Just a stone’s throw from UW-Madison’s seat of power on top of Bascom Hill is a place that melds old scientific methods with modern research that you likely have not heard of – The Wisconsin State Herbarium.
The herbarium in Birge Hall is a collection of 1.1 million dusty, dried plant specimens, taped or glued inside manila folders and tucked inside row upon row of huge, vertical metal file cabinets protected with insect traps. Boxes of overflowing specimens sit in the hallways.