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 |
Calochortus pulchellus | Mount Diablo Fairy-lantern | |
Calochortus pulchellus | Mount Diablo Fairy-lantern | |
Castilleja purpurea var. citrina | Lemon Paintbrush Yellow Paintbrush Yellow Prairie Paintbrush Citron Paintbrush Prairie Paintbrush Prairie Indian Paintbrush | |
Castilleja purpurea var. citrina | Lemon Paintbrush Yellow Paintbrush Yellow Prairie Paintbrush Citron Paintbrush Prairie Paintbrush Prairie Indian Paintbrush | |
Castilleja purpurea var. citrina | Lemon Paintbrush Yellow Paintbrush Yellow Prairie Paintbrush Citron Paintbrush Prairie Paintbrush Prairie Indian Paintbrush | |
Castilleja purpurea var. citrina | Lemon Paintbrush Yellow Paintbrush Yellow Prairie Paintbrush Citron Paintbrush Prairie Paintbrush Prairie Indian Paintbrush | |
Castilleja purpurea var. citrina | Lemon Paintbrush Yellow Paintbrush Yellow Prairie Paintbrush Citron Paintbrush Prairie Paintbrush Prairie Indian Paintbrush | |
Castilleja purpurea var. lindheimeri | Lindheimer's Paintbrush Lindheimer's Prairie Paintbrush Lindheimer's Indian Paintbrush Prairie Paintbrush | |
Castilleja purpurea var. lindheimeri | Lindheimer's Paintbrush Lindheimer's Prairie Paintbrush Lindheimer's Indian Paintbrush Prairie Paintbrush | |
Castilleja purpurea var. purpurea | Purple Paintbrush Purple Prairie Painbrush Prairie Paintbrush Downy Indian Paintbrush | |
Camassia quamash | Small Camas Common Camass Swamp Sego | |
Camassia quamash | Small Camas Common Camass Swamp Sego | |
Camassia quamash | Small Camas Common Camass Swamp Sego | |
Campsis radicans | Trumpet Creeper Trumpet Vine Common Trumpet Creeper Cow Vine Foxglove Vine Hellvine Devil's Shoestring | |
Camissonia refracta | Narrowleaf Suncup | |
Campanula reverchonii | Basin Bellflower Texas Bluebell | |
Campanula reverchonii | Basin Bellflower Texas Bluebell | |
Castilleja rhexiifolia | Splitleaf Indian Paintbrush Rosy Indian Paintbrush | |
Castilleja rhexiifolia | Splitleaf Indian Paintbrush Rosy Indian Paintbrush | |
Castilleja rhexiifolia | Splitleaf Indian Paintbrush Rosy Indian Paintbrush | |
Castilleja rhexiifolia | Splitleaf Indian Paintbrush Rosy Indian Paintbrush | |
Castilleja rigida | Rigid Indian Paintbrush | |
Callisia rosea | Piedmont Roseling Spiderwort | |
Campanula rotundifolia | Bluebell Bellflower Bluebell Of Scotland Bluebell Harebell Witches' Thimble | |
Campanula rotundifolia | Bluebell Bellflower Bluebell Of Scotland Bluebell Harebell Witches' Thimble | |
Callirhoe scabriuscula | Texas Poppymallow Texas Poppy Mallow | |
Callirhoe scabriuscula | Texas Poppymallow Texas Poppy Mallow | |
Callirhoe scabriuscula | Texas Poppymallow Texas Poppy Mallow | |
Callirhoe scabriuscula | Texas Poppymallow Texas Poppy Mallow | |
Callirhoe scabriuscula | Texas Poppymallow Texas Poppy Mallow | |
Callirhoe scabriuscula | Texas Poppymallow Texas Poppy Mallow | |
Callirhoe scabriuscula | Texas Poppymallow Texas Poppy Mallow | |
Campanula scouleri | Pale Bellflower Bellflower Harebell | |
Campanula scouleri | Pale Bellflower Bellflower Harebell | |
Castilleja scabrida var. barnebyana | Barneby's Indian Paintbrush | |
Castilleja scabrida var. scabrida | Zion Indian Paintbrush | |
Calylophus serrulatus | Yellow Sundrops Yellow Evening Primrose Plains Evening Primrose | |
Calylophus serrulatus | Yellow Sundrops Yellow Evening Primrose Plains Evening Primrose | |
Calystegia sepium | Hedge False Bindweed Hedge Bindweed | |
Calystegia sepium | Hedge False Bindweed Hedge Bindweed | |
Castilleja septentrionalis | Labrador Indian Paintbrush Pale Painted Cup | |
Castilleja septentrionalis | Labrador Indian Paintbrush Pale Painted Cup | |
Castilleja sessiliflora | Downy Painted Cup Downy Paintbrush Great Plains Paintbrush Great Plains Indian-paintbrush | |
Castilleja sessiliflora | Downy Painted Cup Downy Paintbrush Great Plains Paintbrush Great Plains Indian-paintbrush | |
Castilleja sessiliflora | Downy Painted Cup Downy Paintbrush Great Plains Paintbrush Great Plains Indian-paintbrush | |
Castilleja sessiliflora | Downy Painted Cup Downy Paintbrush Great Plains Paintbrush Great Plains Indian-paintbrush | |
Castilleja sessiliflora | Downy Painted Cup Downy Paintbrush Great Plains Paintbrush Great Plains Indian-paintbrush | |
Castilleja sessiliflora | Downy Painted Cup Downy Paintbrush Great Plains Paintbrush Great Plains Indian-paintbrush | |
Calystegia soldanella | Seashore False Bindweed Beach Morning Glory | |
Calystegia soldanella | Seashore False Bindweed Beach Morning Glory | |
scientific name | common name(s) | image gallery |