Welcome To BRIT

Plant to planet.®

Ever have a desire to discover? Ever have a desire to teach others what you've learned? We do - every day. By nature, that’s who we are. We’re the Botanical Research Institute of Texas, an international scientific research and learning center focused on conservation and knowledge sharing.

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Horticulture and Gardening

Come discover how your garden grows.

As community leaders in plant based knowledge and education, BRIT and the Fort Worth Botanic Garden are pleased to partner with experts in the fields of horticulture and gardening to provide the public with opportunities to expand their knowledge of the plant world through a variety of classes and workshops. 

These half and full day classes and workshops will take place on the BRIT campus, at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden, and in the field. Please check the individual event announcements for further details.

 

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Companion Planting and Beneficial Insects

Water Efficient Lawns and Landscape Care
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Food, Health, and Wellness

Feed your mind, body, and soul.

Feed your mind, body, and soul and learn something new by attending one of our Food, Health, and Wellness classes at BRIT. Come discover the connections between the botanical and culinary worlds, come learn new ways to achieve and maintain a balanced lifestyle, and best of all, come spend some quality time on our beautiful garden campus located in the heart of the Fort Worth Cultural District!

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Super Summer Salads

Pesto-mania
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Botanical Arts and Crafts

The Art of Science. The Science of Art.

Get in touch with your inner artist by taking a class in botanical drawing, painting, or photography or by attending one of our hands-on, nature-inspired craft workshops. You will find options for all interests and skill levels. These classes, taught by accomplished, professional artists, will not only allow you to increase your skills but will also enhance your understanding of the natural world.

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Supermarket Bouquet Hack

Decorative Bookbinding
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BRIT Reads Book Club

If you love to read and you're passionate about botany, natural history, sustainability, and other similar topics, then join us the third Monday of each month for the BRIT Reads Book Club. This informal group meets from noon - 1 pm in the BRIT Library. Bring your lunch and bring a friend and come tell us what you thought about our book of the month. No time to read but still want to hear what people have to say about a particular book? No problem! We'd love to have you!

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Orchid Fever

The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder
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Recent Articles

Peter Fritsch Reporting on Field Research in the Philippines

by Peter Fritsch, Ph.D.
The first expedition to the Philippines has been going splendidly, with many hundreds of collections, photographs, DNA samples, and associated field data being collected by the team. The four areas to be surveyed are Mount Marilog, Mount Limbawon, and Mount Hamiguitan, all on the island of Mindanao, and several peaks on Camiguin Island just off the north coast of Mindanao. From left to right, Gordon McPherson (Missouri Botanical Garden), Peter Fritsch (BRIT), and Victor Amoroso (Central Mindanao University) at the Mount Marilog Guest House, where we conducted the first leg of the overall expedition. The vicinity of Mount Marilog has been unexplored botanically until now, and so we are expecting a number of plant and lichen species new to science as a result of our work. Peter Fritsch in th...
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Highlights from the Oliver G. Burk Children's Library

by Brandy Watts
As part of the BRIT LIbrary's summer internship, Annie Martin, our summer intern, is highlighting a selection of books from the Oliver G. Burk Children's Library Collection. Over the course of the summer more items will be added so please check back!
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A Natural Nature Networker

by Dan Caudle
The annual Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Convention was held at the Fort Worth Convention Center at the end of March. The associated trade show was open to the public, and there were more than 200 exhibitors/vendors offering giveaways and information at various booths. Our own Dan Caudle, Resident Research Associate, worked several booths on behalf of the Youth Range Workshop , Texas Grazing Land Coalition (TXGLC) , and the Grazing Animal Nutrition (GAN) Lab at the Blackland Research and Extension Center , this last of whom (according to Dan) "test livestock fecal samples with Near Infrared Spectroscopy to determine nutritional value of the forages that have actually been consumed, digested, and passed through the animals." You know...as one does (!!!!). Though officially "retired"...
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Dr. Sherwin Carlquist Collection

by Brandy Watts
In honor of National Library Week, BRIT Library would like to highlight a recent acquisition of the BRIT Library & Archive collection. In July of 2018, BRIT Library acquired the collection of botanist Sherwin Carlquist. This acquisition includes 100,000 color field photograph slides, 5,000 microscope slides, and 15 field notebooks. Carlquist is a Guggenheim fellow and a plant anatomist based at Santa Barbara Botanic Garden Herbarium (SBBG) in California and continues to publish on his research findings to this day. Over the course of his career, the primary focus of his research has been on island biogeography and island flora. The most active years of his field research span from 1953-1989 and include regions such as Western Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, Japan, Malaysia, and Africa.
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Mary Sophie Young

by Brandy Watts
In honor of International Women’s Day 2019, on March 8, 2019, BRIT Library highlighted the botanist Mary Sophie Young. As one of the earliest botanists at University of Texas, Mary Sophie Young’s extensive collecting throughout Texas greatly contributed to the flora of Texas as well as the holdings of the University of Texas herbarium. The estimated number of her collection is thought to be in the vicinity of 10,000. Young was born in Glendale, Ohio, in 1872. She earned her B.A. at Wellesley College in 1895 and her PhD from the University of Chicago in 1910. In 1912, she became the curator of the University of Texas at Austin herbarium as well as a faculty member in the botany department.
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Campus Tours

Learn about BRIT's history, collections, and programs. Public and private tours available!

Hours and Location

Closed on Mondays. The building is open to visitors 10am - 4pm, Tuesday - Friday and most Saturday mornings (February through November). The BRIT Libraries and Herbarium are open for public use by appointment.

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News
“Nature Deficit-Disorder” Author to Speak at BRIT
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