The Buckeye Botanist: New Name, Same Blog

For the last four plus years I've had the pleasure of keeping this nature blog to journal my travels, thoughts and passions.  I may not publish as often as I'd like or intend but each and every post has been worth the time and effort.  I thoroughly enjoy bringing my readers along for each ride but I'd be lying if I said I didn't keep this blog up and going for anyone more than myself.  Each one's experiences and/or information has led to me being the botanist and naturalist I am today and a fun barometer of how my views, knowledge and outlook on our natural world has evolved and matured.  I find myself going back and rereading old posts often and reliving the details and places within.   Having said all that, I think it's time for a change...

Not to worry, I have no plans to stop or ween myself off this blog and have every intention of seeing it go forward into the near and distant future.  The interest and drive is still there and while it certainly waxes and wanes, I find it refreshes itself more readily as time goes on.  The change I speak of is the name of this blog. Ever since the conception of The Natural Treasures of Ohio in the autumn of 2010, I've never fully settled and been overly content with the name.  It was honestly the hardest part about starting a blog.  I've frequently found myself struggling with the battle of changing it more and more.  

Each red dot represents an area and/or site a post on this blog has focused on over the last four years

I have built up a good following (a special and hearty thank you to all my readers and fans, you're the best!) and don't want to throw a wrench into the gears.  But I've found myself traveling more and more outside Ohio's borders and taking this blog along for the ride.  Not to mention being a botanist it was naturally heavily favored to take a botanical bias as it was.  The map above represents all the states (green) and areas/sites (red dots) I have blogged about.  Far from being the natural treasures of Ohio only, eh?  I plan to fill in this map with more of my previous travels in due time but for now I think it's not too shabby looking.

At the end of things I didn't think the old name was an accurate representation of myself or this blog anymore and the change was made to: The Buckeye Botanist.  It has a nice ring to it, I think.  I'm proud to have called the Buckeye state home my whole life and will continue to focus on its treasures and diversity but give a nod as well to my botanical forays all over our amazing continent.  I'd really appreciate any feedback, comments or opinions on the matter.  Perhaps I should adhere to the old name for recognition and brand purposes?  Or in the long run it won't matter and people will catch on pretty quickly?  I'd love to hear from you! I won't change the name officially on Blogger for a bit but baring any setbacks or overwhelmingly poor reviews, I think the future of The Buckeye Botanist is bright and filled with even more rare plants, fascinating ecosystems and of course wild orchids.  Thanks again to all who help make this possible and keep stoking the fire of interest inside my brain and fingers.  I may have fibbed earlier on after all...it wouldn't be as much fun or rewarding if I didn't have a viewership and faithful readers to please and keep updated!

- Andrew