Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Kew Gardens @rbgkew.bsky.social · 8h

Uh oh that link doesn't seem to be working, learn more about accessing our Library and Archives here

www.kew.org/science/enga...

Accessing Kew's Library and Archives

Members of the public can visit the Reading Room to use reference books and journals.

www.kew.org

5

Kew Gardens @rbgkew.bsky.social · 9h

For #NationalLibraryWeek, take a look inside our main library (normally staff only)! 📖

This wing of the Herbarium was built in 1969. It houses just a fraction of the library collections which include books, maps & artworks, & spans a whopping 9 km of shelving! #KewLA

👉 https://ow.ly/PVRv50X6WEk

Black and white photograph of the main library stacks shortly after the opening of the new wing. View across the library with wooden library stacks on either side, with lower benches down the middle.

Photograph of the main library stacks in 2025. View across the library with wooden library stacks on either side, with lower benches down the middle. Apart from the carpet on the floor and the ceiling, not much has changed in this space since its opening.

1 2 13

Kew Gardens @rbgkew.bsky.social · 1d

Great shot! 🌿 The Oriental Plane is such a beautiful part of the Gardens.

Kew Gardens @rbgkew.bsky.social · 1d

Sounds like a busy (and brilliant!) day out! 🌿✨

1 2

Kew Gardens @rbgkew.bsky.social · 1d

Warm is definitely an understatement! 🌴 We’re so glad you finally made it to Kew - next stop, Wakehurst? 🌸

1 1

Kew Gardens @rbgkew.bsky.social · 2d

Fab photos! 🌿 We’re so glad you and your niece enjoyed your visit

1 1

Kew Gardens @rbgkew.bsky.social · 2d

We're honoured to have made the cut! 🎉🌿

1

Kew Gardens @rbgkew.bsky.social · 2d

We love it! 🌿✨
A perfect pairing for a cosy Sunday evening!

1

Kew Gardens @rbgkew.bsky.social · 2d

🌳Exciting news! Our own Caroline Cornish & Christina Hourigan guest edited a special issue of Plant Perspectives on Tree Cultures & Arboreal Humanities.

From Kew tree biographies to literary & cultural stories, discover how trees can inspire both research and imagination👇

@treeseeker.bsky.social

The White Horse Press @whitehorsepress.bsky.social · 5d

‘Plant Perspectives’ 2.2 is now available online – entirely #openaccess thanks to our #subscribetoopen supporters and our generous individual donors. #plantstudies @plantperspectives.bsky.social

2 12

Kew Gardens @rbgkew.bsky.social · 2d

What a great spot! 🍄 Wakehurst is full of amazing fungi this time of year.

1

Kew Gardens @rbgkew.bsky.social · 2d

Aren’t they gorgeous? 🌺We're loving seeing the Gardens through your lens! 📸

1 1

Kew Gardens @rbgkew.bsky.social · 4d

Happy #UKFungusDay 🍄

Our mycology team are back from a fungi foray in the Scottish Highlands - collecting specimens like golden spindles, beefsteak fungus & green earthtongue. All for research, ID & conservation.

Full video coming soon. For now, here’s a teaser! Clavulinopsis fusiformis 👇

1 4 19

Kew Gardens @rbgkew.bsky.social · 6d

Botanist or poet? For National Poetry Day, we discovered poetry hidden amongst the personal papers of botanists - from J. Fraser’s 1919 poem on poppies to H.M Ward’s critique’s on his mother’s poetry!
#KewLA

Close up of letter from H.M. Ward to his mother, reading: ‘July 20: I have just got the second batch of your poems. I strongly advise you to be careful, the ideas are…& poetical to a degree; but you…too apt to lose the on the metre on you…in technical construction.

Handwritten poem by J Fraser, titled ‘The Corn Poppy’ with a sentence crossed out then four stanzas reading:
“The scarlet poppy reddens daily, Amongst the cornfields blossoms gaily, Makes comely neighbours wanton palely, and dazzles all beneath the skies, But beckons me with swanting [sic] eyes.
Uh! Could I like the gliding swallow, Explore the vale and upland follows, No more in smoky dens I’d swallow, No longer breathe the air that falls Midst crowded streets and staring walls.
Then would I bid adieu to collow, And scour the…height and hollow, Un…the downs and blithely follow, along the fields where bright corn rose – The glorious flaming poppy – glows.
To-day would have no room for sorrow, No boding thoughts to gloom to-morrow, And each day after fair would borrow Another glide along the plain, to search amongst the bended grain’”

Loose papers, with handwritten poem on top of five stanzas, the second of which is crossed out then rewritten underneath. It reads:
“The transport bent by wholesome breezes, Where charming guise of landscape pleases, Brings life amend, as man can…., and genders thanks for flow’r so fair, That smile and make my errand there.
I love to see the wild bee settle, Upon the smooth and silky petal, And laugh to view its ardent mettle, When tumbling round the…flow’r, Collecting bee bread hour by hour.
The longest day draws with gloaming, And puts an end to handsome roaming; I grieve to mark its shadows coming, But more to think when day is blind, that I must leave my flow’r behind.
The corn, the poppy, bee and ether, And birds that wing on airy feather, all choose the wilds and hang together, Beneath the great and blue sky-dome, And I must visit them at home”
Signed at end: J.F., March 15th 1919

8 11

Kew Gardens @rbgkew.bsky.social · 8d

Pop by during our opening hours (Tues - Weds, 10am-4pm)
Find out more here: ow.ly/p02R50X4s5c

Persia Reimagined

From Herbarium to Heritage

ow.ly

3

Kew Gardens @rbgkew.bsky.social · 8d

We have an exciting new exhibition in our Library & Archives Reading Room: 'Persia Reimagined: From Herbarium to Heritage' takes a closer look at the social and cultural histories tucked away inside our Persian collections.
Free admission, no booking required. #KewLA

1 2 26

Kew Gardens @rbgkew.bsky.social · 9d

And while you are here, take a look at the 6 million specimens we've digitised so far!

data.kew.org

3 8

Kew Gardens @rbgkew.bsky.social · 9d

Drop us an email via [email protected] with the subject ‘digitisation case study’ for the chance to spotlight your science across our channels as one of our digitisation success stories 🧑‍💻

We can't wait to hear from you!

1 1

Kew Gardens @rbgkew.bsky.social · 9d

If you've used (or are currently using) our digitised data to...

🍄 Reclassify a plant or fungi species
🌱 Identify which species should be a conservation priority
📜 Uncover a fascinating historical story

Or fuel your science in any way then we want to hear how! 🧑‍🔬

1 1 1

Kew Gardens @rbgkew.bsky.social · 9d

Do you want to be a part of our mass digitisation project, and potentially have your research shared more widely?

As we wrap up on this momentous project, we’re keen to showcase how Kew’s data is being used in research across the globe 🌍

Could you help us tell this story? ✨

2 18 46

Kew Gardens @rbgkew.bsky.social · 10d

🧪 Taxonomy can tell bigger stories 🌎
This new revision by @moopellegrini.bsky.social of gem-fruited dayflowers names Commelina sugariae for Rebecca Sugar and C. almandina for Garnet, recognising how inclusive storytelling helps people see themselves in science and nature.
💎🌼 ow.ly/3lOp50X3fU4

Above- Fruiting branch of Commelina almandina (the Garnet dayflower). Bottom-right- Flower of C. almandina being visited by a Plebeia stingless bee. Bottom-left- The pearl-like fruits of C. rufipes, the sapphire-like fruits of C. leiocarpa, and the off-white fruit of C. scabrata, which is damaged (shattered) by weevil larvae
Above- Fruiting branch of Commelina almandina (the Garnet dayflower). Bottom-right- Flower of C. almandina being visited by a Plebeia stingless bee. Bottom-left- The pearl-like fruits of C. rufipes, the sapphire-like fruits of C. leiocarpa, and the off-white fruit of C. scabrata, which is damaged (shattered) by weevil larvae.

12 42

Kew Gardens @rbgkew.bsky.social · 12d

Huge congratulations on two new dayflowers, C. almandina and C. sugariae. A creative nod to Steven Universe that champions inclusion while advancing botanical knowledge 🌿

1 2

Kew Gardens @rbgkew.bsky.social · 12d

Great to collaborate with @DomainOfScience on this new video, with our scientists inputting on the fascinating map of fungi 🍄🌍 From medicines to forests, fungi are a kingdom of life shaping our world.

Discover just how important they are in 20 minutes 👇

ow.ly/u4fc50X2JRo

The Fascinating Map of Fungi

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

ow.ly

1 28 67

Kew Gardens @rbgkew.bsky.social · 12d

Some unusual items in Kew’s Library and Archives include 26 wax orchids by Sir William Thiselton Dyer, Director of Kew (1885-1905), and artist Edith Delta Blackman (model shown of Vanda coerulea). These lifelike models are hard to tell apart from living specimens! #KewLA

Photograph of the stem, flowers, and leaves of a three dimensional wax orchid. There are numerous flowers on the stem, all which are white with a purple edge.

2 27

Kew Gardens @rbgkew.bsky.social · 14d

🌿 Every pressed plant tells a story.

Kew’s digitised herbarium is unlocking centuries of ecological change — a goldmine for scientists, conservationists & policymakers.

Dive into the data and show us how you’re using it 🧑‍🔬⬇️

🔗 data.kew.org

Kew Data Portal

data.kew.org

3 18

Kew Gardens @rbgkew.bsky.social · 15d

🧪 Are you doing a PhD at a UK university and looking for a 3-month placement that makes a real impact?

✔ Open to PIPS and other externally funded placements
✔ Build new skills, expand your network, support world-class biodiversity work
✔ Apply: ow.ly/65wF50WLXa8
🗓️ Deadline: 31 October 2025 🌾

A kew scientist talking about plants and pollinators for community open week

7 5