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 |
Callirhoe involucrata | Winecup Purple Poppy Mallow | |
Calochortus invenustus | Plain Mariposa Lily | |
Callirhoe involucrata var. lineariloba | White Poppymallow Winecup Poppy Mallow White Winecup Purple Poppy Mallow | |
Callirhoe involucrata var. lineariloba | White Poppymallow Winecup Poppy Mallow White Winecup Purple Poppy Mallow | |
Callirhoe involucrata var. lineariloba | White Poppymallow Winecup Poppy Mallow White Winecup Purple Poppy Mallow | |
Callirhoe involucrata var. lineariloba | White Poppymallow Winecup Poppy Mallow White Winecup Purple Poppy Mallow | |
Calochortus kennedyi | Desert Mariposa Lily Desert Mariposa Red Mariposa-lily Flame Mariposa | |
Calochortus kennedyi | Desert Mariposa Lily Desert Mariposa Red Mariposa-lily Flame Mariposa | |
Calochortus kennedyi | Desert Mariposa Lily Desert Mariposa Red Mariposa-lily Flame Mariposa | |
Castilleja lanata | Sierra Woolly Indian Paintbrush Woolly Paintbrush | |
Castilleja lanata | Sierra Woolly Indian Paintbrush Woolly Paintbrush | |
Castilleja lanata | Sierra Woolly Indian Paintbrush Woolly Paintbrush | |
Calylophus lavandulifolius | Lavenderleaf Sundrops Lavendar-leaf Sundrops Lavender-leaf Primrose | |
Calylophus lavandulifolius | Lavenderleaf Sundrops Lavendar-leaf Sundrops Lavender-leaf Primrose | |
Callirhoe leiocarpa | Tall Poppymallow Annual Winecup Tall Poppy-mallow Tall Poppy Mallow | |
Callirhoe leiocarpa | Tall Poppymallow Annual Winecup Tall Poppy-mallow Tall Poppy Mallow | |
Calochortus leichtlinii | Smoky Mariposa | |
Calochortus leichtlinii | Smoky Mariposa | |
Calochortus leichtlinii | Smoky Mariposa | |
Calochortus leichtlinii | Smoky Mariposa | |
Caltha leptosepala | White Marsh-marigold Elks-lip | |
Caltha leptosepala | White Marsh-marigold Elks-lip | |
Caltha leptosepala | White Marsh-marigold Elks-lip | |
Caltha leptosepala ssp. howellii | Howell's Marsh Marigold | |
Caltha leptosepala ssp. howellii | Howell's Marsh Marigold | |
Castilleja linariifolia | Wyoming Indian Paintbrush Wyoming Indian-paintbrush | |
Castilleja linariifolia | Wyoming Indian Paintbrush Wyoming Indian-paintbrush | |
Castilleja linariifolia | Wyoming Indian Paintbrush Wyoming Indian-paintbrush | |
Calochortus luteus | Yellow Mariposa Lily | |
Calochortus luteus | Yellow Mariposa Lily | |
Calochortus luteus | Yellow Mariposa Lily | |
Calochortus luteus | Yellow Mariposa Lily | |
Calochortus macrocarpus | Sagebrush Mariposa Lily Sagebrush Mariposa-lily Bigpod Mariposa | |
Calochortus macrocarpus | Sagebrush Mariposa Lily Sagebrush Mariposa-lily Bigpod Mariposa | |
Calochortus macrocarpus | Sagebrush Mariposa Lily Sagebrush Mariposa-lily Bigpod Mariposa | |
Calochortus macrocarpus | Sagebrush Mariposa Lily Sagebrush Mariposa-lily Bigpod Mariposa | |
Castilleja miniata | Giant Red Indian Paintbrush Meadow Paintbrush | |
Castilleja miniata | Giant Red Indian Paintbrush Meadow Paintbrush | |
Camissonia micrantha | Miniature Suncup | |
Camissonia micrantha | Miniature Suncup | |
Camissonia micrantha | Miniature Suncup | |
Castilleja miniata ssp. miniata | Giant Red Indian Paintbrush Indian-paintbrush | |
Castilleja miniata ssp. miniata | Giant Red Indian Paintbrush Indian-paintbrush | |
Castilleja miniata ssp. miniata | Giant Red Indian Paintbrush Indian-paintbrush | |
Calochortus monophyllus | Yellow Star-tulip Yellow-star Mariposa-lily Yellow Pussy Ears Yellow Star Tulip | |
Calochortus monophyllus | Yellow Star-tulip Yellow-star Mariposa-lily Yellow Pussy Ears Yellow Star Tulip | |
Calopogon multiflorus | Manyflower Grasspink | |
Camissonia munzii | Death Valley Suncup | |
Calycadenia multiglandulosa | Sticky Western Rosinweed | |
Cacaliopsis nardosmia | Silvercrown | |
scientific name | common name(s) | image gallery |