Beautiful but deadly, this familiar flower has the power to cure and kill. The Foxglove was employed by old herbalists for conditions as bizarre as treating ‘those who have fallen from high placesâ ‘ (Gerard). It was not until the 18th century that its properties were investigated as a cure for Dropsy (water retention)…
Rosa Mundi – R. gallica var. officinalis ‘Versicolor’ This is a striking old rose in the Gallica group and its flowers create quite a talking point in the Herb Garden in June. They are very distinctive, pale pink and striped with a darker pink, semi-double with an open cupped shape and yellow at the centre. Legend has…
This week we have another activity in conjunction with the Darwin Correspondence Project – the peppered moth, probably the best known example of evolution by natural selection. Don’t forget to send us a picture of your cartoon so that we can display it in the museum.
Erasmus Darwin Museum volunteers in Lichfield, Staffordshire have been honoured with the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, the highest award a voluntary group can receive in the UK. Erasmus Darwin House was once the home of Erasmus Darwin, grandfather of Charles Darwin and a respected resident of Lichfield for more than 20 years. Erasmus established…
For week 2 of our series of activities in conjunction with the Darwin Correspondence Project, we take a look at Charles Darwin’s study to find out what we can learn from the contents of the room.
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