Editing Terrarium (section)

==History==
[[File:Ward'scher Kasten.jpg|thumb|A drawing of a [[Wardian case]]]]

The first terrarium was created by botanist [[Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward]] in 1842.<ref name="auto">{{cite book| title= The Fever Trail: The Hunt for the Cure for Malaria| first= Mark | last= Honigsbaum| publisher= MacMillan| year= 2001| isbn= 9780333901854}}</ref> Ward had an interest in observing insect behaviour and accidentally left one of his jars unattended. A [[fern]] [[spore]] in the jar grew and germinated into a plant, becoming the first known terrarium. The trend quickly spread in the [[Victorian Era]] amongst the English. Instead of the terrarium, it was known as the [[Wardian case]].<ref name="The History of Terrariums">{{cite web|title=The History of Terrariums| url= http://www.stormthecastle.com/terrarium/history-of-the-terrarium.htm| department= StormTheCastle.com| publisher= Kalif Publishing and StormtheCastle.com| access-date= 27 September 2014}}</ref>

Ward hired carpenters to build his Wardian cases to export native British plants to [[Sydney]], Australia. After months of travel, the plants arrived well and thriving. Likewise, plants from Australia sent to [[London]] using the same method were received by Ward in pristine condition. His experiment indicated plants can be sealed, without ventilation, and continue thriving.<ref name=PEx-NBW>{{cite web| url= https://www.plantexplorers.com/explorers/biographies/ward/nathaniel-bagshaw-ward.htm |title= Dr. Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward| publisher= Plantexplorers.com| access-date= 9 October 2017}}</ref> Wardian cases were used for many decades by [[Kew Gardens]] to ship plants around the British Empire and were also used during [[European colonization of Africa]] to bring African goods, like spices and coffee, back to Europe.<ref name=Atlantic2017>{{cite web|last1=Maylack|first1=Jen |title=How a Glass Terrarium Changed the World |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/11/how-a-glass-terrarium-changed-the-world/545621/ |website=The Atlantic|date=12 November 2017|access-date=13 November 2017}}</ref>