Celebrating Plants and the Planet:



Welcome back! One of the joys of being a gardener is that after the
Holidays, when the trees are bare and the ground is frosty, the plant
catalogues arrive. Page after colorful page of possibilities. The mind
races. I guess that's why January's links at www.zooplantman.com
(NEWS/Botanical News) cover an odd assortment of topics.



· What is your facility's or business' impact on the ecosystem? Do
you know? Can you evaluate it? Here is a link to a number of useful
assessment tools, all evaluated and compared.

· If a tree caught fire in a forest, could it call for help? Yes,
here is a tree-powered device that alerts authorities to forest fires.

· The latest nail in the coffin of corn as biofuels is a new study
of the effect on biodiversity and, consequently, the economic cost of losing
insect diversity.

· A fruit's dilemma: attract seed dispersers, but deter pests. A
fruit's solution: spice! (Answering the age-old question: why do strong
spices exist?)

· My New Year Resolution is based on solid research: gardening and a
stiff drink protect us against dementia and early death.



Need regional information on pollinators and how to attract and support
them? This site has terrific ecosystem-specific brochures you can download
(well worth a look!): http://www.pollinator.org/guides.htm



Please share these stories with associates, staff, docents and -- most
importantly -- visitors! Remember, over a hundred other stories can be found
in the archive section of the website.



Rob





Zoo Horticulture

Consulting & Design

Greening design teams since 1987



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