Texas botanists will collaborate with other U.S. institutions and international personnel to conduct research in threatened forests of Southeast Asia. FORT WORTH, Texas (August 28, 2018) – Researchers at the Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT®) have received a $1.3 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to conduct a project titled “Plant Discovery in the Southern Philippines.” Dr. Peter Fritsch, BRIT’s Vice President of Research, will head the team as Principal Investigator with co-Principal Investigators Dr. Taylor Quedensley (BRIT), Dr. Darin Penneys (University of North Carolina at Wilmington), and Dr. Daniel Nickrent (Southern Illinois University Carbondale). The project begins this month and field expeditions will begin in the spring of 2019. The Philippines...

FORT WORTH, Texas (January 19, 2021) — The Fort Worth Botanic Garden | Botanical Research Institute of Texas (FWBG|BRIT) recently received two National Science Foundation (NSF) grants totaling $1.9 million to support botanists and their research teams in plant diversity studies at home and abroad. A team led by Research Botanist Alejandra Vasco will receive $1.1 million to study the diversity of ferns in Colombia. A second team, led by Vice President of Research and Director of the Herbarium Peter Fritsch, will receive about $780,000 over three years to study North American blueberries. “These grants are an endorsement by the NSF of the excellent reputations of our scientists and the quality of their research,” said President and Executive Director Ed Schneider. “Both of these projects see...

FORT WORTH, Texas (January 12, 2020) — The Fort Worth Botanic Garden | Botanical Research Institute of Texas (FWBG | BRIT) working with the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge and Fort Worth Fire Department (FWFD) will host a prescribed burn of the BRIT Prairie at 2 p.m. Jan. 13. This is located at the corner of Trail Drive and University Drive. The event represents multiple organizations collaborating for numerous scientific, educational and community benefits. “This burn serves many purposes, but from our perspective, the most important is changing cultural mindsets toward acceptance of prescribed burning in Fort Worth parks, urban, urban areas, Dallas-Fort Worth and throughout the state,” said Daniel Price, natural resource manager with the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge. The Fort Wort...

The Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT®) and Fort Worth Botanic Garden invite visitors to celebrate the holiday season at this year’s “ Holiday in the Garden ” Dec. 12 from 10 a.m. to 5 pm. The festive event offered throughout the BRIT and Garden campus includes Holiday Sip and Shop, Holiday Tea, Santa in the Garden, Christmas Tree Farm, Opera in the Garden, and a Free Afternoon in the Garden (3 p.m. to 5 p.m.). With an abundant number of local artisans, food trucks, live music and more, this indoor-outdoor event promises to spark holiday spirit. “We encourage the Fort Worth Community to get into the holiday spirit this season, and what better place to do that than surrounded by a beautiful Garden campus?” said Vice President for Horticulture and Assistant Director Bob Byers. “As...

FORT WORTH, Texas (October 21, 2020) — The Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT ® ) and Fort Worth Botanic Garden invite visitors to celebrate fall in the Japanese Garden while exploring the arts and culture of Japan during the Nov. 7-8 Fall Japanese Festival . Hosted in cooperation with the Fort Worth Japanese Society , the festival includes cultural demonstrations, performances, unique shopping opportunities and fantastic foods. Special care and planning have gone into ensuring that the event meets all of the safety requirements of the Tarrant County Health Department. “We want everyone to enjoy this annual fall tradition, but we want to do it in a way that is safe for everyone involved,” said Vice President for Horticulture and Assistant Director Bob Byers. The main attraction wi...

FORT WORTH, Texas (October 8, 2020) — The Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT®) and Fort Worth Botanic Garden invites visitors to the newest exhibit “Topiaries in the Garden,” running Oct. 16, 2020 through Jun. 30, 2021. Featuring 12 plant-based animal shapes, such as elephants, giraffes, and butterflies, the displays are sure to stimulate a sense of wonderment and fascination. “Seeing the animal topiaries throughout the Garden gives visitors yet another reason to get outside and enjoy this beautiful fall weather,” said Vice President for Horticulture and Assistant Director Bob Byers. Topiary is a horticultural practice that trains plants to grow and develop into distinctive shapes. In this case, animal-shaped frames are stuffed with sphagnum peat moss, bound in fishing line, and t...

FORT WORTH, Texas (October 1, 2020) — Today the Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT®) assumes nonprofit management of the Fort Worth Botanic Garden ushering in a new era for the 86-year old community favorite on its way toward becoming a world-class Garden. The Fort Worth City Council approved the 20-year management agreement with BRIT on May 19 after extensive review, assessment and public involvement, including a community task force that determined transformational change was needed for the Garden’s long-term sustainability. “Today we honor those who helped establish one of the largest botanic gardens in Texas, as well as those who had the vision to establish one of the leading botanical research and educational institutions on the very same campus,” said BRIT President Ed Schne...

Help Bella Change the World, One Seed at a Time Dear Friends, While 2020 has been full of unexpected challenges, the unfortunate reality is that the threat to endangered plants and ecosystems still exists and they still need our protection. BRIT offers a solution – one seed at a time. [Click on image above to find out more.] Help us plant the seeds of hope through outstanding outdoor education programs, world-renowned research, and valuable art and book collections. Early giving opens today for the Sept. 17 North Texas Giving Day campaign, one of the largest community giving events in the nation. We hope we can count on your support. Your gift also strengthens our partnership with the Fort Worth Botanic Garden so we can continue to reward our greatest champions (you!) with complimentary pe...