Meet Cory Foshee | Conservation Technician, San Antonio Botanical Garden

The seeds of this month’s Community Spotlight were planted early, among tropical aroids and aquatic plants in her grandfather’s indoor garden. Today, at the San Antonio Botanical Garden (SABG), that early wonder has grown into a career rooted in conservation, data stewardship, and restoration. From launching IrisBG and supporting the Garden’s seed bank to contributing to the ambitious The TREES Initiative, Cory Foshee's work bridges field ecology and digital record-keeping.

Whether gathering cones of Taxodium distichum in the field, mapping native oaks, or translating living collections into actionable data, they embody a powerful truth: plant records are more than entries in a database. They are insurance for biodiversity and tools for restoration.

Let’s meet the dedicated steward who is helping write a "living biography" of Texas flora.

What plant, place, or experience first sparked your interest in plants?

My passion for the botanical world stems from my grandfather’s extensive indoor garden. His home was a dedicated space for tropical aroids and aquatic species, exposing me at a young age to a wide array of plant life. These early experiences sparked a lasting appreciation for the diverse textures and colors found in nature. What really captivated me, though, was the apparent ease of it all. He possessed a green thumb that seemed more like a superpower; it felt like he barely had to lift a finger, yet every time I visited, his plants seemed to have doubled in size. Watching him navigate his collection taught me that plants weren't just static objects, but dynamic, living things that responded to care and their environment. That early exposure changed my perspective entirely. It gave me a lens through which to view the world; suddenly, the greenery I saw while playing outside or visiting local parks with my family wasn't just a background. It was a collection of individuals with their own stories. I suppose you could say the seeds were planted there in the windows of my grandfather’s home, growing into a lifelong curiosity that continues to guide how I see the world.

Did you have a mentor who influenced your path in botany?
I often say that I didn’t just find a career at the San Antonio Botanical Garden; I found a masterclass in stewardship. I feel very fortunate to work under Michael Eason, our VP of Conservation and Collections. My path began as a dedicated volunteer in his department, driven by a quiet obsession with our mission. That year of service evolved into an internship focused on launching our IrisBG database, which, fueled by a healthy dose of persistence and a relentless inquisitive nature, blossomed into a full-time role. Michael is the rare kind of mentor who treats every question as a gateway to discovery. I likely keep him on his toes with my constant inquiries, but his ability to provide clear, deeply educated insights is a beacon for my professional growth. His advocacy for Texas flora and his unwavering dedication to continued discovery in the field of botany are truly admirable. It
is a profound point of pride to work for someone who doesn’t just manage a collection but
actively fights to preserve the botanical heritage of our state.

How does your work support your garden or institution’s broader mission? At its heart, my work is about botanical storytelling and insurance. By maintaining our seed bank and meticulously organizing our plant database through IrisBG, I am helping to write the "biography" of our collection. Bringing our record-keeping into the modern era was a pivotal leap for SABG; it transformed a sprawling garden into a living library where every specimen has a voice and a history.

There is something deeply poetic about the seed bank as well — holding the genetic potential of entire ecosystems in the palm of your hand. Knowing that my daily efforts directly contribute to the preservation of Texas’s biodiversity is a weight I carry with joy. Whether I am documenting a rare oak or securing the future of a native wildflower, I am ensuring that the remarkable diversity of our world remains more than just a memory for the generations to come.

What IrisBG function do you rely on most in your work? IrisBG provides the foundation for our records, but the Reports and Maps functions are the windows that give us a clear view of our progress. In a garden as vibrant and complex as ours, information is the most valuable currency. I am frequently asked to pull data on everything from the specific species count of a genus to a map of what’s currently thriving in a secluded corner of the grounds. 

The sheer elegance of the search filters allows me to strip away the noise and deliver
precision. It turns what could be an overwhelming sea of data into a clear, actionable narrative. I am greatly motivated by the opportunity to provide my team with the specific tools and information necessary for their success. If my reports can clear the path for our horticulture team or provide the missing piece to a botanical puzzle, then I’m doing more than just navigating software. I’m ensuring that our institutional knowledge is as well-tended as the plants themselves, supporting the Garden from the roots up.

What’s a recent project you’re especially proud of? I am particularly proud of our involvement in The TREES Initiative (Texas Recovery for Ecological and Environmental Stability). Launched in response to the devastating 2025 Central Texas floods, this ambitious five-year project aims to restore 50,000 native trees along the Guadalupe River in Kerr County. 

What makes this project truly special is its hyper-local focus: every single tree begins as a seed collected from the river’s surviving canopy. This ensures that the new growth is genetically tuned and naturally adapted to its specific home.

Since we hit the ground in August 2025, our team has gathered over 250,000 native seeds, a staggering number that provides the foundation for the 50,000 healthy, site-ready trees required for the watershed’s recovery. For me, the experience has been incredibly rewarding; there is a natural cadence to the work, moving from the physical labor of field collections to the precision of tracking that data back at the Garden. Navigating the transition from the rugged, hands-on work of the field to the meticulous tracking of our collections back at the Garden has been an unforgettable experience, allowing me to witness firsthand the full circle of botanical restoration.