Native Plants
Bransford, W.D. and Dolphia
Bill (W.D.) (1913-1996) and Dolphia Bransford (1915-2015) moved from San Angelo to Kingsland, Texas in 1950. There they established the first fish camp in the area. A carpenter, Bill built small cabins and a larger building which served as a general store.Bill was interested in photography so he and Dolphia would set out in their camper taking pictures of wildflowers and scenery along the way. After plants were photographed, Dolphia researched them and recorded their botanical name, family and common name on each slide. The Bransfords would travel for two or three months at a time and eventually visited nearly every corner of the United States and Canada. They spent 40 years pursuing their favorite pastime and stopped only when Bill’s vision diminished.
At the beginning, Bill photographed plants mostly from a distance, often too far to see enough detail necessary to identify his subjects. Dolphia encouraged him to get close-ups of the plants so that they could be identified and so that their full beauty could be appreciated. Many times he would lie flat on the ground to get the perfect shot. His extra effort shows in the quality of his photographs.
Bill enjoyed presenting prints of his photographs in collections, displaying images of entire genera or families in a single frame. In one case, it took six years of effort to get the photograph of a single species necessary to complete one of these framed collections.
Wishing to find a suitable, permanent home for their work, Mr. and Mrs. Bransford began donating their slide collection to the National Wildflower Research Center in 1987 and were privileged to enjoy Mrs. Johnson’s company on several occasions. Over the years, countless thousands of visitors to this website have enjoyed the work and study of this devoted couple.
Today, the nearly 4500 native plant slides contributed to the Wildflower Center by Bill and Dolphia Bransford remain one of the largest image collections in the NPIN Image Gallery.
The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is committed to developing the premier resource for native plant images in North America through continued growth of the Plant Image Gallery. You can help us achieve our mission ...to increase the sustainable use and conservation of native wildflowers, plants, and landscapes... by becoming a contributor.
scientific name | common name(s) | image gallery |
Polemonium brandegeei | Brandegee's Jacob's-ladder | |
Polemonium brandegeei | Brandegee's Jacob's-ladder | |
Potentilla canadensis | Dwarf Cinquefoil | |
Polygala californica | California Milkwort | |
Pontederia cordata | Pickerelweed Pickerel Rush | |
Pontederia cordata | Pickerelweed Pickerel Rush | |
Pontederia cordata | Pickerelweed Pickerel Rush | |
Polygala cornuta | Sierra Milkwort | |
Polygala curtissii | Curtiss' Milkwort | |
Polanisia dodecandra | Redwhisker Clammyweed Clammyweed | |
Polanisia dodecandra | Redwhisker Clammyweed Clammyweed | |
Polanisia dodecandra | Redwhisker Clammyweed Clammyweed | |
Polanisia dodecandra | Redwhisker Clammyweed Clammyweed | |
Polemonium foliosissimum | Towering Jacob's-ladder Leafy Polemonium | |
Polemonium foliosissimum | Towering Jacob's-ladder Leafy Polemonium | |
Polemonium foliosissimum | Towering Jacob's-ladder Leafy Polemonium | |
Potentilla glandulosa | Sticky Cinquefoil | |
Polygala grandiflora | Showy Milkwort | |
Potentilla gracilis | Slender Cinquefoil | |
Potentilla gracilis | Slender Cinquefoil | |
Polygala lutea | Orange Milkwort Candy Weed | |
Polygala lutea | Orange Milkwort Candy Weed | |
Polygala nana | Candyroot Bachelor's Buttons Bachelor's Button | |
Polygala nana | Candyroot Bachelor's Buttons Bachelor's Button | |
Polygala nana | Candyroot Bachelor's Buttons Bachelor's Button | |
Potentilla nivea | Snow Cinquefoil Snowy Cinquefoil Villous Cinquefoil | |
Potentilla nivea var. pentaphylla | Fiveleaf Cinquefoil | |
Potentilla norvegica | Norwegian Cinquefoil | |
Potentilla norvegica | Norwegian Cinquefoil | |
Potentilla norvegica | Norwegian Cinquefoil | |
Polemonium occidentale | Western Polemonium Western Jacob's Ladder | |
Polemonium occidentale | Western Polemonium Western Jacob's Ladder | |
Polemonium occidentale | Western Polemonium Western Jacob's Ladder | |
Pogonia ophioglossoides | Rose Pogonia Snake-mouth Orchid Beard Flower | |
Pogonia ophioglossoides | Rose Pogonia Snake-mouth Orchid Beard Flower | |
Polygala paucifolia | Gaywings Fringed Polygala Flowering Wintergreen | |
Polygala paucifolia | Gaywings Fringed Polygala Flowering Wintergreen | |
Polygala paucifolia | Gaywings Fringed Polygala Flowering Wintergreen | |
Polygala paucifolia | Gaywings Fringed Polygala Flowering Wintergreen | |
Podophyllum peltatum | Mayapple Indian Apple Wild Mandrake Pomme De Mai Podophylle Pelt | |
Potentilla plattensis | Platte River Cinquefoil | |
Polygala polygama | Racemed Milkwort Pink Milkwort | |
Polemonium pulcherrimum | Jacob's-ladder Skunk Leaf | |
Polemonium pulcherrimum ssp. delicatum | Jacob's-ladder | |
Polemonium reptans | Greek Valerian Jacob's Ladder | |
Polygala rugelii | Yellow Milkwort | |
Polygala subspinosa | Spiny Milkwort | |
Polygala subspinosa | Spiny Milkwort | |
Polygala subspinosa | Spiny Milkwort | |
Polytaenia texana | Texas Prairie Parsley Texas-parsley Texas Parsley | |
Polanisia uniglandulosa | Mexican Clammyweed Clammyweed | |
Polanisia uniglandulosa | Mexican Clammyweed Clammyweed | |
Polemonium viscosum | Sticky Polemonium Sky Pilot Sticky Jacob's-ladder | |
Polemonium viscosum | Sticky Polemonium Sky Pilot Sticky Jacob's-ladder | |
Polemonium viscosum | Sticky Polemonium Sky Pilot Sticky Jacob's-ladder | |
Polemonium viscosum | Sticky Polemonium Sky Pilot Sticky Jacob's-ladder | |
Polemonium viscosum | Sticky Polemonium Sky Pilot Sticky Jacob's-ladder | |
Polygonum viviparum | Alpine Bistort | |
Prenanthes alba | White Rattlesnakeroot White Rattlesnake-root White Lettuce | |
Prenanthes altissima | Tall Rattlesnakeroot Tall White Lettuce | |
Primula angustifolia | Alpine Primrose Fairy Primrose | |
Primula cusickiana | Cusick's Primrose | |
Primula cusickiana | Cusick's Primrose | |
Primula cusickiana | Cusick's Primrose | |
Prosopis glandulosa | Honey Mesquite Glandular Mesquite Algarroba | |
Prosopis glandulosa var. glandulosa | Honey Mesquite | |
Prosopis glandulosa var. glandulosa | Honey Mesquite | |
Prosopis glandulosa var. glandulosa | Honey Mesquite | |
Prosartes hookeri var. hookeri | Drops-of-gold Hooker's Fairybells | |
Prosartes hookeri var. oregana | Oregon Drops Of Gold | |
Proboscidea louisianica | Louisiana Devil's-claw Devil's claw Ram's-horn Unicorn Plant Proboscis Flower | |
Proboscidea louisianica ssp. fragrans | Sweet Unicorn Plant Ram's-horn Devil's Claw | |
Prosartes maculata | Nodding Mandarin Spotted Mandarin | |
Primula mistassinica | Mistassini Primrose | |
Prenanthes nana | Dwarf Rattlesnakeroot | |
Prenanthes nana | Dwarf Rattlesnakeroot | |
Primula parryi | Parry's Primrose | |
Primula parryi | Parry's Primrose | |
Prunus rivularis | River Plum Creek Plum Hog Plum | |
Prosartes smithii | Largeflower Fairybells Large-flower Fairybells Smith's Fairybells | |
Primula suffrutescens | Sierra Primrose | |
Prunus texana | Peachbush Sand Plum Peach Bush Texas Plum Texas Peach Bush | |
Prunus texana | Peachbush Sand Plum Peach Bush Texas Plum Texas Peach Bush | |
Prunella vulgaris | Common Selfheal | |
Prunella vulgaris | Common Selfheal | |
Prunella vulgaris | Common Selfheal | |
Pseudognaphalium californicum | Ladies' Tobacco | |
Psilostrophe cooperi | Whitestem Paperflower White-stem Paper-flower Yellow Paper Daisy | |
Psilostrophe cooperi | Whitestem Paperflower White-stem Paper-flower Yellow Paper Daisy | |
Psilostrophe cooperi | Whitestem Paperflower White-stem Paper-flower Yellow Paper Daisy | |
Psorothamnus fremontii var. fremontii | Fremont's Dalea Fremont Indigo Bush | |
Psorothamnus fremontii var. fremontii | Fremont's Dalea Fremont Indigo Bush | |
Psorothamnus fremontii var. fremontii | Fremont's Dalea Fremont Indigo Bush | |
Pseudocymopterus montanus | Alpine False Springparsley | |
Pseudocymopterus montanus | Alpine False Springparsley | |
Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium ssp. obtusifolium | Blunt-leaf Rabbit-tobacco Rabbit Tobacco Sweet Everlasting Fragrant Cudweed | |
Psathyrotes ramosissima | Velvet Turtleback Turtleback | |
Psilostrophe sparsiflora | Greenstem Paperflower Green-stem Paper-flower | |
Psilostrophe tagetina | Woolly Paperflower Paperflower | |
Psilostrophe tagetina | Woolly Paperflower Paperflower | |
scientific name | common name(s) | image gallery |