A grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis). Grey squirrels are an alien species from the USA and have displaced the native red squirrel over much of the UK. One advantage the greys have over the reds is the ability to digest acorns. A grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis). Grey squirrels are an alien species from the USA and have displaced the native red squirrel over much of the UK. One advantage the greys have over the reds is the ability to digest acorns.

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Temporary exhibitions at Tring

Our Blooming Marvellous exhibition opens on 24 May

Discover the art of plant science from the exotic to the microscopic, from early botanical illustrations to the latest imaging technology in Blooming Marvellous.

Browse our complete list of events and exhibitions

Watercolour by A. H. Church

Watercolour by A H Church

Blooming Marvellous exhibition at Tring
24 May - 18 August 2013
Free

Get a glimpse of the Museum's extensive collection of botanical art including watercolours, pen sketches and drawings, dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries.

Explore the beautiful images created by these early botanical illustrators as they attempted to capture the colours and shapes of plants. Some of the most eminent of these artists are on show:

  • Sydney Parkinson - produced 1,000 plant drawings on Captain Cook's voyage to the South Pacific.
  • Georg Dionysisus Ehret - developed a new style of illustration that showed the parts of the flowers separately.
  • Franz Bauer - the first paid botanical artist at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew.
  • Arthur Harry Church - developed a new style of illustration influenced by the Art Nouveau movement.
SEM image of a strawberry

SEM image of a strawberry

See examples of preserved plants and find out how today's technology, including electron microscopy, is used to record every detail of a plant’s anatomy.

The scanning electron microscope (SEM) can magnify specimens up to 250,000 times their size. This technology allows scientists to explore far beyond the reaches of the human eye to help us appreciate the scientific value and beauty of plants in an entirely new way.

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