The natural science collections

The natural science collections at the museum consist of flora, fauna and minerals. The collections mainly represent animal and plant life in southern Ostrobothnia (Ostrobothnia Australis). The herbarium was established as far back as 1925 and the insect collection in 1928. There is also a small collection of fish, reptiles, molluscs and other specimens of wildlife.

Most of the collected items were donated by the Ostrobothnia Australis Association. Other significant donors are Vaasa Finnish Upper Secondary School and Per-Eric Granqvist. Some of the collections are on display in Terranova.

The bird, mammal and insect collections

The bird collection consists of close to 600 specimens and over 100 nests with eggs, as well as some additional eggs of unspecified species. The mammal collection consists of approx. 80 animals.  The most noteworthy of these belong to the Bodén-Stenbäck collection. J.A. Bodén and provincial doctor I. Stenbäck were pioneers in the art of conservation, who donated their collections to the City of Vaasa as early as 1886.

The insect collection consists of about 37,000 insects, e.g. beetles, butterflies and wasps. Sub-collections include, e.g. the butterfly collection of Jäger Emil Sjöholm as well as the Birger and Hjördis Lingonblad butterfly collection.

The herbarium and geological collections

The herbarium consists of approx. 46,000 plant sheets, the majority of which are vascular plants. The herbarium also includes a small collection of algae, lichens and mosses.

The geological collections consist of minerals and specimens of rock types, which are divided into three sub-collections. The largest, comprising 660 specimens, is the collection donated by the Vaasa Finnish Upper Secondary School. The sub-collections also include Paavo Alkio’s collection and a collection of stones originating from a now closed-down mine in Korsnäs owned by Outokumpu Ltd.

Contacts

Researchers and interested museum visitors are welcome to see the collections by arrangement with the Curator responsible for the natural science collections.