Henslow and Darwin  

When Charles Darwin was an undergraduate at Cambridge University in England (1829-1831) he studied botany with John Stevens Henslow, a young professor who befriended Darwin and took him on walks in the country where they collected specimens, including the insects, particularly beetles, that Darwin loved, and plants that Henslow would press and mount on sheets of paper.  The latter became part of his herbarium, which is simply a collection of such sheets with the plants carefully labeled as to their scientific names, where and when they were collected, and by whom.  Darwin’s relationship with Henslow became an important part of his formation as a naturalist, but the question is why?  What did Henslow really teach Darwin and how did he do it?  You might want to begin exploring these questions by reading the article, "What Henslow Taught Darwin."

Some questions to explore as you investigate information about Darwin, Henslow, and herbaria are:

Why did Darwin study botany?

Why did Henslow invite Darwin on collecting trips?

Why are dried plants used as reference material in plant science?

What are the advantages of having herbarium sheets digitized and available on the web?

Create your own herbarium sheet, and write about the experience?  Was it difficult?  What did you learning from doing this?

Explain three ways in which Henslow was important to Darwin's development as a biologist.  Was Darwin also helpful to Henslow?

Compare the quality of images on two digital herbaria; also note the ease of use of the web site.  How does the site handle enlarging the image?

Select a particular plant species and then find a photograph of the live plant, a botanical illustration of it, and finally a herbarium specimen.  Which of the three images contains the most information, which is the most pleasing to look at?

Next, find written information about the plant you investigated above.  What web site did you go to for information, and does having looked at the images help you to understand the text?

Is there any teacher who has been your Henslow?  Who have you learned the most from, both inside and outside the classroom?

Here are sites with information on Charles Darwin (1809-1882):

Here are web sites with information on John Stevens Henslow (1796-1861):