Urban Biodiversity at Courageous by Design.

The Cultural Landscape Foundation’s Courageous By Design Conference  was one of the most inspirational gatherings I’ve been to in ages. There were all these rockstar women, not just talking about how to use landscape architecture to save the planet, but also sharing their techniques to do so. I gave a short presentation on landscape stewardship for wildlife.

Overall, I was struck by how different it was from a typical conference: these women discussed their failings, what inspires them to keep going while mired in climate grief, and used their platforms to call for collective action. The entire conference can be viewed here.

Ethical Horticulture Management

The Brooklyn Bridge Park “Hort Lead Team” did a panel for the Ecological Plant Conference on ethical management strategies in horticulture.

Management is something that does not get a lot of conscious thought in the horticultural realm but truly defines so much of our lives. Historically, horticulture has been fairly exploitative towards workers. At BBP, we are not perfect, but we are consciously trying to create an ethical work environment with opportunities for growth. Interestingly, we discovered that our approach towards managing people closely echoes our approach to managing landscapes: we see ourselves as facilitators, trying to enable passionate and independent gardeners to grow as they’re inclined.

The Language of Flowers: An Intro to Pollination Ecology

The vast majority of plants rely on pollinators to reproduce. From bees, to butterflies, to birds and bats, these pollinator partners shaped the evolution of flowers, giving us so much of the beauty we appreciate today. However, these exciting dynamics, in which a flower’s pollen is carried to a stigma, are fraught with trickery, bribery, thievery, and wild sexual acrobatics.

This lecture covers the basics of pollination ecology. Why do plants have flowers? How did they evolve? And specifically, what are flowers doing? Why are they so pretty and smell so good to us, non-pollinating primates? By the end of the presentation, you will be able to “read” flowers and come to know the true desires of the organisms you cultivate.