Scientists from the University’s School of Biological Sciences will be on hand to reveal the secrets of the garden and visitors can take along flowers from their own gardens to examine under UV light and view the flowers through the eyes of a bee. There will also be an opportunity to view the Seeds of Change display set amongst the garden’s extensive plant collections.
Nick Wray, Curator of the Botanic Garden, said: “There is a wealth of diversity in gardens that goes unnoticed, from the important native plants that sneak in as ‘weeds’ to life at a microscopic scale.
“Visitors will have the opportunity to take part in a plant hunt in the wild flower meadow, with prizes for the most species discovered, and to trek through Bristol’s own desert and tropical rainforest to learn how plants adapt to living in extreme environments.”
Dr Mimi Tanimoto from the UK Plant Sciences Federation, a Special Interest Group of the Society of Biology, explained: “Plants are fundamental to our existence, providing us with food, fuels, medicines, building materials, fibres and paper. They deliver services such as flood control, and enhance our recreational space, physical and mental health and cultural practices. We want to share the amazing world of plants with a wider audience, and engage in discussions about how plant sciences are helping to address global challenges.”
This year also marks an important biological anniversary: the 100th anniversary of the death of Alfred Russel Wallace, the eminent Victoria naturalist and explorer, who together with Charles Darwin conceived the theory of evolution by natural selection.
Largely unknown to the general public, Wallace is also recognised as the ‘father of biogeography’ because of his extensive and insightful studies of the distributions of animals in equatorial regions of the Americas and Asia. His studies of the Malay Archipelago led to the demarcation of the Wallace Line, which divides Indonesia into a western region where animals are of Asian origin, and an eastern region where animals are more like those of Australia.
The Botanic Garden Fascination of Plants Day will take place on Sunday 19 May from 10 am to 4.30 pm.
Admission is £3.50 for non-members, free to Friends of the Botanic Garden, University staff and retired staff, students and children under 16. No booking required.
Further information is available from the Botanic Garden, tel 0117 331 4906 or email botanic-gardens@bristol.ac.uk