[4] She was an avid student of botany, particularly of the work of George Lincoln Goodale; a close friend and sponsor of Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka, creators of the Glass Flowers; and a leading philanthropist and farmer of Rindge, New Hampshire, and Boston, Massachusetts.

In fact, "Mary Ware, an especially fascinating character, became in many respects a professional naturalist," a role which she was later able to utilize by being the patron sponsor of the Glass Flowers, her purpose being to advance the education of women.

[11] Being independently wealthy and (already) liberal benefactors of Harvard's botany department,[12] Mary convinced her mother to agree to underwrite the 200 mark consignment,[13][14] but this was done anonymously at first (and would remain so until 1888).

"[26] A preference Harvard evidently agreed with as, to this day, the botanical model are wired down to pure white boards within the original (albeit refurbished) cases.

This second visit, made after Leopold's death, was years later related via a letter from Miss Ware to the second director of the Botanical Museum, Professor Oakes Ames.

[19] This letter appears to confirm the previous statement of Leopold's regarding his son; Miss Ware writes, "One change in the character of his work and, consequently in the time necessary to accomplish results since I was last here, is very noteworthy.

This is the first Glass Flowers shipment following World War I, but the letter also notes the complicated tax and inflation situation in Germany has left him (Rudolf) without money - "I am at the end of my financial power" - and the Museum has not sent the 1923 payment yet.

Presumably, Mary Lee Ware notified Professor Ames of this as, that November, $500 was sent to Rudolf via the now dead Prof. Goodale's son Francis.

[28] Furthermore and in addition to funding and visiting, Mary took a fairly active role in the project's progress, going so far as to personally unpack each model[20] and making arrangements for Rudolph's fieldwork in the U.S. and Jamaica[20] – the purpose of such trips being to gather and study various plant specimens before returning to the old style Bohemian lamp-working table at which he (and Leopold) worked.

Of this vast sum, a full half of it (the largest single bequest in her will) was given to Harvard for completion and the upkeep of the Glass Flowers (as well as support Rudolf and Frieda).

[23][30] Although her mother remained in Boston, Mary Lee Ware clearly considered herself a New Hampshirite and apparently maintained the West Rindge family farm of her childhood.

Reportedly (per the majority of sources) she was a seasonal resident of both Massachusetts and New Hampshire, spending the summers at the Ware Farm in Rindge while wintering in Boston with her mother.

Her estate manager, William S. Cleaves, fled his truck - to the relative safety of his home - in the nick of time, just before a falling tree crushed it.

"In 2002 Steve and Beverly Lindell purchased the property, resurrected the Ware Farm name, and have since tended and cherished the property in a manner complementary to its heritage: original buildings are lovingly preserved; the flower gardens are spellbinding and constantly abuzz with pollinators; horses roam and graze the pastures; its forest is managed in conservation through the Monadnock Conservancy.

[41] Mr. Capone, in turn, continues to honor the legacy and philanthropic spirit of Miss Ware, insofar as her deep love of nature went, working with HOOF&CLAW to preserve the environment and inspire solutions to environmental issues.

[42] Between 1928 and her death (1937), Miss Ware sent a short letter to John Templeton Coolidge regarding a set of spurs she found among her cousin Mr. Hall's books.

[44] Mary's interest in history and cultural artifacts is further noted by the fact that the first annual meeting of the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities was held at her 41 Brimmer Street Boston home.

[46] Furthermore, from at least 1906 to 1913 she was a member of the Women's Christian Temperance Union, as known by a pair of letters she exchanged during those respective years to Anne Whitney, a reputable Massachusetts poet and sculptor.

[47] Miss Ware attended the first annual meeting of the Woman's National Farm & Garden Association's New England Branch in Boston, and was elected to the position of "Chairman Executive Committee.

Giving it to the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) a year later, she signed the deal on the condition that the woodland "...be held as a reservation properly protected and open to the public...forever.

Miss Ware was a unit chairwoman of the Women's Committee and Council of National Defense in the Granite State, working with the Federal Food Administrator of New Hampshire.

"[61] The circumstances of Mary Lee Ware's death - which took place a few months after the Glass Flowers enterprise ended - is described in a letter addressed to Professor Oakes Ames.

[23][63] In addition, a later letter from a solicitor to the Soviet authorities details a pension that Mary Lee Ware set for Rudolf and which continued to Frieda until 1941 - after which Mrs. Blaschka had no income at all.

[5][66] Additionally, Miss Ware's will detailed sizable donations to organizations such as the Massachusetts General Hospital, Kentucky's Berea College, and the American Unitarian Association.

[67][68] In 1900 Miss Ware began a subscription to the Fund for the Encouragement of Mexican and Central American Research, as recorded in a Harvard University Annual Report.

[69] The rug on the floor of the Edward Hall Library in the First Parish in Cambridge was "given in memory of Miss Mary Lee Ware, a first cousin of Rev.