Learning Aids

Help BotanyJohn.org grow by contributing comments and ideas to the interactive discussion forums. The area provides a space for you to debate topics covered in the BotanyJohn.org website, add additional information and even point out any errors. Comments are moderated and may take a few days to appear.

What is an herbarium? Why are herbaria important? This factsheet provides answers to these and other questions, and shows how to make an herbarium press as well as mount and label a plant specimen.

Learn about magic lanterns, lantern slides, and the history of image projection.

Plants are sometimes named after people. Davidson’s beardtongue (Penstemon davidsonii), however, was not named after John Davidson, despite the fact that many believe it was. Read about this species and find out about George Davidson, the botanist that Davidson’s beardtongue honours.

Explore places that were important to John Davidson in and around Vancouver and the present-day Garibaldi Provincial Park.

Look up definitions for many of the scientific, technical and historical terms found on Botany John: Legacy of a Canadian Botanist.

This guide provides high-school teachers with sample lesson ideas, projects and classroom activities so that they can use BotanyJohn.org in a variety of subjects, including history, science, fine arts, geography, and outdoor recreation and physical education.