Our latest anniversary treasure takes us to Illinois and the work of two pioneering scientists: Stephen A. Forbes and Charles Robertson.
Forbes helped shape modern ecology through his research on fishes, insects, birds, and aquatic ecosystems. Robertson spent decades documenting flowering plants and their insect visitors, creating an exceptionally detailed record of ecological relationships in and around Carlinville, Illinois.
Written by Abubakari Ssemwogerere of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the post brings together some wonderful BHL material, including The Fishes of Illinois and Robertson’s handwritten specimen collection logs.
It also illustrates something particularly valuable about BHL: the opportunity to explore published scientific works alongside archival records that reveal the observations, lives, and working practices behind the science.
Read Pioneers of Illinois Natural History: Stephen A. Forbes and Charles Robertson.
