In this week's edition of Garden News: the monarchs are in full flight, think twice before planting non-natives, and enter any Manhattan address to see who lived there 400 years ago.
New York City in 1609: What Henry Hudson Saw
Above: A rending showing half of Manhattan as it is today, and half as it might have looked 400 years ago.
The Welikia Project of the Wildlife Conservation Society has released an interactive Map showing what New York City might have looked like on September 12, 1609, when Henry Hudson arrived in New York Harbor. Type in any Manhattan address and see the plants and animals that might have lived there, including gray wolves, bobcats, black bears, flying squirrels, and rattlesnakes. The map, created with data from soil samples, field work, and historical maps, will soon be expanded to the other four burroughs. Read it at Huffington Post.
Insect Diversity Drops in Non-Native Landscapes
Above: Native plantings at the New York Botanic Garden. Photo by Jeanne Rostaing.
A University of Delaware study suggests that the numbers of native vs. non-native plants in any given landscape affects the diversity of local insect populations. Non-native plants and trees support more generalized and redundant insect communities than do native plants. Said researcher Karin Burghardt, “If we do all the landscaping with non-native plants, are we limiting the wildlife and conservation support system that could be available within that given plot of land?” Read more at the University of Delaware.
Is London's Garden Bridge Still Happening?
Above: London's planned Garden Bridge is—or was?—scheduled to open in 2018. Photograph via the Garden Bridge Trust.
Critics of London's planned Garden Bridge—a pedestrian crossing slated to link the Temple and South Bank neighborhoods—may now be louder than its supporters. The Guardian architecture critic Oliver Wainwright writes that the bridge, which "has long managed to alienate champions of both gardens and bridges alike," may finally be nearing its death over funding issues. The Garden Bridge Trust insists that plans are still moving forward and materials are being selected in Italy. Read it at The Guardian.
Rare Plants Stolen from Oxford Botanic Garden
Above: Rare, carnivorous Roridula gorgonias—also known as flycatcher bush—is only found in nature in mountains near the Western Cape of South Africa. Photograph via Plantify.
The University of Oxford Botanic Garden's only specimen of Roridula gorgonias—a rare carnivorous plant—was stolen from one of its greenhouses. A large number of slow-growing bromelia-family orchids and other plants were also taken. Garden administrators suspect the plants were taken "to order" by thieves who knew what to look for and came well prepared. Read it at the BBC.
Monarch Butterfly Migration in Full Flight
Above: A monarch taking in nectar earlier this season in Ontario. Photo by Terry Whittham via Journey North.
Monarch butterflies have begun their annual migration to their winter home in Mexico. Follow along with Journey North to track the migration; the latest dispatch, from October 1, has the monarchs in peak migration in Oklahoma and heading toward Texas. See a monarch? Help monitor monarch populations and travel patterns by Reporting any sightings of monarch butterflies.
More timely updates:
- Trending on Remodelista: The Deconstructed Kitchen.
- Current Obsessions: Ode to Harvest
- Through today, October 4, take 15 percent off purchases at True Nature Botanicals.
- By October 7, enter your email for a chance to win a complete bedding giveaway from Parachute.
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