Fostering a natural history community

Andrew L Hipp

Natural history is an individuals-first approach to natural science in which the subject of our study leads us into novel and integrative questions. It is, in Ann Zwinger’s words, a set of practices aimed at “tying together yesterday and tomorrow within the framework of today’s natural world.” Public-school curricula have dropped much of the natural history education that was common through the first decades of the 20th century. Yet the foundational practices of natural history are the bedrock of science. In this essay, I illustrate how we as naturalists employ stories, specimens, exploration of the natural world, and the practices of natural history to build our understanding of the world from the bottom up. I argue for the importance of natural history as a set of skills and habits that help expose what we don’t yet know and an inherently decentralized approach to natural science. Natural history puts the onus on each of us to learn something new before we lose any more pieces, and it gives us the practices to do so. As the American Society of Plant Taxonomists (ASPT) approaches its centennial, our continued success will depend on the strength of a diverse community of artists, educators, researchers, land practitioners, horticulturalists, gardeners, and enthusiasts. We are part of the global community of naturalists. Supporting and continuing to build this community is our best way to ensure its effectiveness and strength.