Botanical Journeys

For tonight’s post highlighting a woman’s journeys, I bring you Ynés Mexía. Born in Washington D.C. in 1870, she discovered her passion for botany late in life after being widowed and divorced. She came to northern California for medical treatment and ended up on excursions into the mountains with the Sierra Club, and became interested in the region’s ecology. After attending the University of California at Berkeley, she went on expeditions to collect specimens of flora. She travelled alone and with others all over the Americas for the next 13 years, going as far as northern Alaska and the Tierra del Fuego.

In her travels, Mexía often surprised people who weren’t used to seeing a woman do things back then like travel alone, wear pants, ride horseback, and sleep outside. She rejected stereotypes and fears in order to do what she set out to do, even when other explorers told her it wasn’t safe for her because she was a woman.

She travelled to México and South America again in her sixties before learning she had lung cancer. By then, she had discovered over 500 new species, with some being named after her. You can read more about her fascinating life (there are a lot of great stories in there!) online.

Ynés Mexía inspires me by showing that it’s never too late in life to make a difference in the world and to follow your calling. And by challenging the society of her time by doing what people said she couldn’t do. She did it.

Thinking about this and my previous post, what is something that you have always wanted to do, but haven’t done because of fear, society expectations, or anything else? What is holding you back (besides money, of course!)? What dreams have you done by overcoming obstacles? Please share in the comments if you’re willing.

Sources: Wikipedia article about Ynés Mexía, and a card about her in the Women Explorers Knowledge Cards, copyright Sharon M. Hannon, published by Pomegranate Communications, Inc.