UNH Collections

New Hampshire's Preemient Natural History Collections

Temporarily housed in Putnam Hall until the renovation of Spaulding Life Sciences Building is complete in 2024, the Albion R. Hodgdon Herbarium and the UNH Collection of Insects and Other Arthropods are the largest natural history collections in the state. With nearly one million specimens in total, both collections are key components of the research infrastructure of UNH and New Hampshire. Historical and contemporary specimens provide the most comprehensive record of the abundance and distribution of New Hampshire’s plants and insects, and reflect the strong tradition of biodiversity science at UNH. The collections are growing and serve researchers at UNH, throughout New Hampshire, and across the world, as well as education and outreach initiatives.

Albion R. Hodgdon Herbarium

Founded in 1892, the Albion R. Hodgdon Herbarium (NHA) at the University of New Hampshire is the largest herbarium in New Hampshire. Its museum-quality collection holds over 206,000 preserved specimens of vascular plants, macroalgae, bryophytes, and lichens, including 98 nomenclatural type specimens. While the specimens serve as physical records of botanical diversity and distribution worldwide, the collections have a strong emphasis on the flora of northeastern North America, Neotropical aquatic species, and marine algae. The Hodgdon Herbarium contains the most complete record of the flora of New Hampshire. Learn more about Albion r. hodgdon herbarium

UNH Collection of Insects and Other Arthropods

With almost 700,000 specimens and growing, the UNH Collection of Insects and Other Arthropods is the largest arthropod depository and research collection in northern New England. Over 12,000 species are represented from different regions of New England, featuring many specimens collected from the White Mountains. The collection is part of the department of biological sciences in the College of Life Sciences and Agriculture and is dedicated to preserving the rich historical information encompassed by the collection and committed to acquiring new specimens and resources useful to our faculty and students and greater scientific community. Learn more about insects and other arthropods