Celebrating Plants and the Planet:

What doesn't kill us makes us stronger, isn't that what we keep hearing? Too soon to know what our current challenges will bring us, but I can say that the natural world shows that adversity brings opportunity.

February's links at www.zooplantman.com  (NEWS/Botanical News) demonstrate the resourcefulness of Nature.

·         Caterpillars panic when wasps or even honeybees approach. If farmers encourage bees, they will need less insecticide.

·         Milkweed plants are famous for their defenses against caterpillars, but they are changing: evolving to concentrate more on easy, speedy repair rather than expensive chemical defense.

·         Are insect pests a bad thing, or do they, in fact, encourage plant diversity?

·         As competition grows, you have to get creative. One tree encourages a pollinator no one took seriously.

·         Just how does the urban forest (the trees around our buildings) slow climate change? Let me count ...and quantify …the ways.

The Dallas Zoo is planning an ambitious new African Savanna exhibit featuring elephants, giraffes and lions. Find out more at www.zooplantman.com under "Projects."

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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