Collections
The Norris Center manages over 130,000 specimens of plants, fungi, lichens, insects, and vertebrates, with an emphasis on terrestrial biodiversity of the Santa Cruz Mountains and central coast of California. We house both research and teaching collections.
Vascular Plant Collection
Explore our specimen records and images using the Consortium of California Herbaria data portal!
Our 15,000 plant specimens provide excellent representation of the native plant diversity of Santa Cruz County and additional areas across California. Special collections of note include: plants of Fort Ord National Monument (David Styer), Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument (BLM), and Bonny Doon Ecological Reserve (Neal Kramer), as well as extensive local collections by Dylan Neubauer and Randall Morgan. The Norris Center is a member of the Consortium of California Herbaria (CCH).
Fungi Collection
Explore our fungi specimens virtually through the Mycology Collections Portal!
Our fungal collection comprises over 6,000 specimens, mostly collected by local mycologist Christian Schwarz; it is a comprehensive representation of macrofungi, including extensive surveys across Santa Cruz County and unique collections from the Channel Islands. We also house the research collection of wood decay fungi from UCSC faculty member Gregory Gilbert. The Norris Center collection includes over 10 type specimens.
Bryophyte & Lichen Collection
Explore our online bryophyte specimen records and lichen specimen records.
Our bryophyte collection of 385 specimens and our lichen collection of >1,000 specimens were mainly collected and curated by renowned California bryologist Ken Kellman. Our specimens have played an important role in understanding patterns of biodiversity in these poorly known groups. 60 of the 500 species known to Santa Cruz County were added by our collections. We also house the voucher specimens for the Younger Lagoon Reserve.
Insect Collection
Explore specimen records from our pollinator collection through the SCAN Symbiota database!
Our insect collection includes over 90,000 specimens, including: the extensive Randall Morgan pollinator collection of Santa Cruz County and 2021 Randall Morgan pollinator re-surveys. We also house a voucher collection from Younger Lagoon Natural Reserve, butterflies and moths from Fort Ord Natural Reserve, pollinators and a reference collection of ichneumonid wasps from the UCSC Farm, and the Gerhard Ringel World Butterfly and Moth Collection.
Bird & Mammal Collections
Explore our bird collections and mammal collections virtually through the Arctos Consortium database!
Our collection contains over 1,800 bird specimens and bird parts and over 900 mammal skins and skulls (often from the same animals). Our specimens are used in over 15 university courses and for training interns in museum curation and specimen preservation techniques. Our collections include a thorough representation of local bird diversity of the Monterey Bay, Pacific coast seabirds, and rodent diversity across California and other western states.
Fish & Herptile Collections
Explore our reptile and amphibian collections virtually through the Arctos Consortium database!
Our fish and herptile collections include 279 fish and 400+ reptiles and amphibians, covering a thorough representation of local fishes and herptiles (reptiles and amphibians) of the Monterey Bay, as well as specimens from other regions of California. Our specimens are used in over 6 university courses and for training interns in museum curation and specimen preservation techniques.