Carol Gracie was a naturalist, photographer, writer, and lecturer who had a special interest in plants and insects. She was the author of Spring Wildflowers of the Northeast: A Natural History (Princeton) and a coauthor of Wildflowers in the Field and Forest: A Field Guide to the Northeastern United States. She also coauthored books on plants of tropical South America. She worked for many years as an educator, research assistant, and tour leader at the New York Botanical Garden. Her work on tropical plant collecting expeditions resulted in several new species being named for her.