1. tomorrowstable
  2. Spring in California: Saturday is Fascination of Plants Day

Spring in California: Saturday is Fascination of Plants Day

By pronald on May 16, 2013.


Field covered in orange poppies and other wildflowersOn Saturday, May 18, the second international "Fascination of Plants Day" will take place under the umbrella of the European Plant Science Organization (EPSO). Join in to see for yourself how fascinating plant are. Show your support for plant science, which is critical for sustainable food production, biobased medicines, and energy.  There are 54 countries participating in the Fascination of Plants Day, with over 650 institutions involved and 950 events planned!

Check out this interactive map that shows all of the participating countries.

Here at the University of California, Davis, the renowned Botanical Conservatory will be open from 10am – 1pm on the 18th of May to celebrate Fascination of Plants Day 2013. The conservatory is home to the titan, or Amorphophallus titanium, a truly fascinating plant that takes 15 years to bloom, and has only been known to flower about 100 times around the world, including 7 times at UC-Davis!titan

Two more exciting events are plants in California, one at the Plant Biology Department at the Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford and the other at the Livermore Art Association. At Stanford, middle school students from East Palo Alto will use advanced imaging technologies to observe fluorescence and luminescence in plant materials. Further details about this event can be found here on the Fascination of Plants Day website. At the second event in Livermore, local artists and children will celebrate the impact of plants on our lives by decorating bicycle wheels with creative plant themes. On May 18th the wheels will be displayed by participating businesses in downtown Livermore along the path of the Amgen Tour of California. Details about this event can be found here.

The Fascination of Plants Day has attracted a lot of attention all over the world, with the Ministers of Agriculture in the Czech Republic, Norway and Slovakia officially serving as national patrons. The nearly 1000 events internationally will showcase about 250,000 plant species! Details about the various events and lots of fun facts and information can be found on Twitter.

 

Tags
biofortified
botany
food
garden
genetics and society
sustainability

More like this

Even Corpse Flowers have blogs nowadays!
Brian O'Brien of Gustavus Adolphus College has sent along an important message for those of you who like big flowers that stink of rotting meat—they've got one. In 1993 I obtained seeds of the plant Amorphophallus titanum (common names: Titan Arum; Corpse Flower) from Dr. James Symon, who had…
The Evolution of Affluence
History tends to make even the most unlikely revolutions seem inevitable. Looking backwards to the 18th century, it's easy to conclude that the Industrial Revolution was bound to happen, that the forward march of modernity was predestined. But what this fatalistic view of history overlooks is just…
Big Fish Sell--Too Bad There Aren't More of Them
The Domesday Book of Giant Salmon (~$75), a story book of the biggest Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) caught since the 18th century, is an unexpected best-seller this year. A special edition of the book priced at $1311 sold out before it was even ready to be shipped. Good thing the Atlantic salmon…
Study suggests U.S. science teaching falls short on content.
The U.S. Department of Education has just announced the results of a study comparing what's going on in 8th grade science classrooms in the U.S. , the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Japan, and Australia. You will be shocked -- shocked! -- to learn that U.S. science students did not do as well as…

The Fascination of Plants Day has attracted a lot of attention all over the world