Darwin's Garden

For those of you in the NYC area or just passing thru, you may want to check out an interesting exhibit coming up at the New York Botanical Garden. It's called Darwin's Garden: An Evolutionary Adventure and is open between Apriil 25th - July 20th 2008.

"The cornerstone of the Garden-wide show is an exhibition of Charles Darwin's original manuscripts, field notebooks, plant collections, and other historical documents chronicling Darwin's progression from a boy with an interest in plants to an evolutionary botanist who revolutionized the world's view of life."

In the Haupt Conservatory, is a display that, "echoes the characteristic architecture of Down House. Just outside the model is a reproduction of the flower garden--bursting with primroses and other seasonal favorites—tended by his wife, Emma. Darwin's greenhouse, its benches lined with carnivorous plants, is nearby, not too far from the kitchen garden where Darwin grew food for his table and flowers for his experiments. Off in the distance is the orchard where Darwin created a “weed garden”--a plot of earth that he cleared and allowed to regenerate on its own so that he could observe natural selection in action."

In addition, a symposium moderated by Edward O. Wilson will be held in early May. The speakers include philosopher Michael Ruse; Rita Colwell, the former director of NSF; Barbara Schaal, vice-president of the National Academy of Sciences; and Ken Miller of Kitzmiller v Dover fame. I'll be attending both sessions if I can get tickets.

Drawing: Darwin's garden at The Mount in 1866.