Spanish draba (Draba hispanica)
Poor drabas! Such a colorless name…and they have other image problems too–that acid
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When gardeners dish the dirt, they may speak of soil, either their own or the soil they wished they had. It really is the bed in which you make your garden lie. So 2008 MacArthur ‘Genius’ award recipient David Montgomery, author of Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations, is the perfect speaker to help peer into our soil’s soul and see what sustainable means to the planet’s soil.
Speaking at March 4th’s Down and Dirty: the Scoop on Soil, Dr. David Montgomery will share his thoughts on the human relationship with soil. Today’s gardeners interested in growing food, enjoying beauty and living sustainably have many of the same challenges that humans have faced throughout history. Plant nutrition, soil erosion, healthy harvests, sustainable production all have underground dimensions: any garden’s foundation is literally the soil.
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A new decade brings more exciting transformation–to the Gardens, to our Botanic Buzz
e-newsletter (sign up here to receive your copy), and soon, to our Web site. How do you like our new blog design?
We have so many authors from all parts of the Gardens (click on the “More Authors” link in the right column under “authors” to see all of our most recent bloggers) that we wanted to make it even easier for you to learn some of our points of view about Denver Botanic Gardens and Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield by navigating through our new blog layout. I’ll be posting photos of our authors soon so you can see who we are.
Continue to enjoy our blog and these topics:
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Its when it gets cold that you appreciate warmth. Thick socks, long underwear, hats with ear flaps and home-knit scarfs become some of my favorite things. Standing over the heat vent while the furnace is running is not far behind.
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As we wind down this trip, our last visit before we leave Uruapan is the Eduardo Ruiz National Park. This natural park is built around the river Cupatitzio which leads to a couple of waterfalls. The entire park is surrounded by many manmade water features along with the naturally flowing water as well as rich plant life characteristic of this mountain region. The damage caused by the recent heavy rainfall is evident in the form of fallen trees, broken branches and tattered leaves. Coffea arabica (coffee) plants line the sides of pathways and are in fruit ripening stage. We also encounter a large specimen of strangler fig (Ficus sp.). A fruit stand within the park offers a couple of varieties of mangoes and the smaller variety I purchased is very tasty.
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About 20 minutes from Patzcuaro is the Tzintzuntzan Archeological Site, which was built by the native peoples of the region, the Purépechas around 1200 AD. The name Tzintzuntzan means ‘place of the hummingbirds’. The ruins consist of five ceremonial temples with circular, terraced platforms. The Purépechas were a community of Native Americans who were the only ones who stood up to the Aztecs and were not defeated. Until the arrival of the Spanish in the 1500’s the Purépechas had not known military defeat. From here we visit the town of Tzintzuntzan, where we visit the local church and the Franciscan monastery. Ancient olive trees line the avenue to the church. Being carnival day, the church is decorated in fresh flowers.
After viewing the Monarch butterflies at Sierra Chincua, our next stop is the town of Patzcuaro. Located 53 km southwest of Morelia, Patzcuaro was an important ceremonial center of the native Purepechas people before the pre-Hispanic period. The town center consists of streets paved in cobblestones and is anchored by a magnificent church, bounded by buildings constructed with adobe and tile.
All of us had been waiting for this day…the highlight of the trip. The Sierra Chincua Monarch Sanctuary is one of four publicly accessible sanctuaries, two of which are in the state of Mexico (El Rosario & Sierra Chincua) and two in the state of Michoacán (Cerro Pelón & La Mesa). A 45-minute drive from Tlalpujahua takes us to the Reserve entrance. The butterfly site is another 45-60 minute hike from the entrance and some opt to go on horseback while others hike through the forests. The predominant tree species is the Oyamel fir (Abies religiosa), named so because of the branching structure that looks like a cross.
