The Vermont Collections Network is an alliance of natural history collections working together to enhance access for research and education. We estimate our total number of specimens to be above 800,000, but the true number will remain unknown until we reach complete digitization, the chief long-term goal of our network. In the meantime, researchers are encouraged to contact individual institutions below, most of which have at the least an internal catalogue available.
"Dark" natural history collections — those not publicly searchable — are an untapped resource of irreplaceable data about a disappearing world of biodiversity. These plants and animals gave their lives for science. It is our responsibility to use them to help understand and conserve what remains.
Pringle Herbarium (UVM)
Burlington, VT
Collections
360,000 specimens from around the world, with a focus on Northeast U.S. and tropical America. Fully digitized and publicly accessible (see website).
Flowering plants (300,000), gymnosperms (2,000), ferns (29,000), lycophytes (4,000), bryophytes (20,000), lichens (6,000), fungi (3,000)
Contact
Weston Testo, Curator and Professor | 802-656-3221 | website
63 Carrigan Drive, Burlington, VT 05405
Zadock Thompson Zoological Collection (UVM)
Burlington, VT
Collections
Carl Parsons Insect Collection: 131,000 specimens, listed here by Order, including an extensive Carabidae (tiger beetle) collection from former curator Ross Bell. Coleoptera (68,500, including 21,000 Carabidae), Diptera (5,500), Hemiptera (19,000), Hymenoptera (25,500), Lepidoptera (4,500), Odonata (2,500), Orthoptera (4,000)
Mammal Collection: 6,000 skins, primarily New World rodents, with a comprehensive set of small mammals of New England
Bird Collection: roughly 1,000 specimens, plus a historic collection of >100 taxidermy mounts
Pember Egg Collection: 4,000 primarily North American bird eggs collected in the late 19th and early 20th centuries
Cold-blooded Collection (including fluid specimens):
Contact
Sara Helms Cahan, Interim Curator and Professor | website
342 South Prospect Street, Burlington, VT 05405
Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium
St. Johnsbury, VT
Collections
Mainly from Vermont and New England, but global specimens occur in almost every collection.
Insects: 200,000 (mostly from VT, but also Kenya, Ethiopia, Malaysia, Peru, and other places)
Birds: 3,000 mounted and study skins, 2,500 eggs, 200 nests
Other vertebrates (mammals, reptiles, fish, some specimens in ethanol): 700
Seashells: 6,000
Plants: 12,000-14,000 herbarium sheets
Other Records
Date-of-flowering phenological data from local flora, 1903-present (data currently being formatted for inclusion in online portals, including GBIF)
Contact
Beau Harris, Director of Collections | 802-748-2372 | website
1302 Main Street, St. Johnsbury, VT 05819
State Insect Collection
Randolph, VT
Collections
The Vermont State Insect Collection was destroyed in 2011 by Tropical Storm Irene. Collections below have been acquired since then. Orders are listed with number of Cornell drawers in parentheses.
General insect collections: Coleoptera (6 + Carabidae, 9 + Scolytinae, 5); Diptera (Tabanidae, 17 + Mosquitoes, 13); Hymenoptera (3); Lepidoptera (12); Odonata (1); Orthoptera (1); Phasmida (1); Miscellaneous orders (2); Exotic/invasive (1); Foreign insects (1)
Boring and bark beetle (Cerambycid and Scolytini) reference collection
Ants of Vermont (Formicidae) reference collection
Pesticide applicator training collection
Contact
Judy Rosovsky, State Entomologist | AGR.PlantHealth@vermont.gov
163 Admin Drive, Randolph Center, VT 05061
State Forest Biology Lab Insect Collection
Randolph, VT
Collections
10,000 insect specimens with 3,000 digitized. Orders are listed with number of Cornell drawers in parentheses.
Pinned collection: Coleoptera (31); Diptera (2); Hemiptera (2); Hymenoptera (10); Lepidoptera (45); Odonata (1); mixed drawers/displays (3)
Fluid collection: Coleoptera (6); misc. orders (1)
Contact
Savannah Ferreira, Forest Health Specialist | ANR.ForestBiologyLab@vermont.gov | GBIF
163 Admin Drive, Randolph Center, VT 05061
State Aquatic Biomonitoring Archive
Randolph, VT
Collections
Database is internal and not publicly accessible, but can be queried upon request by location, taxonomic group, year, sample ID, stream name, etc. for particular inquires.
Aquatic macroinvertebrates: tens of thousands (at least) of specimens from VT streams, 1970s-present (most identified to genus or species). Major orders include aquatic life stages of Plecoptera, Trichoptera, Ephemeroptera, Coleoptera, Diptera, Decapoda, Oligochaeta, Bivalia, Gastropoda, semi-aquatic Hemiptera, and others. Updated annually with samples from state biomonitoring.
Fishes collected in VT waters (identified to species)
Mussel shells collected throughout VT in 21st century
Contact
Michelle Graziosi, Environmental Scientist
163 Admin Drive, Randolph Center, VT 05061
Norwich University Herbarium
Northfield, VT
Collections
16,700 plant specimens (mostly from New England)
Contact
Morgan Moeglein, Professor
158 Harmon Drive, Northfield, VT05663
Middlebury College Natural History Collections
Middlebury, VT
Collections
Vertebrate Collection: >1,000 specimens of birds, mammals, fishes, amphibians and reptiles, mostly VT
• 300 birds collected mostly 1886-1890 in VT; a few boxes of eggs from 1800s
• mammal skins, skulls, bones and taxidermy mounts, 1940-1980 in VT, FL, NY, etc.
• teaching collections of herps & fishes in ethanol, 1990s in Addision County, VT
Duncan MacDonald Insect Collection: VT specimens from 1970s-present
Middlebury College Herbarium: >3,000 VT plant specimens from late 1800s on
Fossil Collection (Earth & Climate Science Dept): local representatives of Late Ordovician invertebrates
Contact
Alexis Mychajliw, Curator and Professor | website
276 Bicentennial Way, Middlebury, VT 05753
St. Michael's College
Colchester, VT
Collections
Lake Champlain benthic samples from Missisquoi Bay, Inland Sea & St. Alban's Bay
Diverse mammalian skulls supplemented by replicas
120+ coyote skulls
Several drawers of pinned insects
One cabinet of invertebrates in ethanol
Other tools
Site-specific macroinvertebrate field guides for smartphones
Digital Coyote: an online museum of calibrated coyote skull images to facilitate measurement by educators and students
Contact
Declan McCabe, Curator and Professor | website
426 College Parkway, Colchester, VT 05439
Herbarium of Bennington College
Bennington, VT
Collections
2 cabinets of vascular plant specimens (mostly from VT and New England)
2 loose boxes of fungi (mostly from VT and New England)
Contact
Caitlin McDonough MacKenzie, Professor
269 Campus Road, North Bennington, VT 05257
Pember Museum
Granville, NY (just over VT border)
Collections
Of the more than 6,000 specimens collected by Franklin Pember (1841-1924), 80% are on public display; 100% have been digitized and are searchable in an online catalogue available on the museum website. Number of records are included in parentheses below.
Birds (1,374); Eggs (885); Insects (1,622); Other invertebrates (273); Mammals (158); Herps (33); Plants (1,529); Rocks/Minerals (392)
Contact
Bernadette Hoffman, Educator and Curator | 518-642-1515 | website
33 West Main Street, Granville, NY 12832