ Historiae naturalis de quadrupedibus libri: .
Amstelodami: Apud Ioannem Iacobi Fil. Schipper, MDCLVII [1657].

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An antique illustration from 1657 depicting various marine creatures and mythical sea beings. The main subjects include detailed drawings of several fish species such as a sawfish, a hammerhead shark, and a fish with a bulbous head. Notably, two figures resemble mermaids or sea monsters: one with a humanoid upper body and a long fish-like tail, lying one arm forward and opening its mouth, and another hybrid creature with a somewhat human face and elongated fish body. The page also includes separate sketches of shark jaws and teeth, labeled in Latin. The style is scientific yet imaginative, typical of 17th-century natural history works.

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Biodiversity Pics @biodiversitypix.bsky.social · 1d

🐟 Notes of a botanist on the Amazon & Andes
London, Macmillan and co., limited, 1908.

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Black-and-white historical illustration showing the Victoria Regia, a giant water lily, as it grows in the Amazonian lakes and side channels. The image features large, round floating leaves with upturned edges on a calm river surface, surrounded by dense aquatic and shoreline vegetation. The detailed depiction highlights the natural habitat of the plant in the river environment of the Amazon, emphasizing the size and spread of the lily pads across the water. The scene captures the botanical and ecological context of this notable riverine species in the early 20th century.

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Biodiversity Pics @biodiversitypix.bsky.social · 1d

🏵 Vollständige Naturgeschichte der forstlichen Culturpflanzen Deutschlands.
Berlin, A. Förstner'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung (P. Jeanrenaud)1851.

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Historical botanical illustration titled "Salix vitellina" from 1851 depicting detailed branches of the forstlichen (forestry) plant species Salix vitellina (willow). The central subject features leafy green willow branches with elongated leaves and catkin flowers. To the left and right, separate male and female branches are illustrated with slender catkins. At the bottom, small detailed drawings show various reproductive parts of the plant. The image serves as a scientific study of this forestry plant native to Germany, highlighting both vegetative and reproductive structures with fine color and line work. The plate is marked "41" at the top right.

Biodiversity Pics @biodiversitypix.bsky.social · 2d

🏝 A history of the fishes of the British Islands
London: G. Bell, 1877-1878.

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Illustration from "A history of the fishes of the British Islands" (1877-1878) showing four elongated fish species. From left to right: Planer's lamprey, slender and beige with visible gill openings; mud lamprey, greenish-yellow with a narrow body; a large, brown-orange eel-like fish with a rounded head; and a small, detailed sketch of a lancelet in black and white. The fish are depicted with careful detail highlighting their shape and anatomical features. The background is plain, emphasizing the fish as marine species linked to the British Islands and surrounding waters.

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Biodiversity Pics @biodiversitypix.bsky.social · 2d

🐟 Ichthyology
Edinburgh, etc.: W.H. Lizars, etc., 1852-1854.

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Illustration of a fish labeled "Hydrocyon armatus," depicted with a greenish body and red-edged fins including the tail, dorsal, and pectoral fins. The fish has large, sharp teeth visible in an open mouth and a prominent yellow eye with a dark pupil. Detailed scales cover its elongated body. The background includes light, detailed sketches of underwater plants and textured water or ground surrounding the fish, emphasizing its natural aquatic habitat. The image is a historical ichthyology plate from Edinburgh, mid-19th century, highlighting the fish’s anatomical details for scientific study.

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Biodiversity Pics @biodiversitypix.bsky.social · 2d

👹 Book of monsters
Washington, National Geographic Society, 1914.

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Black and white historical illustration from the 1914 "Book of Monsters" showing a close-up of a large segmented insect larva or caterpillar. The body is covered in fine hair-like structures and each segment features a distinct circular spiracle or eye-like spot. The larva’s head has prominent dark mandibles and appears textured with subtle ridges. The detailed, magnified view emphasizes the creature's alien and monstrous appearance, characteristic of early 20th-century scientific illustrations exploring unusual or fearsome organisms.

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