A Wandering Botanist
Lectures about a country, its history, culture, and plants. 3rd Wednesdays, 12-1 p.m., Gertrude Scott Room No registration required September 16 A Wandering Botanist in China China is about the size of the North America, with more different species of plants. It is very diverse, from deserts in the northwest to the subtropics in the south. This lecture will consider the long history of Chinese agriculture, familiar plants that came from China and the plant hunters who found them, American plants that are common in China today and some of the puns that make the Chinese particularly like certain plants. October 21 A Wandering Botanist in Iceland Iceland is a small independent island country just south of the Arctic Circle. It is scenic with volcanoes, waterfalls and green meadows. People from Norway settled there in the 9th century. They had a difficult time surviving, but they did. Icelanders speak a distinct language, have a fascinating history governing themselves, isolated for months, sometimes years, from the rest of the world. This lecture talks about what you see in modern Iceland and the traditions that underlie current customs with special reference to the role of plants the Iceland?s history. November 18 A Wandering Botanist in Panama and Costa Rica Panama and Costa Rica lie at the southern end of Central America. There, animals and plants of North and South America meet. Today cut by the Panama Canal, the Atlantic and Pacific coasts are quite different. Both countries have a mountain range down the center, adding greatly to biodiversity. Their histories are quite different, chiefly because the Panama Canal changed Panama immensely, bringing immigration and international power politics. This talk considers the complexity and diversity of the Central American tropics and the lessons learned from history, with emphasis on plants. December 16 A Wandering Botanist in Southern Spain Spain, on a peninsula in the southwestern corner of Europe, has both a different climate and different history (political and biological) from the rest of Europe. Those differences are greatest along the southern coast, where the temperatures are mildest and the Moorish influence lasted longest. This talk addresses the history and biology of southern Spain, with special reference to the plants.
Date and Time
Wednesday Sep 16, 2015
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM MDT
Sept. 16, Oct. 21, Nov. 18, Dec. 16 12-1 p.m.
Location
Loveland Public Library 300 N. Adams Ave.
Fees/Admission
free
Contact Information
bobbi 962-2401
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