A 28-foot tall mural that stretches to a total of 125 feet in length is painted on the side of a building and along a fence in New Braunfels pays tribute to Ferdinand Jacob Lindheimer (1801-1879). Lindheimer was a German citizen who came to Texas as a political refugee in 1834 and eventually settled in New Braunfels, a predominantly German community just north of San Antonio. He is shown above on the right side of the mural holding the yellow Texas star (lindheimera texana). He is credited with the discovery of several hundred plant species, among them a milkweed (the only plant that hosts the Monarch butterfly), a loco weed, a mimosa, a prickly pear, and a rock daisy. His name is used to designate 48 species and subspecies of plants. No wonder he is known as the "Father of Texas Botany."
The mural also shows Lindheimer as a newspaperman, having been first an editor and then later the publisher of a German-language newspaper, and his modest home, which today, along with its small garden consisting of many of the plants he discovered and categorized, are open to the public.
11 comments:
really beautiful. our city has started having murals painted on big ugly buildings down town. i need to go get a few shots of them
That mural is very beautiful. There is a lot to see when you look at it.
sounds like he certainly left his mark.
A nice tribute to what must have been a busy man.
Very pretty! I bet my son-in-law has seen it. He does a lot of electrical work there and even the Christmas tree on the square or where ever it is.
I like how detailed it is. A really wonderful mural. Have a great weekend Kathy!
Mersad
Mersad Donko Photography
That's a nice mural.
Murals with historical significance are the best kind! (PS. I will be posting and commenting sporadically for awhile; I need to take care of some medical issue, which leaves me little time to blog).
Great work, very well done!
Ah, now I will be looking for Lindheimer (or close to it) in botanical names! I like the details in tis mural.
Love this mural, and loved learning about Lindheimer! Such great info on an important man! I am like you, I get choked up by history sometimes. It is one of the things I am extremely passionate about, and I hate it when people go through their lives with a "I could care less what happened twenty years ago!" attitude. Especially when our way of life is so connected to our history...we owe it to those who explored, fought and created before us to honor their sacrifices and achievements! We have been watching Turn, another mini-series, about the spies for Washington in the American Revolution, and there have been some things in that series that have upset and disappointed me. Just like Texas Rising. I guess since it's the only way we can immerse ourselves for a little while in another time (in our imaginations) I feel like it's important to see these things, even with their inconsistencies. It brings up questions and sparks interest, if nothing else. For me, it makes me want to read and learn more...more of the REAL information. I was glad you mentioned about the non-green scenery in the series! :-) Your area is so lush and green, and Texas is so big, there's a lot of different topography. People who have never been there don't realize that. Well, I hope you have a great week!
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