Kate Teltscher
@kateteltscher.bsky.social
Cultural historian and writer. Author of Palace of Palms, a Times and New Statesman Book of the Year.
https://kateteltscher.com/
https://kateteltscher.com/
Great video of expedition to locate and conserve Ravenea moorei or Grand Inazi.
The imposing palm survives in a single forest in the Comoros Islands (and a specimen in Kew’s Palm House) youtu.be/jPy45YUNfxg
The imposing palm survives in a single forest in the Comoros Islands (and a specimen in Kew’s Palm House) youtu.be/jPy45YUNfxg
Comoros: The Lost Palm | Kew
YouTube video by Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
youtu.be
January 29, 2026 at 2:52 PM
Great video of expedition to locate and conserve Ravenea moorei or Grand Inazi.
The imposing palm survives in a single forest in the Comoros Islands (and a specimen in Kew’s Palm House) youtu.be/jPy45YUNfxg
The imposing palm survives in a single forest in the Comoros Islands (and a specimen in Kew’s Palm House) youtu.be/jPy45YUNfxg
The London Mayor's Office recently announced a scheme to reintroduce storks to London.
From 1890 storks formed one of the attractions of Kew Gardens:'their quaint appearance and philosophical habits make them rather in keeping with a botanical garden' (Journal of the Kew Guild, 1902).
From 1890 storks formed one of the attractions of Kew Gardens:'their quaint appearance and philosophical habits make them rather in keeping with a botanical garden' (Journal of the Kew Guild, 1902).
January 27, 2026 at 1:51 PM
The London Mayor's Office recently announced a scheme to reintroduce storks to London.
From 1890 storks formed one of the attractions of Kew Gardens:'their quaint appearance and philosophical habits make them rather in keeping with a botanical garden' (Journal of the Kew Guild, 1902).
From 1890 storks formed one of the attractions of Kew Gardens:'their quaint appearance and philosophical habits make them rather in keeping with a botanical garden' (Journal of the Kew Guild, 1902).
Reposted by Kate Teltscher
New seminars on Instructing Colonial Natural History 🌿 We can look forward to papers by Yunting Gu, Adriana Craciun and @nulybranch.bsky.social. For more info see instructingnaturalhistory.com (more info will be added). #skystorians #museums #collecting #histsci #envhist
January 22, 2026 at 12:14 PM
New seminars on Instructing Colonial Natural History 🌿 We can look forward to papers by Yunting Gu, Adriana Craciun and @nulybranch.bsky.social. For more info see instructingnaturalhistory.com (more info will be added). #skystorians #museums #collecting #histsci #envhist
Come listen to this talk by Dr Heather Craddock, my brilliant former PhD student. It's next Tues Jan 27, 10-11.30 GMT.
I'll be talking about the Hope Botanic Gardens in Jamaica on 27th Jan, using records from the colonial archives at Kew Gardens 🌴
Signup here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/empires-pl...
Signup here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/empires-pl...
Empires, Plants & Gardening: Kew in Jamaica
The second talk in our series exploring the influence of political and economic power on garden-making
www.eventbrite.co.uk
January 21, 2026 at 7:03 PM
Come listen to this talk by Dr Heather Craddock, my brilliant former PhD student. It's next Tues Jan 27, 10-11.30 GMT.
Reposted by Kate Teltscher
#KEW in #JAMAICA by @hcraddock.bsky.social - 2nd talk in #Gardens-Trust #online seminar series #Empires, #Plants & #Gardening' Jan 27 10-11:30 GMT More info & booking: eventbrite.co.uk/e/empires-pl... @kewgardens.bsky.social @UkNatArchives
January 20, 2026 at 3:43 PM
#KEW in #JAMAICA by @hcraddock.bsky.social - 2nd talk in #Gardens-Trust #online seminar series #Empires, #Plants & #Gardening' Jan 27 10-11:30 GMT More info & booking: eventbrite.co.uk/e/empires-pl... @kewgardens.bsky.social @UkNatArchives
A real pleasure to talk to Ian Brown from Toronto about the vital renovation of Kew's Palm House in The Globe and Mail
@rbgkew.bsky.social
@rbgkew.bsky.social
January 16, 2026 at 12:44 PM
A real pleasure to talk to Ian Brown from Toronto about the vital renovation of Kew's Palm House in The Globe and Mail
@rbgkew.bsky.social
@rbgkew.bsky.social
Charming open-the-flap cover of 1950 guide to Kew.
The wintery scene in the Palm House transforms to summer and a view of the Pagoda when the door opens. Truly, a garden for all seasons!
The wintery scene in the Palm House transforms to summer and a view of the Pagoda when the door opens. Truly, a garden for all seasons!
January 15, 2026 at 12:25 PM
Charming open-the-flap cover of 1950 guide to Kew.
The wintery scene in the Palm House transforms to summer and a view of the Pagoda when the door opens. Truly, a garden for all seasons!
The wintery scene in the Palm House transforms to summer and a view of the Pagoda when the door opens. Truly, a garden for all seasons!
This looks great!
The wonderful Vinita Damodaran speaking on Tuesday, Feb 10 at 5:30 pm (GMT).
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/decolonisi...
The wonderful Vinita Damodaran speaking on Tuesday, Feb 10 at 5:30 pm (GMT).
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/decolonisi...
Decolonising the Natural History Collections of Empire (in person)
Join us for the third annual Royal Historical Society / German Historical Institute Lecture in Global History given by Vinita Damodaran.
www.eventbrite.co.uk
January 15, 2026 at 11:37 AM
This looks great!
The wonderful Vinita Damodaran speaking on Tuesday, Feb 10 at 5:30 pm (GMT).
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/decolonisi...
The wonderful Vinita Damodaran speaking on Tuesday, Feb 10 at 5:30 pm (GMT).
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/decolonisi...
An excellent resource:
Delve into the rich tapestry of South Asian experiences in the UK through our 13 theme pages. Each theme offers a blend of context, timelines and stories, linking individual lives and events across generations and geographies. southasianbritain.org/themes/
@UoBArtsMatter @BL_Learning @QMULsed
@UoBArtsMatter @BL_Learning @QMULsed
Themes — South Asian Britain: Connecting Histories
Find out more about the history of South Asians in Britain
southasianbritain.org
January 13, 2026 at 9:48 AM
An excellent resource:
If anyone needs cheering up, here are three jolly dancing gardeners.
Edward Bawden's illustration from Robert Herring's wonderful Adam and Evelyn at Kew (1930).
Edward Bawden's illustration from Robert Herring's wonderful Adam and Evelyn at Kew (1930).
January 12, 2026 at 10:22 PM
If anyone needs cheering up, here are three jolly dancing gardeners.
Edward Bawden's illustration from Robert Herring's wonderful Adam and Evelyn at Kew (1930).
Edward Bawden's illustration from Robert Herring's wonderful Adam and Evelyn at Kew (1930).
Great thread from Sadiah Qureshi with some excellent suggestions for historical starter packs.
As people move away from the other place, here’s a starter pack of historians from @drlindseyfitz.bsky.social, who is also worth a follow.
go.bsky.app/Fpw6Tvr
go.bsky.app/Fpw6Tvr
January 12, 2026 at 9:58 PM
Great thread from Sadiah Qureshi with some excellent suggestions for historical starter packs.
Reposted by Kate Teltscher
Delighted to see this recent article in the @smithsonianmag.bsky.social by @donnalferguson.bsky.social on some of the research outputs for the Naming Species in the South Pacific project: www.smithsonianmag.com/history/newl... With thanks to our collaborators, @nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social
Newly Digitized Records Reveal How Indigenous People Shared Their Knowledge of New Zealand's Plants With Captain Cook's Crew
Long-overlooked documents housed at London's Natural History Museum testify to the exchange of information between 18th-century European botanists and their Indigenous counterparts
www.smithsonianmag.com
January 8, 2026 at 5:41 PM
Delighted to see this recent article in the @smithsonianmag.bsky.social by @donnalferguson.bsky.social on some of the research outputs for the Naming Species in the South Pacific project: www.smithsonianmag.com/history/newl... With thanks to our collaborators, @nhmlibraryarchives.bsky.social
Thank you for this lovely obituary, Andrew. John supervised my DPhil. However witty and acerbic as a reviewer, he was gentleness itself with his students. He had the gift of appearing interested in whatever you had to say. I’m very grateful for his support and cherish the memory of his wry smile.
A tribute in today’s Sunday Times to John Carey, who taught me more than I can say about books and the proper way to live…
www.thetimes.com/article/34bd...
www.thetimes.com/article/34bd...
Farewell, John Carey, and sorry a fellow critic poured wine on your head
Our fiercely moral chief literary critic avoided the literary world. The fortnightly review was everything, even if it upset friends
www.thetimes.com
December 16, 2025 at 8:54 AM
Thank you for this lovely obituary, Andrew. John supervised my DPhil. However witty and acerbic as a reviewer, he was gentleness itself with his students. He had the gift of appearing interested in whatever you had to say. I’m very grateful for his support and cherish the memory of his wry smile.
Reposted by Kate Teltscher
We are incredibly sad to learn of the death of John Carey, whose last three books we were proud to publish at Yale. One of our greatest literary critics, John was a strong advocate for poetry and making it accessible. He was diligent and superb at what he did, but always with a sense of fun.
December 15, 2025 at 3:37 PM
We are incredibly sad to learn of the death of John Carey, whose last three books we were proud to publish at Yale. One of our greatest literary critics, John was a strong advocate for poetry and making it accessible. He was diligent and superb at what he did, but always with a sense of fun.
Reposted by Kate Teltscher
Thanks for this lovely tribute to the great John Carey, he meant so much to so many of us.
A tribute in today’s Sunday Times to John Carey, who taught me more than I can say about books and the proper way to live…
www.thetimes.com/article/34bd...
www.thetimes.com/article/34bd...
Farewell, John Carey, and sorry a fellow critic poured wine on your head
Our fiercely moral chief literary critic avoided the literary world. The fortnightly review was everything, even if it upset friends
www.thetimes.com
December 14, 2025 at 9:25 PM
Thanks for this lovely tribute to the great John Carey, he meant so much to so many of us.
What a fantastic article and brilliant idea!
George Monbiot on ‘soilsmology’ and the birth of the Earth Rover Program:
//www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/dec/05/agriculture-revolution-soil-farming-earth-rover-program?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
George Monbiot on ‘soilsmology’ and the birth of the Earth Rover Program:
//www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/dec/05/agriculture-revolution-soil-farming-earth-rover-program?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
Over a pint in Oxford, we may have stumbled upon the holy grail of agriculture | George Monbiot
I knew that a revolution in our understanding of soil could change the world. Then came a eureka moment – and the birth of the Earth Rover Program, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot
www.theguardian.com
December 5, 2025 at 8:13 AM
What a fantastic article and brilliant idea!
George Monbiot on ‘soilsmology’ and the birth of the Earth Rover Program:
//www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/dec/05/agriculture-revolution-soil-farming-earth-rover-program?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
George Monbiot on ‘soilsmology’ and the birth of the Earth Rover Program:
//www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/dec/05/agriculture-revolution-soil-farming-earth-rover-program?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
Reposted by Kate Teltscher
Thrilled to see Ruthless reviewed in the FT by Linda Colley, and to be placed among the FT's books of the week too! 😊
www.ft.com/content/67c1...
www.ft.com/content/67c1...
Ruthless by Edmond Smith — the brutal rise of Britain’s industrial power
The historian’s splendid account sets out the ideas, inventions and relentless exploitation that drove the nation’s growth from 1660-1800
www.ft.com
November 17, 2025 at 11:25 AM
Thrilled to see Ruthless reviewed in the FT by Linda Colley, and to be placed among the FT's books of the week too! 😊
www.ft.com/content/67c1...
www.ft.com/content/67c1...
The Chinese fan palm and cobra lily by Vishnuprasad from Henry Noltie’s Flora Indica, a masterpiece of botanical-art-historical detective work.
The book accompanies a stunning exhibition at Kew Gardens.
@rbgkew.bsky.social @willdalrymple.bsky.social
@sathnam.bsky.social
@eicathomefinn.bsky.social
The book accompanies a stunning exhibition at Kew Gardens.
@rbgkew.bsky.social @willdalrymple.bsky.social
@sathnam.bsky.social
@eicathomefinn.bsky.social
October 16, 2025 at 9:43 AM
The Chinese fan palm and cobra lily by Vishnuprasad from Henry Noltie’s Flora Indica, a masterpiece of botanical-art-historical detective work.
The book accompanies a stunning exhibition at Kew Gardens.
@rbgkew.bsky.social @willdalrymple.bsky.social
@sathnam.bsky.social
@eicathomefinn.bsky.social
The book accompanies a stunning exhibition at Kew Gardens.
@rbgkew.bsky.social @willdalrymple.bsky.social
@sathnam.bsky.social
@eicathomefinn.bsky.social
The village women turned astro-ambassadors.
A good news story from Ladakh:
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
A good news story from Ladakh:
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
‘The universe has opened up for us’: meet the astro-ambassadors who welcome stargazers to the Himalayas
A tourism initiative in India’s first dark sky reserve has brought new hope to a community as employment means they can stay close to their roots and culture
www.theguardian.com
October 13, 2025 at 8:29 AM
The village women turned astro-ambassadors.
A good news story from Ladakh:
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
A good news story from Ladakh:
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
Great piece on using historic archives to chart biodiversity loss - and a nice piece of (literal) field work!
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Century-old papers saved from the bin reveal changes in Europe’s plant life
Plant inventories dating back to 1884 and nearly thrown away enable unique time-lapse study of biodiversity in Swiss meadows
www.theguardian.com
October 9, 2025 at 7:57 AM
Great piece on using historic archives to chart biodiversity loss - and a nice piece of (literal) field work!
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Reposted by Kate Teltscher
Huge thanks to the team at @plantperspectives.bsky.social @whitehorsepress.bsky.social and @sarahwhpress.bsky.social for creating such stunning designs for our special #arborealhumanities issue!
Check out all the beautifully crafted papers, poetry and reviews at whp-journals.co.uk/PP/issue/vie...
Check out all the beautifully crafted papers, poetry and reviews at whp-journals.co.uk/PP/issue/vie...
October 1, 2025 at 8:15 PM
Huge thanks to the team at @plantperspectives.bsky.social @whitehorsepress.bsky.social and @sarahwhpress.bsky.social for creating such stunning designs for our special #arborealhumanities issue!
Check out all the beautifully crafted papers, poetry and reviews at whp-journals.co.uk/PP/issue/vie...
Check out all the beautifully crafted papers, poetry and reviews at whp-journals.co.uk/PP/issue/vie...
Reposted by Kate Teltscher
It's here!!! 200 pages of #research articles, #narrative #nonfiction, #poetry & #reviews - all on #trees! Many thanks to @whitehorsepress.bsky.social, @treeseeker.bsky.social & all our contributors url.uk.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/9ZIoCojPZH...
September 29, 2025 at 2:44 PM
It's here!!! 200 pages of #research articles, #narrative #nonfiction, #poetry & #reviews - all on #trees! Many thanks to @whitehorsepress.bsky.social, @treeseeker.bsky.social & all our contributors url.uk.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/9ZIoCojPZH...
‘One of the most superbly beautiful of trees ... worth crossing the globe to see’.
For more on thawka-gyi or 'Pride of Burma', see the latest issue of Plant Perspectives. Open access:
www.whp-journals.co.uk/PP/article/v...
For more on thawka-gyi or 'Pride of Burma', see the latest issue of Plant Perspectives. Open access:
www.whp-journals.co.uk/PP/article/v...
September 30, 2025 at 10:38 AM
‘One of the most superbly beautiful of trees ... worth crossing the globe to see’.
For more on thawka-gyi or 'Pride of Burma', see the latest issue of Plant Perspectives. Open access:
www.whp-journals.co.uk/PP/article/v...
For more on thawka-gyi or 'Pride of Burma', see the latest issue of Plant Perspectives. Open access:
www.whp-journals.co.uk/PP/article/v...
What is the most beautiful flowering tree in the world? Find out in my essay for Plant Perspectives, ed. by the wonderful Caroline Cornish and Christina Hourigan.
Also features a brilliant essay on ackee by Heather Craddock,
@planthums-uk.bsky.social @treeseeker.bsky.social @hcraddock.bsky.social
Also features a brilliant essay on ackee by Heather Craddock,
@planthums-uk.bsky.social @treeseeker.bsky.social @hcraddock.bsky.social
August 26, 2025 at 3:31 PM
What is the most beautiful flowering tree in the world? Find out in my essay for Plant Perspectives, ed. by the wonderful Caroline Cornish and Christina Hourigan.
Also features a brilliant essay on ackee by Heather Craddock,
@planthums-uk.bsky.social @treeseeker.bsky.social @hcraddock.bsky.social
Also features a brilliant essay on ackee by Heather Craddock,
@planthums-uk.bsky.social @treeseeker.bsky.social @hcraddock.bsky.social
For a welcome change, here’s a good news environmental story: www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Joy and relief as lotus flowers bloom again in Kashmiri lake after three decades
Wular Lake once supported 5,000 people who harvested the plant’s edible roots, until the lake silted up after floods. Now the lotuses are back
www.theguardian.com
August 5, 2025 at 7:21 AM
For a welcome change, here’s a good news environmental story: www.theguardian.com/environment/...