Sweet: Her happy-go-lucky disposition, endearing awkwardness, and ability to make you feel like the most special person in the room. </p> Bitter: The gaping, empty space she has left behind.</p> 2020 has been a collective experience in massive loss. There is the loss of “normal” life: getting together with friends, going to restaurants and movie theaters and sporting events, handshakes, hugs. The loss, for some, of businesses beloved or businesses owned. Of jobs and a sense of security. The loss of acres and acres of land, trees, homes, wildlife and humans to raging fires. There is the incomprehensible loss of life due to COVID-19—around the world, in the U.S., within Colorado and for some, in families. And there is the loss of loved ones whose time has come naturally. </p> It is said that on November 1 and 2 the veil between this world and the spirit world is thinnest. This is when the souls of our loved ones traverse the distance between worlds to visit us. The Mexican tradition of Día de los Muertos—the Day of the Dead—takes place on these days to observe loss by celebrating life. Bright colors, armloads of orange flowers, butterflies, rich foods and big festivals full of music, dance and unique, skeleton-based iconography mark this holiday. </p> At the heart of it all is the altar: the sacred space of honor dedicated to departed loved ones.</p> And while the big celebration and joyful coming together is important, so, too, is quiet remembrance and the placing of ofrendas </em>(offerings) on the altar.</p> Particularly this year, observing Día by creating an altar may be a healing experience. You may even want to honor a place or a part of life prior to COVID-19 that you’re mourning.</p> To begin, find a flat surface and drape a cloth over it (Día is a joyful celebration, so it’s okay use something colorful). Place photos of your departed loved ones (or something that represents a place or experience) on it. Fill the altar with things they enjoyed in life—toys, jewelry, their favorite album, sports memorabilia. Whatever makes you think of them. </p> Next, add traditional elements to the altar. Papel picado</em></a> are multi-colored tissue paper garlands that represent the fragility of life. Marigolds</a> attract spirits back with their scent. Elaborately decorated sugar skulls</a> and calaveras </em>(skeletons) remind us that death is part of life, and to feel joy and happiness for the lives our loved ones lived, rather than dwell on the grief of their passing. </p> Finally, light candles to illuminate the spirits’ path and burn incense to help guide them. Place their favorite drink on the altar to quench their thirst after their journey. They’ll be hungry, too, so don’t forget their favorite food (traditional foods include pan de muerto</em>, mole and tamales, but you can use whatever your loved ones enjoyed in life). </p> Whether you safely gather with others, join friends and family over Zoom, or are spending Día de los Muertos by yourself, take time to reflect on your love and loss. Share special memories, listen to their favorite music, sit in silent contemplation. Cry if it helps—but don’t be afraid to laugh. This is the balance between the bitter and the sweet. </p> </p>
The Gardens’ mission is to connect people with plants. The actions we take in pursuit of that mission are guided by our core values, one of which remains especially relevant today: diversity. We have an incredible and obvious diversity among our plant collections, but we also strive for a diversity in the people we are connecting with those plants. </p> Many items in the Helen Fowler Library sit at the intersection of people and plants, as a lot of our books can give us more than just the botanical information found within their pages; they retain cultural and historical associations with their authors, printers and publishers. We have books from all over the world – representing almost 30 different languages – in both our circulating and historical collections, and some of the stories we uncover when we look more closely at them are fascinating. </p> </picture> </div> </div> </article> Take, for instance, our late 19th century copy of “Flora de Filipinas” – the work as a whole is made up of four text installments composed in Manila and two volumes of plates printed in Barcelona, all completed less than 20 years before the Philippines declared its independence from Spain. All the text is in both Latin and Spanish.</p> The chief illustrator of “Flora de Filipinas”, Regino García y Baza (1840-1916), was a Spanish mestizo artist and botanist. García headed a team of 12 Filipino and five Spanish artists, all of whom were born in the Philippines or had been living and working there for a while prior to the start of the project. They were all trained in the styles of Don Agustín Sáez y Glanadell and Don Lorenzo Rocha é Icaza, a very precise and academic training that ensured accurate depictions of the plants. </p> </picture> </div> </div> </article> </p> </picture> </div> </div> </article> Those working on “Flora de Filipinas” did so during an interesting time in Spanish and Filipino history. The work was published in fascicles</a> between 1877 and 1883. In 1872, there had been a small Filipino revolt against Spanish rule. In 1880 one of the artists, Lorenzo Guerrero y Leogardo (1835-1904), received an award from Spain for his art but refused to wear Western clothes and instead sported the Filipino barong tagalog as a show of nationalism for the pinning ceremony. </p> The chief illustrator, García, was one of two artists working on “Flora de Filipinas” later appointed to the Malolos Congress that ratified the Proclamation of Philippine Independence in 1898. Much of García’s work was lost when the United States bombed Manila during World War II but around 100 plates of his work can still be found in this book. </p> </picture> </div> </div> </article> </h3> </picture> </div> </div> </article> </h3> Explore more!</h3> A copy of this work in the Real Jardín Botánico de Madrid has been digitized and is available online for anyone to view. While the Helen Fowler Library’s copy has black and white line drawings (with some hand-coloring added later), Madrid’s digitized version is one of the 500 copies that was issued in full color. Visit links in the library’s online catalog</a> to decide which volume you’ll be exploring first! </p>
The amazingly diverse kingdom of Fungi has recently gained increased attention from the world of bioscience, nature lovers and citizen scientists. Because of brilliant new technologies developed in the last decades to differentiate, understand genetically and clarify the roles fungi play within the habitats in which they are found, we are becoming so much more aware of the absolutely essential role of fungi. </p> There is a mantra circulating among the citizen science world that helps us remember the importance of fungi: </p> No fungi? No plants. No plants? No animals. No animals? No us.</p> Yes, the entire planet as we know it is absolutely dependent upon fungi! Some fungi live in a mutually beneficial relationship with trees and other plants, sharing nutrients and protection. Forever adaptable, some fungi, on the other hand, are pathogens in our forests and other natural areas. Some are recyclers, breaking down woody debris, dead grasses and natural waste to be used as food for other organisms again and again. </p> And to think, a few decades ago, fungi were not even given their own kingdom – they were just included with plants. We have certainly learned a lot since then, most importantly that fungi are more closely related to us than they are to plants!</p> Around the same time that science began to differentiate fungi from plants, Dr. Sam Mitchel, a medical internist in Denver, became fascinated with the mushrooms that he and his family found in the mountains of Eagle County. Sam began a collection of mushrooms in order to understand what was growing in our natural regions. He eventually brought his pioneering fungal herbarium to Denver Botanic Gardens in the early 1960s. The rest is history! Today, we collect fungi throughout the seasons – recording, studying and preserving fungal specimens from the Rocky Mountain Region in the Sam Mitchel Herbarium of Fungi</a>, now housed in the Freyer – Newman Center for Science, Art and Education</a>. </p> Each mushroom collecting season is a different one, as anyone would attest watching the various kinds of weather, storms and spells of drought-like conditions we have experienced this year. Whatever the weather, we collect the fungal fruitings, generally known as mushrooms, in various habitats among their plant partners from high mountain areas down to the prairies in our beautiful diverse regions. Because of our dry season this year in Colorado, we found relatively few fungi, but in a few cases some unusual ones. A diverse sampling of those common or quite unusual fungi are pictured here. Each is currently being processed into the herbarium. </p>
There is something about breathing in the cool, crisp air of late September mornings, wearing light sweaters, sipping on warm, seasonal drinks and enjoying the gentle, warm colors of reds, yellows and oranges that make autumn my favorite time of year. Among the many wonderful perks of the season, it is also the perfect opportunity to make perennial additions to your garden.</p> If adding to your gardens in the fall before the first frost intimidates you, don’t let it – there are a surprising number of benefits to planting perennials this time of year.</p> </picture> </div> </article> Cooler Air Temperatures of Autumn Are Easy-Going for Both Gardener and Garden</strong></p> By the time autumn comes, the temperatures have dipped down from the oftentimes scalding heat of late spring/summer. This can be pleasant for you, the gardener, and the plants, as these mild temperatures will allow them adequate time to establish without high temperature stress. Not to mention you will likely bypass the nasty hailstorms of spring that can damage your young plants…and your determination. </p> Soil Temperatures Still Warm for Healthy Roots</strong></p> As we know in Colorado, the weather can be rather sporadic; we can be enjoying a pleasant 75-degrees one day, then get blasted with a snowstorm the next. It happens every year, but again, don’t let Colorado’s intense weather fluxes intimidate you. Despite our intermittent weather, often enough the soil is still warm from summer to allow roots to establish. Also, there is no need to worry too much about above-ground frost. Although the frost will stop the growth of the plant above ground, it will not necessarily kill the plant…roots will continue to grow and should be able to establish properly before the soil freezes solid, no matter what is happening with the air temperature. </p> </picture> </div> </div> </article> Planting in Fall Helps the Gardener Plan for the Next Growing Season</strong></p> At this point in the year, observations of the past season are still visible. Were there empty patches in your garden that can be filled next year? Is there a place that could use seasonal interest, or want to add a specific texture? You may be able to better visualize these types of considerable changes before you cut plants back and forget by the time spring comes.</p> These are only a few of numerous benefits to fall plantings. I like to plant woody plants (though they may need winter watering if we don't have consistent snow cover, especially evergreens, to keep needles/leaves from desiccating during establishment*) and good-sized herbaceous perennials in the fall, usually in bare root form (i.e. cleaning off all the soil from the roots before planting). Ornamental grasses, native perennials and bulbs</span></span> – pretty much anything you can currently find at your local garden center should be good for planting, and you might get a great deal as they don’t want to overwinter the plants in pots!* </span></span></p> Don’t forget that these plants have just finished a growing cycle, and although they may look a little bushed as you plant, they should come back looking great come spring. Giving them this extra time to establish will ensure larger, healthier plants next spring and summer. Whatever you decide to add this fall, I guarantee you will see sweet luscious success in the next growing season!</p> This blog post and photos first appeared as an article by Denver Botanic Gardens Horticulturist, Greenhouse Production, Brooke Palmer in Life on Capitol Hill, September 2020.</em></p> *Additional information provided by Associate Director of Horticulture Cindy Newlander.</em></p>
Have you met Digger the Marmot? As the mascot for Mordecai Children’s Garden at Denver Botanic Gardens, he’s always ready for adventure—and even though the Children’s Garden is currently closed, he’s ready to take you on the Diversity of Life Expedition</a> in the main Gardens, supported by Xcel Energy</a>. </p> But time is running out! The Expedition closes on October 31. </strong>Now’s the time to enjoy these beautiful autumn days at the Gardens and see if you and your little explorers can find all eight signs. </p> Co-created by Denver Botanic Gardens and Xcel Energy, two of Denver’s leading voices in sustainability, the Diversity of Life Expedition is a fun, interactive outdoor activity for all ages. </p> As you work your way through the Gardens on York Street, look for Digger’s signs to “crack the code” for taking care of our planet and saving money on energy bills.</p> Xcel Energy, a long-time partner of the Gardens and innovator in sustainability, has a big vision to provide carbon-free electricity by 2050. To do that, everyone in the community must come together to help. Activities like the Diversity of Life Expedition help build awareness about the steps to reduce energy use at home. That’s how – together – we’ll create a carbon-free future! </p> </picture> </div> </article>
After months of planning, scheduling and installing, the new art galleries in the Freyer – Newman Center are opening Saturday, Sept. 26 with four shows! Two are from local Colorado artists, one displays the talents of students and instructors from the School of Botanical Art & Illustration, and another showcases some staff-favorite oddities from the Gardens’ collections. </p> Art Galleries Open 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. daily, starting Sept. 26</strong> Included with Admission</p> Get Tickets and Member Reservations</a></p> </p> Ghost Forest</em></a> by Melanie Walker evokes the experience of wandering through an aspen forest. Her works on fabric stretch up to the ceiling like trees or drift across the walls like falling leaves, offering a space to reflect on the memories that connect us to wild places. </p> </picture> </div> </div> </article> Koko Bayer is a Denver-based artist whose work focuses mostly on outdoor installations of printed images. Pink Lemonade Hope</a></em> is part of Bayer’s “Project Spread Hope”—a series of installations created in response to the COVID-19 crisis as a reminder of the power of optimism. Bayer uses her distinctive “pink lemonade” palette of magenta and bright yellow to reinforce her message through an aesthetic that’s warm and uplifting. </p> </picture> </div> </div> </article> In honor of its 40th anniversary, Denver Botanic Gardens’ School of Botanical Art and Illustration highlights gardens as places of sanctuary and renewal through a special juried exhibition of works created by the school’s students and graduates. The Garden & Haven</em></a> exhibition celebrates the capacity of the natural world to remind us that even through times of sadness and fear, the cycle of renewal will always continue. </p> </picture> </div> </div> </article> From the Vault</em></a> presents some of the most interesting and unique objects in the Gardens’ collections, most exhibited for the first time. The exhibition includes paintings, rare books, dried fungi, tools from Hildebrand Ranch and a whole host of other objects of artistic, scientific and historical value. </p> </picture> </div> </div> </article> </p> The exhibits team is excited to welcome everyone to the first shows in our brand-new galleries. We can’t wait for you all to come enjoy, relax and marvel at another facet of our wonderful Gardens!</p>
There’s a saying in Colorado that if you dislike the weather, just wait five minutes—odds are, it will change. While Colorado’s climate is always exciting, it can make for difficult gardening situations and challenging planning. Since the Front Range receives most of its snow after spring-blooming bulbs have already blossomed, gardens featuring these plants can be particularly challenging.</p> With hundreds of varieties of those bulbs on sale at our upcoming Fall Plant & Bulb Sale, we reached out to Sonya Anderson, horticulture specialist - Plant Select® & Pollinator Gardens, for some advice and tips on growing an exceptional garden in the Front Range.</p> </picture> </div> </article> When we experience an extreme change in weather, such as the freeze earlier this September, should we expect to lose more plants in our gardens?</strong></p> Yes and no.</p> Yes, because gardening is an art as much as a science, and there are no guarantees in the first place. Some plants in our gardens are not suited for the Front Range, and an early freeze will often or always impact them; however, when extreme weather is thrown into the mix, even the most reliable plants can also suffer.</p> No, because we can often look for room for improvement in our plant choices. For example, we’ve seen some of the plants we love perform poorly in the Front Range even during expected weather conditions. If it’s challenged by our “normal” weather, its chances won’t improve when the weather gets extreme. </p> With Fall Plant & Bulb Sale approaching soon, what are some bulbs being offered that are especially suited for Front Range gardens?</strong></p> Species tulips, which are basically wild tulips. Many wild tulips originated in Central Asia in a climate like that in the Front Range: higher elevation, hot summers, cold winters and dry. In a nutshell, they are ideal for our gardens. Tulips such as Greigii tulips (Tulipa greigii</em>), Emperor tulips (Tulipa fosteriana</em>) and waterlily tulips (Tulipa kaufmanniana</em>) all hold up well and will come back year after year.</p> Darwin hybrid tulips, which are a cross between single late tulips and early emperor tulips. With their large colorful flowers and classic tulip shape, they hold up well in the spring weather. Just be sure to plant them in full sun with well-drained soil so they won’t be too wet in the summer.</p> Finally, this year we’re offering pre-made, themed bulb collections with some of our favorite and best-performing bulbs. Some of the themes include: Pollinators, North American Natives and Staff Favorites. These are sure to give your garden the lively pop of color for the spring season.</p> This year, Fall Plant & Bulb Sale has moved online. The online store will be open September 25-27 with in-person pickup taking place October 1-3. Be sure to place your order for your favorite bulbs before they all sell out, and get a head start on your spring garden!</p> </p>
The Gardens’ mission is to connect people with plants. The actions we take in pursuit of that mission are guided by our core values, one of which remains especially relevant today: diversity. We have an incredible and obvious diversity among our plant collections, but we also strive for a diversity in the people we are connecting with those plants. </p> Unfortunately, contributions from members of underrepresented groups often lack visibility. In an effort to raise the voices of those struggling to be heard, we are highlighting some contributions that people of color have made (and continue to make) in fields related to botany and horticulture in this monthly series.</p> Below are two members of the Hispanic community we are highlighting in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month.</p> From the Past:</h2> Ynés Mexía (1870-1938), Botanist</p> </picture> </div> </div> </article> Ynes Mexia © California Academy of Sciences</a>. "Young Black-headed Grosbeak."</span></span></span></p> Ynés Mexía was born in Washington, DC to a Mexican diplomat and his wife. She then spent time in Philadelphia before moving to Mexico City to care for her ailing father and take over the family’s ranch. It wasn’t until she moved to San Francisco after her father’s death that she joined the Sierra Club and found her passion among plants. Even though she was over 50 years old when she began her formal education in botany, she quickly became known as an accomplished – and the first! – Mexican American female botanist.</p> Initially working as a social worker when she moved to California, Mexía enrolled in a natural sciences program at the University of California, Berkeley in 1921. She began participating in plant-collecting expeditions a year later. Although she wasn’t awarded a degree from UC-Berkeley, she was still one of the most celebrated plant collectors of her time. She was known for adventuring where others would not go – even falling off a cliff didn’t stop her! She was the first botanist to collect from Denali National Park, and in her 13 years of collecting she found 500 new species, some of which were named after her.</p> Explore More! Ynés Mexía was recently featured in PBS’s American Masters film, “Unladylike2020: Unsung Women Who Changed America” – watch her clip on PBS’s website </a>to learn more about her accomplishments.</p> Active Today:</h2> Pat Mora , Poet and Author</p> </picture> </div> </div> </article> Pat Mora. Image source</a>. </span></span></span></p> Pat Mora is a well-known author and poet – the Helen Fowler Library has a variety of her children’s books, available in English and Spanish – who has been working to increase the visibility of Latinx culture in literature. Mora was born in El Paso, Texas, where her grandparents had arrived after emigrating from northern Mexico. Many of her stories come from family history, the Chihuahua desert or her own travels. </p> Mora is also the founder of El día de los niños, El día de los libros (Children’s Day, Book Day). The celebration comes from the Mexican tradition of El día del niño, or the Day of the Child. Mora felt the holiday should also be celebrated in the United States and saw it as an opportunity to promote early literacy and pleasure reading. Now, every April 30 in libraries across the U.S., you can find events celebrating children and the joy of reading. The celebration’s nickname, Día (meaning “day” in Spanish), also conveys the daily commitment we all have to ensure children and families have access to books that reflect a variety of cultures and backgrounds.</p> Explore More!</h3> Pat Mora posts “Poetry Pauses” to her website, where you can take a break from the world to listen to some of the poems she’s written. Listen to Mora read her poem, “Ode to Sunflowers.”</a> </p>
Food is a major part of community. It is a pillar of culture, a source of comfort and most importantly the basis of nourishment. For my internship this summer, I was able to grow food in two different communities for the betterment of the residents. Being able to provide produce during this unprecedented time helped me better comprehend and appreciate the value and necessity of community. </p> Unfortunately, the limitless benefits of food do not come equally to all. Food security is an ever-present issue in our society. For a lot of members of our community, where and how they grew up impacts the amount of food on their table. In Denver alone, 11.9% of the population was food insecure in 2018</a>. Currently, due to COVID-19, food insecurity has soared past this number, with a current estimate of 25% of the population facing food insecurity</a>. Now, more than ever before, people need access to clean, nutritious foods. Denver Botanic Gardens’ Urban Food Initiatives</a> (UFI) works to help mediate this issue by growing produce not only to supply our neighborhood markets, but also to donate to other incredible organizations around the city working toward the same goal, including Sun Valley Kitchen, Osage Café and S.A.M.E Café. Throughout my internship, I worked at our Mariposa and Sun Valley farms. Although these farms are small, they make a mighty impact. During our weekly neighborhood markets, we offer the food we grow on a pay-what-you-can basis. This way, everybody has fresh, nutritious foods, no matter their situation, grown right around the corner from where they live. At the markets, residents come together and chat about their day-to-day life, but also about food they are growing, and my favorite part – how they used our produce in their recipes. This is also a time where we can encourage folks to step out of their comfort zone and try vegetables that they have never tried before. It is always the best when residents come back a week later looking for more! While working on our farms, I was tasked with projects to create resources for community farmers. Firstly, I created a post-harvest handling guide specific to our UFI farms. This document is filled with proper harvesting techniques, food standards and donation standards for the crops that we grow. Now, when people visit and volunteer at the farm, we have a guide that will answer any potential harvesting questions. I also created a crop planner to help the everyday farmer plan their season. This resource will estimate the harvesting date, how many transplants or ounces of seeds are needed and give an estimated yield, among other useful information. This allows the tedious planning process to be more efficient for farmers at any level. By creating these resources, I hope to make urban farming more accessible and inclusive for all communities. Working at our UFI farms has given me some of the most fulfilling, sweaty and dirty months of my life. Working under my mentor, Brien Darby, and alongside our seasonal farmer, Chloe, was one of the most valuable aspects of my internship. Both women are urban farming powerhouses that taught me how to not only be a better farmer, but also helped expose me to the larger farming community. Throughout my time at the Gardens I also worked with other horticulturists at York Street, where the other interns and I were able to explore their specialties and learn more about what they do. Through these experiences, I stepped out of my comfort zone and refined my horticultural skills. </p> I feel incredibly lucky to be able to learn and work with the some of the best horticulturists in the nation! I can’t thank Denver Botanic Gardens enough for making this summer unforgettable. This post was written by Marcelle Condevaux, a Colorado native and the Urban Agriculture intern. She is currently a senior at Colorado State University studying horticulture with a concentration in floriculture. In the next few years, she hopes to pursue a master’s degree in food studies where she hopes to bring communities closer together through food cultivation. </em> </p>
