Libby Houston
| Libby Houston | |
|---|---|
| Born |
9 December 1941 North London, England |
| Residence | Bristol, England |
| Nationality | English |
| Alma mater |
Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford University of Bristol |
| Occupation | Poet, botanist |
| Employer |
University of Bristol School of Biological Sciences |
| Organization |
Bristol Naturalists' Society Botanical Society of the British Isles Somerset Rare Plants Group Avon Gorge & Downs Wildlife Project |
| Children | Libby has two children, Sam and Alice, and six grandchildren. |
| Awards | H. H. Bloomer Award |
Libby Houston (born 9 December 1941) is an English poet, botanist, and rock climber. The native of North London has published several collections of poetry. Houston, a research associate at the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Bristol, has discovered several new species of whitebeam (Sorbus), one of which has been given her name. In addition to membership in several organisations related to botany, Houston is a participant in the Avon Gorge & Downs Wildlife Project. She was the recipient of the H. H. Bloomer medal in 2012. The award from the Linnean Society of London acknowledged her contribution to natural history, in particular, the body of knowledge of whitebeams in Britain, and the flora of Avon Gorge in Bristol, England.
Libby Houston was born Elizabeth Maynard Houston on 9 December 1941 in North London, England, and was raised in the West Country. She was educated at Lady Margaret Hall of the University of Oxford. In 1966, she married illustrator and musician Malcolm Dean (1941–1974) in Somerset. Houston published her first collection of poetry, A Stained Glass Raree Show, in 1967, followed by Plain Clothes in 1971, At the Mercy in 1980 (all with Allison & Busby), Necessity in 1988 (Slow Dancer), A Little Treachery in 1990 (Circle Press), and All Change in 1993 (Oxford University Press). The poet has appeared on BBC radio broadcasts for children since the early 1970s. She was widowed in 1974 and married Roderick Jewell in 1979, moving that year to Bristol. Houston received a certificate in Science Biology from the University of Bristol.
Houston assisted Lewis Frost in what was previously known as the Department of Botany at the University of Bristol in his study of the flora of Avon Gorge in Bristol. The research included rare flora such as Spiked Speedwell (Veronica spicata) and Bristol Rockcress (Arabis scabra). Her interest in the Avon Gorge flora was enhanced by her rock climbing prowess, which allowed her to study plants inaccessible to others. More recent work has been performed in conjunction with Simon Hiscock, Professor of Botany at the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Bristol, as well as Tim Rich, head of the vascular plant section at the National Museum Wales. That collaboration has centred on Avon Gorge whitebeams (Sorbus).
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