Glass flower exhibit at the Harvard Museum of Natural History

Still summer, still hot… don’t know about all of you but I’m starting to run out of ideas that revolve around either water or AC. Fear not- here is another Rouvalis approved, flower inspired summer outing!

The Museum of Natural History at Harvard is a wonderful little museum for any nature lover, and a great way to soak up some nature while staying out of the blazing sun.

As far as I’m concerned, all of the exhibits are highly worth spending some time walking through. There are mounted mammals of all kinds, bones, bugs, geodes, blown glass sea creatures, and last but so very not least, the blown glass flowers.

They are spectacular. While walking through looking into the cases, you have to continually remind yourself that they are in fact made of glass, they are so lifelike. The collection of over 4000 models was made by a Czech father and son team of glass artists, Leopold and Rudolph Blaschka. The pair started working together on commissioned work in 1880. They began with a collection of sea creatures for the Boston Society of Natural History. The pieces were so detailed, they got the attention of a Harvard professor who then approached them and the rest is beautiful history.

If flowers weren’t cool enough, Aug 31st, the Fruit in Decay exhibit opens. Glass fruit in various stages of decay, covered in fungus and disease. All the fun of rotting fruit without the stink or fruit flies, am-I-right?! I’m into it.