When I signed up to attend a tour of Cornell’s Botanical Gardens, I had full intentions of enjoying all the scenery and horticulture that the establishment had to offer. And indeed, I admired and observed many fascinating plants from all around the world and learned a great deal about a variety of species up close and personally. However, what piqued my interest most was the people of the botanical gardens – those of the past, present, and future. Our charismatic elderly tour guide was happy to go into great detail about the group of individuals who made the gardens possible in its history. For example, the land was originally part of Ezra Cornell’s farm and likely was planted with corn. The infrastructure for trails of the botanical gardens can be attributed to President Roosevelt’s CCC that helped men during the great depression. I was astounded when I found out that current benefactors give approximately 5 million dollars a year for the gardens, and they are maintained by approximately 50 staff members. Many other interesting facts were presented during the tour, and I was so surprised to learn of all the effort, money, and green thumbs that go into the endeavor. I came to the gardens for the plants, but I think I will likely return to learn more about the history and people.