Nature and environment — inspiring material for your digital stories

Digital cultural heritage can play an important role in raising environmental awareness. Take a look at this selection of cultural heritage collections from across the world:

1. Photographs of plants and flowers by Dr Henry Oakeley from Wellcome Collection on Europeana

Capsicum annuum ‘Masquerade’, Dr Henry Oakeley, Wellcome Collection, CC BY

2. The Great Barrier Reef: images from the Queensland State Archives

The Marine Wonders of the Great Barrier Coral Reef, Percival Albert Trompf, Queensland State Archives, public domain

3. Photographs of animals and insects from Berlin’s Botanical Garden and Museum on Europeana

Issoria lathonia (Linnaeus, 1858), Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum, CC BY-SA

4. Classic Illustrated Zoologies and Related Works, 1550–1900 from The New York Public Library

Leopard, John George, The New York Public Library, public domain

5. 3D models from Museo Nacional de Historia Natural Chile

Rana Chilena, Museo Nacional de Historia Natural Chile, CC0

6. Vintage school posters from Vänersborgs museum, Sörmlands museum and Göteborgs stadsmuseum on Europeana

Animals and plants in symbiosis, Vänersborgs museum, CC BY

7. Scientific Art and Observation collection from Museums Victoria

Dangerous Snakes of Victoria, Arthur Bartholomew, Museums Victoria, public domain

8. British Wildlife Recordings from The British Library on Europeana

Blue Tit from “Feathered Favourites. Twelve coloured pictures of British birds”, Joseph Wolf, British Library, CC BY

9. Beautiful illustrations from Biodiversity Heritage Library

An introduction to the study of conchology, Richard and Arthur Taylor, Biodiversity Heritage Library, public domain

10. Little Album of Horrors! — drawings of poisonous plants from the Queensland State Archives

Botanical Drawing of Golden Dewdrop (Duranta Erecta), Queensland State Archives, public domain

We hope this beautiful material got your creative juices flowing. Create your own story and submit it for our creative competition!

Do you know other interesting openly licensed collections about nature? Let us know in the comments!