05. 27. 2008
Green tech: Plant yourself in New York and evolve
If you'll be in or near New York City in the next few weeks, please go where I went last weekend. Here's why:
At the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, the garden gnomes have re-imagined the 19th century English garden that changed the world. This particular garden led pretty directly to the 21st century genetic technology that feeds us, discovers and cures our ills, and could eventually cure this century's ills too. Some of them, anyway, like climate change and pollution.
The garden is the one at Down House, where Charles Darwin produced much experimental evidence that backed up his insights into how life on Earth evolved over millions of years. After he published On the Origin of Species to acclaim and wrath in 1859, he spent the next 20 years mostly examining the sexual and social lives of his home-grown flowers and other plants, including those in a quintessential cottage garden supervised by wife Emma.
The Botanical Garden exhibits will gently guide you (and your associated kids) through some of Darwin's investigations--for example, the fascinations of carnivorous plants and how plants and animals developed together to complement and support each other.
Not all that interested in the biology lessons? Go anyway. The dazzling blues adorning the larkspur in Emma Darwin's cottage garden will knock your socks off. The foxgloves are pretty sensational too.
Posted by Tam
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