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 |
Abronia ameliae | Amelia's Sand-verbena Heart's Delight | |
Abronia ameliae | Amelia's Sand-verbena Heart's Delight | |
Abronia ameliae | Amelia's Sand-verbena Heart's Delight | |
Abronia ameliae | Amelia's Sand-verbena Heart's Delight | |
Abronia fragrans | Fragrant Sand-verbena Snowball Sand Verbena Sweet Sand-verbena Prairie Snowball Sand Verbena Heart's Delight | |
Abronia fragrans | Fragrant Sand-verbena Snowball Sand Verbena Sweet Sand-verbena Prairie Snowball Sand Verbena Heart's Delight | |
Abutilon incanum | Pelotazo Indian Mallow Shrubby Indian Mallow | |
Abutilon incanum | Pelotazo Indian Mallow Shrubby Indian Mallow | |
Abronia latifolia | Coastal Sand Verbena Yellow Sand Verbena | |
Abronia latifolia | Coastal Sand Verbena Yellow Sand Verbena | |
Abronia latifolia | Coastal Sand Verbena Yellow Sand Verbena | |
Abronia maritima | Red Sand Verbena | |
Abronia maritima | Red Sand Verbena | |
Abronia maritima | Red Sand Verbena | |
Abronia mellifera | White Sand Verbena | |
Abronia mellifera | White Sand Verbena | |
Abronia pogonantha | Mojave Sand Verbena | |
Abronia pogonantha | Mojave Sand Verbena | |
Abronia pogonantha | Mojave Sand Verbena | |
Abronia villosa | Desert Sand Verbena Desert Sand-verbena Desert Sandverbena | |
Abronia villosa | Desert Sand Verbena Desert Sand-verbena Desert Sandverbena | |
Aconitum columbianum | Columbian Monkshood | |
Aconitum columbianum | Columbian Monkshood | |
Aconitum columbianum | Columbian Monkshood | |
Aconitum columbianum | Columbian Monkshood | |
Acleisanthes longiflora | Angel's Trumpets Angel Trumpets | |
Acleisanthes longiflora | Angel's Trumpets Angel Trumpets | |
Achillea millefolium | Common Yarrow Western Yarrow Yarrow Milfoil | |
Achillea millefolium var. occidentalis | Western Yarrow Woolly Yarrow White Yarrow | |
Achillea millefolium var. occidentalis | Western Yarrow Woolly Yarrow White Yarrow | |
Achillea millefolium var. occidentalis | Western Yarrow Woolly Yarrow White Yarrow | |
Achyrachaena mollis | Blow Wives | |
Achyrachaena mollis | Blow Wives | |
Actaea pachypoda | White Baneberry Dolls Eyes | |
Actaea pachypoda | White Baneberry Dolls Eyes | |
Acalypha phleoides | Shrubby Copperleaf Three-seeded Mercury | |
Actaea racemosa var. racemosa | Black Cohosh Black Bugbane Bugbane Black Snakeroot Fairy Candles | |
Actaea racemosa var. racemosa | Black Cohosh Black Bugbane Bugbane Black Snakeroot Fairy Candles | |
Acourtia runcinata | Featherleaf Desertpeony Peonia | |
Acourtia runcinata | Featherleaf Desertpeony Peonia | |
Acourtia runcinata | Featherleaf Desertpeony Peonia | |
Acamptopappus shockleyi | Shockley's Goldenhead | |
Acourtia thurberi | Thurber's Desertpeony | |
Achlys triphylla | Sweet After Death Sweet-after-death Vanilla Leaf | |
Acourtia wrightii | Brownfoot Pink Perezia | |
Aesculus glabra var. arguta | Ohio Buckeye White Buckeye Texas Buckeye | |
Aesculus glabra var. arguta | Ohio Buckeye White Buckeye Texas Buckeye | |
Aesculus glabra var. arguta | Ohio Buckeye White Buckeye Texas Buckeye | |
Aesculus glabra var. arguta | Ohio Buckeye White Buckeye Texas Buckeye | |
Aesculus glabra var. arguta | Ohio Buckeye White Buckeye Texas Buckeye | |
scientific name | common name(s) | image gallery |