Libby Houston facts for kids

Libby Houston (born 1941) is an English poet and botanist. She was born in North London, England. Libby has written several books of poetry. She is also a researcher at the University of Bristol.

Libby Houston has found new types of whitebeam trees, which are a kind of Sorbus tree. One of these new trees is even named after her! She is part of groups that study plants, and she helps with the Avon Gorge & Downs Wildlife Project. In 2012, she received the H. H. Bloomer medal. This award recognized her important work in studying plants, especially whitebeams in Britain and the plants of Avon Gorge in Bristol, England. In 2018, she won the Marsh Botany Award for her amazing work in botany over many years.

Early Life and Poetry

Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford

Libby Houston was born Elizabeth Maynard Houston in North London, England. She grew up in the West Country. She studied at Lady Margaret Hall at the University of Oxford. In 1966, she married Malcolm Dean, who was an artist and musician.

Libby published her first book of poems, A Stained Glass Raree Show, in 1967. She wrote several more poetry books after that. Since the early 1970s, she has also appeared on BBC radio shows for children.

After her first husband passed away in 1974, she married Roderick Jewell in 1979 and moved to Bristol. Libby later earned a certificate in Science Biology from the University of Bristol.

Plant Discoveries at Bristol University

In 2012, Libby Houston worked as a researcher at the University of Bristol. She helped Lewis Frost study the plants in the Avon Gorge in Bristol. Libby is good at rock-climbing, which was very helpful! She could reach plants on cliffs that others couldn't, like spiked speedwell (Veronica spicata) and Bristol rockcress (Arabis scabra).

Later, she worked with other scientists to study the whitebeam trees in the Avon Gorge.

Houston's Whitebeam (Sorbus x houstoniae), a hybrid of Common Whitebeam (Sorbus aria) (above) and Bristol Whitebeam (Sorbus bristoliensis)

In 2005, Libby found a new type of whitebeam tree on a cliff in the Avon Gorge. This new tree was named Houston's Whitebeam (Sorbus x houstoniae). It is a mix, or "hybrid," of the Common Whitebeam (Sorbus aria) and the Bristol Whitebeam (Sorbus bristoliensis). The only known tree of this kind can only be reached by using ropes!

Houston's Whitebeam was one of 14 new whitebeam trees officially named in a science journal in 2009. Five of these new trees were found in Bristol. Libby also explored the Wye Valley, where she discovered three more new whitebeam trees.

Libby is a member of several plant study groups, like the Bristol Naturalists' Society. She also helps with the Avon Gorge & Downs Wildlife Project. This project works to protect the Bristol side of the Avon Gorge and its natural areas.

Awards and Recognition

In 2012, Libby Houston received the H. H. Bloomer Award from the Linnean Society of London. This award was given for her important work in natural history, especially for studying the plants of the Avon Gorge and British whitebeam trees. This silver medal is given to a "naturalist" (someone who studies nature) who has made a big difference in understanding biology.

In 2018, she was given the Marsh Botany Award. This award recognized her amazing work in learning about the plants of the Avon Gorge, especially the Sorbus (whitebeam) trees.