If you love spending time in the great outdoors and have a soft spot for wildflowers, you'll adore the life story of Mary Vaux Walcott. Born in 1860, this creative soul made her mark as a talented botanical illustrator. She devoted decades of her life to documenting the beautiful wildflowers she encountered during her travels all over the world.
Mary and her husband Charles, (a paleontologist and administrator with the Smithsonian Institution), met in the mountains where they shared a love for the natural world and spent their years exploring rugged expanses and studying the many unique plants they encountered.

Over her lifetime, Mary painted several hundred wildflower studies, documenting rare and beautiful specimens. These paintings were made into a collection of five book volumes, called, "North American Wildflowers" which was published by the Smithsonian in 1925. Through these books, Mary's work not only raised money for the Smithsonian's endowment but allowed countless readers the opportunity to see these stunning plants for the very first time. It is this same passion that gained her access and membership to several scientific societies and awards recognizing her work and accomplishments.

Whether she was on the side of a mountain, or championing a philanthropic cause, Mary Vaux Walcott was a trailblazer chasing her own path and sharing her passion with the world.