… When you lift a rock in your garden and glimpse earthworms and tiny insects hustling for cover, you’ve just encountered the celebrities of soil. We all know them on sight. The leggy, … community. These tiny heroes are microscopic organisms that attach themselves to plant roots, for example, to carry out critical functions that support all life on earth. They are essential … line of work. “ There’s a real need for soil ecologists in the country ,” she said. The good news is that the future story of fungi is one we can all help to script. Gardeners, she advised, …
Type: Blog
… the Prairie Series Life in the prairie in the middle of winter is fairly uneventful; at least for humans who focus primarily on life above ground. Perhaps now is a good time to reflect on the … of this nation. The root mass in a prairie is more than double the shoot mass above ground. For thousands of years, the death and regeneration of roots and organisms that interact with them … of endomycorrhizal fungi that support their symbiotic relationship with prairie plants. For the prairie plants, the fungi develops a network of very fine hyphae that spread through soil …
Type: Blog
… is simply mixed, rolled, and cookie-cut—the ornamental “cookies” then air dry on the counter for a couple of days, becoming surprisingly lightweight and a pretty, cinnamony color. The process is easy and kid-friendly, great to try at home for your seasonal decorations. Nancy let us photograph her at work, while supplying some tips … but no, don’t eat this dough! “I tried it,” Nancy says, “And it tastes terrible. It’s for crafting only!” MIXING AND ROLLING Slowly and carefully pour 1 pound of cinnamon into a large …
Type: Blog
… back approximately 600 years. Originally, men and women arranged flowers as Buddhist offerings for altars at temples. Since then, ikebana has established itself as an art form beyond religious … style, the arranger is invited to remain silent. The silence creates a meditative space for the artist to connect with and appreciate nature more closely. For ikebana floral designer and Garden volunteer Shelley Galloway, the connection between nature …
Type: Blog
… at Chicago Botanic Garden evaluated 425 experiments that gauged the effectiveness of insects for controlling weeds. Introducing insects to control weeds has been helpful, but often the … insect on the weed.” Biocontrol agents can have severe adverse effects on desirable plants. For example, thistle seedhead weevils ( Rhinocyllus conicus and Larinus planus ) are now damaging … about the risks and rewards of introducing insects to control weeds. https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article/69/4/247/5427085/ …
Type: Research
… at Bell Museum at the University of Minnesota. The workshop covered multiple techniques for communicating science, including using a storytelling approach to share science in an … our lives. While at Bell Museum, Barak and Tonietto partnered with museum experts for a spotlight science event at the Museum. The event connected Plant Love Stories with Wicked … a live storytelling event featuring student speakers, table activities, and an opportunity for museum visitors to share their plant love stories. “Stories help build connections between …
Type: Research
… is the date we put Spike on public view!) . Several weeks later, Beccari saw a flowering plant for the first time. He sent a few tubers and seeds to Florence, Italy, but the tubers all … Kew, in England. There, in 1889, 11 years after its discovery, a titan arum plant flowered for the first time outside its tropical home. No one knows how common the titan arum is in the … known habitat is the rainforest of Sumatra, which is being steadily eroded by deforestation for palm oil production, by pollution, and by human encroachment. The corms are also being dug up …
Type: Blog
… those of traditional mown lawns. We are testing different traditional and alternative lawns for their potential ecosystem functions, including providing habitat for plants, pollinators, and other wildlife, absorbing and retaining stormwater, and climate … at University of Michigan-Flint). For more information, please see www.rethinkinglawns.com . All artwork on our signs and website is by Liz Anna Kozik. This research is funded by the …
Type: Research
… restoration in the tallgrass prairie. My post-doctoral research is focused on seed mix design for restoration from both a social and ecological perspective. Using social science methods, I am studying the factors that drive seed mix design for prairie restoration managers. Using ecological data collected though observation and …
Type: Staff bio
… degree in horticulture from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1984. He worked as a foreman for Campbell's Garden Center, installing and maintaining landscapes. During summer breaks from … Regenstein, Jr. School of the Chicago Botanic Garden. He writes a weekly gardening column for the Chicago Tribune and a weekly gardening tips column for the Daily Herald , and responds to other media request. He is a regular speaker at the …
Type: Staff bio
