The Making of Seed Paper (That will change the course of your future)

In choosing plants for the "50 Plants that Changed the Course of History" project. It dawned on my that many of these plants are already a part of my life. I love my garden and have seed, plants, vines and flowers that all had fascinating parts to play in history.

Since these plants are a part of my life, I wanted to weave my story in with theirs, and then share them with others to make these plants a part of their lives. These plants are part of our past, present, and future.

I chose plants that I knew I could make well into seed paper. The seeds needed to be small enough and common enough in home gardens that I could get my hands on them. Two (opium poppies and chives, meant to represent onions) were seeds I harvested from my own plants this year. The other three (lavender, jalapeno peppers and foxglove) were bought at my local gardening store where I buy many of my own seeds.

My garden:

The materials I used, other than the new seeds, were all remnants of previous projects, representing my past creations. The paper was recycled scraps from my practicum. The thread used to colour the paper was left from sewing projects. The kits I used to make the stamps were remnants from an art night I hosted with friends last summer. This project was connected to many things I consider a part of my identity - I am a teacher, a gardener and a maker.

Making seed paper:

I selected images for the stamps based on the history of each plant:
Opium poppies: a prescription bottle to represent their importance as a drug
Foxglove: a human heart to represent their use as medicine for the heart and kidneys
Jalapeno: a fire to represent their introduction to Europe as a shocking source of heat in food
Chives: Chives here represent onion, an important plant in creating our current classification of plant species. The stamp includes the genus name "Allium", common to both chives and onions. It also has a crying eye to show that the tears from cutting onions are shown to be chemically different from tears of sadness.
Lavender: was the first official eau de cologne and is represented by a perfume bottle.

Rubber stamps:

I also colour coded the paper:
Opium poppy: Black
Foxglove: Magenta
Jalapeno: Olive green
Chives: Yellow
Lavender: Blue

Finished product:

Seed paper is great to give as gifts. In general, the seeds are sprouted by just putting them in the ground covered with a little soil and keeping them damp until they grow, though some seeds may be a little more complicated (jalapeno needs warmth and lavender is stubborn). If you want to make your own, here is a little info on how I made the paper and the rubber stamps:

SEED PAPER

Seed paper is basically made by tearing up paper and blending it with water to make a mash. Create a mold with a mesh bottom (mine was just panty hose attached to a round of pop bottle with an elastic) and put your seeds and any other bits of decoration (thread or flower petals) in the bottom. Then add a few spoonfuls of the wet paper pulp on top, smoothing it out. Let the water drain from the bottom as much as possible. Try to dry it quickly in a warm area with good airflow, or else the seeds may start to grow.

Here is a tutorial from NASA: https://climatekids.nasa.gov/seed-paper/

Seed paper drying :

You can buy kits to make the rubber stamps. Basically, you draw what you want to stamp using a pencil on a piece of paper, rub it onto a layer of stamp rubber, and carve away anything you don't want included in your design using the provided tools. It is super easy and fun - just watch that you don't carve into your finger. Those tools are sharp!

Carving rubber stamps:

Classroom Community Reflections

I love how everyone in this class worked together as a community. We all came from different backgrounds and disciplines and that made for a much richer experience. I fed off of the creative energy of the other students and was not afraid to bring my own creative side to the projects and activities.

It was particularly easy and wonderful to see all the sharing in a botany class. Plants are an everyday part of our lives, particularly in the food that we eat. We all contributed things to eat and share, and it made us think more about where our food comes from and how it gets to us.

I loved creating the seed papers for everyone. It was a lot of work, but I don't get to work with my hands often enough, and so much of myself went into making it - my teacher side, my gardener side, and my crafting side. My partner helped in the making, so even that was a communal effort. I hope that they grow and flourish in the future!

We shared more than just food and gifts in this class, but we shared our personalities and inspirations. Working on the fern rubbing with Alexis we had to troubleshoot from our original idea of just doing a rubbing of a fern and eventually wound up with a really neat finished product.

We were going for something like this:

(Image from Sm'Arties)

These were our many failed attempts (from right to left):

The conversations and communal projects among students of varying backgrounds made for a really unique and enjoyable experience.

Plant Journal; Day 16 and Final Thoughts

Well, today is my final day with Budd. He has grown significantly and is now much taller than I am.

He has not yet bloomed, but has very obvious buds - much more than when I first met him and didn't even think he would bloom.

Many of the surrounding flowers have died and gone to seed, especially the vetch with its popping seed pods and the fireweed turning to airborne fluff.

This project has given me a sense of the passage of time that I don't normally get from my classes. I often find myself wondering when it started to be spring or summer, having completely missed the transitions. The seasons pass by without much of a thought.

Continuing to watch Budd and Leia, I would eventually see their flowers dry and shrivel up, revealing whatever kind of seed pod it is they make. The leaves would die off and they may even finally be cut down by UBC to prepare for the winter. I can see the past and future of this plant in its branches, leaves and flower buds. How it got here and the potential it has to spread more little buddlejas. It can help feed insects and birds, shade smaller plants and animals, and clean the air for all of us.

It is related to this place - to the wind and rain and concrete. Everything needed to work in just the right way for this plant to end up here. It is beautiful and random but also not - the plant is disrespected, cut, trampled and torn. But it's still here and will live on. I hope to be able to say the same for many other plants in my life.

Plant Journal; Day 15

It is much much cooler today and there is obviously much wind. The clouds are flying by in the sky and the grasses and tree branches are swaying all over the place. It's really lovely to watch.

When I arrived at my plant, a few of my friends were there. It was really hard to ignore them and just sit on my own, but was surprisingly comfortable once I settled in. There was still so much to watch and explore that I didn't miss their company.

The thing that surprised me the most today was a pigeon. It was walking along the ground pecking at (and eating) little black specks. Those specks were the seeds that had been popping out of the vetch (previously called wild peas) in the heat! It hadn't occurred t me that those seeds might feed animals around - I was still thinking of it from the perspective of a gardener trying to avoid weeds in the garden. But those seeds have lots of purposes in the wild other than just propagating plants.

Plant Journal; Day 14

It is so very hot today and I just could not bring myself to sit with Budd. I am further away watching from the shade for my own personal safety. Maybe it is the fact that i'm not in direct sunlight today, but I can see lots of fluffy plant seeds floating on the wind. This must be how Budd and Leia got here.

Today I discovered another buddleja around the corner just growing out of cracks in the pavement.

And on my walk to the UBC Farm, there was a lovely buddleja in bloom growing on the edge of a forest. These all seem to be volunteers!

I love that they are taking hold in man-made landscapes of their own volition. They are beautiful and great for insects!

Plant Journal; Day 13

It is so hot out sitting in the sun by Budd! How these plants are still alive is beyond me. I have never seen anyone water them - though I am not here all day long. I always come around lunchtime. I would der what this place would be like in the evening?

The good news is that Budd's neighbor Leia started to bloom over the weekend!

The sad news is that someone came along and destroyed one of the flower stalks.

My guess would be a child that has not yet been taught how to care for plants, but honestly some Univerity students have yet t learn that lesson.

Budd is close to blooming, so my hope is that he will be better respected and that Leia will be left alone in the future.

I am surprised that I have not thought to write about this before, but I am starting to get tired of the constant sound of mechanical humming next to this plant. I have no idea what this machinery is, but it makes noise in the background nonstop. Even with the constant sound of wind in the trees today, this mechanical noise dominates.

I noticed the sound every time I was here, and yet never mentioned it. I guess I just expect that kind of noise in aN urban environment - so why has it started to bother me now?

Thoughts on Payne and Wattchow's "Phenomenological Deconstruction..."

I'm a big fan of getting students outdoors without an immediate objective. I love how, in this class, we have just been sitting outdoors for our discussions and experiencing nature while having our discussions. There have been interesting moments during my outdoor classes - experiences where other students have shared their knowledge of plants, times when spiders or bees have distracted us and begun a conversation on whether or not these bugs are a "good" thing, and beautiful moments when someone notices an eagle flying overhead, or a hummingbird in a tree. These are moments that won't happen if you are just sitting in a classroom, and the best part is that they are student-driven. They are not forced as the students notice it and naturally begin a conversation.

Most schools have some kind of outdoor space. It may just be a field for sports, but there will usually be at least a handful of trees or landscaped flowers and that is enough to just get out and enjoy. Experience. Connect. Even those spaces will grow and change with the days, weeks, months. They will attract insects and animals, and the plants themselves will change and interact with one another.

Sitting with my plant every day has made me feel a connection to it - I felt a connection from day one and was heartbroken when someone walked through the little greenspace without thinking. I can imagine students wanting to protect their surrounding plants - clean up any litter and remind their friends to not tear the plants apart without reason.

An ongoing journal as well as just using the outdoor space as a place to learn and experience would do a lot to make students (hopefully even the most city-dwelling of them) feel their connection with the living things around them every day. Drawing attention to their place and their connections that they may already have with it, or with the plants in it (even just the oxygen they breathe) would be a great place to start. Discussing gardens, parks, forests, beaches, etc. that they love, as well as *why* they love them.

In other words, they are already connected to the living things around them. They just need to realize it.

Plant Journal; Day 10

Budd is officially taller than I am! Not by much, but the plant is clearly growing.

I sat on the opposite side of the plant today, and it gave me a very different perspective. Instead of looking out at the lawn where people were relaxing and playing, I watched the trees and grasses that woukd have been behind me swaying in the wind. I noticed the sound of the leaves rubbing together, underneath the noise from all the conversations around me. I needed that visual input to draw my attention to that sound.

When I got up close to take pictures of the plant, I could hear a quiet popping sound.  It is a hot day today and after a minute I realized that the sound was the seed pods from the wild peas popping open!

Until today, I had the impression that all the plants in this little green space had purple flowers: fireweed, purple clover, buddleja, wild peas, etc. But that isn't true. There is also white clover, but a number of yellow flowers as well. Dandelions and little yellow weeds. Several I can't yet identify as well. The purple just tends to dominate at this time of year. I wonder if there is a reason why they are mostly purple and yellow. Do the insects around here prefer those colours?

Stargazing, July 14th

targazing from the Greater Vancouver Area, July 14-15

By Sonya Neilson

The following will help you find some of the highlights in the sky on the night of July 14th. If you want to use an interactive app for your phone, I recommend downloading Google Skymaps.

July 14^th Highlights

·         4 planets visible to the naked eye (Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn)

·         2 flyovers by the International Space Station (ISS)

·         Moonless night, making stars more visible

·         Stars to look for: Mizar & Alcor, Polaris, Arcturus, Vega, Deneb, Altair, Antares

·         Interesting constellations: Big Dipper, Little Dipper, Cassiopeia, Bootes, Lyra, Cygnus, Aquila

Important Times

·         9:14                  Sunset

·         ~10:00              Best time to view Venus and find Jupiter

·         10:31                Mars rises

·         1:16                  Jupiter sets

·         2:05 -2:09          ISS (International Space Station), first flyover

·         3:39-3:45           ISS, second flyover

·         5:23                  Sunrise

Details

Best place for viewing planets in particular is somewhere with a view of the low horizon to the Southeast, South, and Southwest.

Planets:

Venus is only visible just after the sun sets, and will soon follow it below the horizon at 11:05. Just look straight up from where the sun set in the west when the first stars start to come out. Venus will be very bright – about as bright as a plane coming in to land. It is the third brightest object in our sky (after the sun and moon).

Jupiter will start to be visible around the same time as Venus. Turn to the South and look slightly higher than Venus was. It is still very bright, but not quite as bright as Venus. As the night goes on and the Earth turns, Jupiter (and the stars) will travel across our sky towards the West, setting at 1:16 am.

Saturn is in the sky as the sun sets, but is less bright and will be easier to find once a few of the stars have come out (10:30 is a good time). To find Saturn, first find Jupiter. Hold your fist out at arm’s length- you can use the width of your fist to measure distance across the sky. Just over 2 fists to the East (left) of Jupiter is a bright red flickering star called Antares. Antares is in the constellation of Scorpius and is considered to be the heart of the scorpion. Measure another two fists East from Antares, and you will find Saturn. In the very early evening it is easy to pick out because it shows up early and is fairly bright – about as bright as the brightest stars in the sky. Saturn will move to the south and then west through the night, finally setting in the west in the morning at 4:08.

Is it a planet or a star? One way to tell the difference is that stars twinkle and planets don’t. Saturn will not twinkle, even as the stars around it do.

Mars is the final visible planet tonight. It won’t rise in the East-Southeast until 10:31 pm, but will be very bright once it rises high enough to be seen. Mars will be far brighter than any of the stars around it and will have a very obvious orange colour. Mars is about as close as it can possibly get to the Earth right now, and even at this close distance, Mars is still a 6 month journey away, should you choose to go there. After midnight is probably a good time for Mars viewing, depending on the surrounding vegetation.

Stars and Constellations

Finding direction using constellations

The group of stars you probably know as the Big Dipper has been used by cultures all over the northern hemisphere for navigation and telling the time of year. Interestingly, many cultures on separate continents have named this group of stars after a bear, and they are known to the international astronomical union as being part of the constellation Ursa Major, or great bear.

In the evening, the Big Dipper will be above you in the Northwestern Sky. Its stars are all very bright and it is one of the easiest constellations to see in the city. When you find the Big Dipper, look closely at the star that makes up the “kink” in the handle – you will notice that it is actually two stars – a bright one named Mizar and a dimmer one next to it named Alcor.

The Big Dipper is your guide to finding other constellations. The two stars on the end of the “scoop” part are called the pointer stars (official names are Merak and Dubhe). Follow them up in the direction that water would “spill” out of the “scoop”, and the next bright star you find will be Polaris.

Polaris is the end of the handle of the dimmer group of stars known as the Little Dipper – your eyes may need some time to see the rest of this constellation, but Polaris is arguably the most important star in our night sky. Polaris is the North Star. It is directly above the North Pole of the Earth and is always seen in the same place in the sky. It will always be to the North of you, so if you draw a line straight down and find the horizon, that direction is North. Now you can find East, South, and West, just using the stars.

Cassiopeia can be found using the pointer stars in the Big Dipper as well. If you continue in the same direction from the pointer stars, past Polaris, you will find the “W” shaped constellation to the Northeast called Cassiopeia, meant to look like a queen sitting on her throne.

Bootes can also be found using the Big Dipper. If you follow the arc of the handle around as if it continued curving off in the distance, you will reach a very bright star called Arcturus. Remember, “Arc to Arcturus”. Arcturus is a massive red giant star nearing the end of its life. Arcturus is the point of a wedge-shaped group of stars known as Bootes, though most of the other stars will be difficult to see in the city.

The Summer Triangle

There are three bright stars in the summer sky that make up a large triangle: Vega, Deneb, and Altair. These three are all in separate constellations.

Vega is the brightest of these three stars, in the constellation of Lyra (the harp). It will be quite high overhead and slightly to the East in the evening. Vega is the 4^th brightest star in the sky, partly because it is so close to us at only 25 light years away (for comparison, Polaris is 430 light years away). There will be a small diamond-shaped group of dimmer stars near Vega that make up the rest of the constellation of Lyra.

Deneb is the second brightest star in the summer triangle. It is closer to the horizon and to the North of Vega. Deneb is part of Cygnus (the swan), also sometimes called the Northern Cross. Deneb is the top of the cross and is considered the tail of the swan (Deneb is the Arabic word for “tail”). In the direction of Cygnus the swan, scientists found the first ever black hole, discovered because it has a star orbiting it (appearing to spin around nothing). The black hole (named Cygnus X-1) is over 6,000 light years away and is still the closest confirmed black hole.

Altair is the final star making up our Summer Triangle. It is to the South of Deneb and closer still to the horizon. Altair is the latin word for “eagle” and Altair is the brightest star in a large diamond-shaped constellation called Aquila (the eagle). Altair is even closer to Earth than Vega – it is under 17 light years away, but the star itself is much dimmer than Vega.

The International Space Station (ISS)

We are lucky enough to have not one but two flyovers by the ISS. However, they won’t happen until the wee hours of the morning. If you find yourself awake between 2:05 and 2:09, or between 3:39 and 3:45, take the time to go and watch the largest human-made satellite fly overhead, along with its six occupants from Germany, USA, and Russia. The ISS looks brighter than any of the stars in the sky, in spite of being around 400 kms over our heads.

One of the mind-blowing thigs to think about is that those two flyovers are just over an hour and a half apart. During that time, the ISS had to travel around the entire planet. In order to stay in orbit and not crash down into the Earth, the ISS travels at 28,000 km/h.

The next Canadian to go to space, named David Saint-Jacques, is scheduled to head to the ISS in December of this year. He will be the next in just over 500 astronauts who have had the privilege to travel to outer space.

How to spot the ISS:

At 2:05 am, it will appear in the Western sky and travel to the East-Northeast for 4 minutes. It will appear just barely brighter than the brightest stars and will move slowly but obviously overhead. Like planets, the ISS does not twinkle. It may seem to appear or disappear from the sky rather than falling below the horizon – this is because the light we see on the ISS is reflected from the sun, so the ISS is not visible when it is in the shadow of the Earth.

The second ISS flyover happens at 3:39 am and is visible for 6 minutes - this time appearing in the West-Northwest and heading to the East.

Thoughts on "How Trees Talk to Each Other"

I love the idea of trees being communal beings - of sharing resources and caring for their young. We think of trees and plants as being so solitary and so slow as to be almost static and unchanging, so this whole idea of them helping one another in the underground world blows my mind.

It makes trees seem so much more like us - a community who need each other. If we take a tree and plant it alone in a pot are we harming it as much as putting a person alone in a cell? Does it need it's "community" to be well? Do we harm this fungal network with all our landscaping and interfering? What could we do instead to make sure the trees are cared for while still getting what we as a species need to be happy and healthy?

Plant Journal; Day 9

There are so many insects coming to visit this little patch of greenery. Beyond logic, the ground here seems very wet and is visited by bright blue dragonflies. There are bumblebees and honey bees landing on the clover, fireweed and other flowers, and cabbage butterflies wind in and out. I didn't think there was anything living in such a small patch disconnected from other greenery, but I wasn't thinking about the flying animals. Bugs have no problem getting here and visiting!

Budd's neighbor is just about to start blooming and a part of me feels almost competitive - like Budd should try and show it up somehow. Maybe by blooming sooner, bigger, or longer. I will name this second buddleja Leia. So far, Leia has an early lead on blooming, but maybe Budd will catch up! And if they bloom together, maybe Budd and Leia will make seeds I can collect!

The space around here is used for such a variety of events. There has been yoga and summer camps for kids, and today there is some kind of catered event with games and activities. I love seeing so much use of outdoor spaces.

Plant Journal; Day 8

Today is very sunny but there is a cool wind over much of the campus. However, there is very little wind in the protected corner where Budd is growing. It is warm and the plant has a healthy looking greenness about it. I, however, am sweating in the heat. I wonder if that lack of wind caused seeds to deposit here as the air slowed down. Is that how Budd got here?

There is a large group of people doing yoga on the lawn. They seem to be here once or twice a week over lunch. Thankfully they are not facing me, but they aren't
facing my plant either. Not many people pay attention to the little unassuming  buddleja. People stop and sit to eat their lunch, but he kind of blends in. Maybe that's why he is still there and has yet to be picked or mowed down - camouflage.

I love how this plant blurs the lines between natural and cultivated. It also opens up the question: does it really matter?

Plant Journal; Day 7

It rained last night and now there is no sign of the dark goop that was at the ends of some flower buds, so I hope that Budd will bloom alright. There are definitely more buds branching off of the sides, and the side shoots have gotten longer. Budd has the potential to put on quite a display.

I noticed today when I walked into the area where bud is growing that it is definitely a couple of degrees hotter than the surrounding roads and passages. Even though there are some trees and grassy fields, heat seems to accumulate there for some reason. Just not enough shade, I suppose. Interesting that there be wetland type plants growing in such a warm area.

Thoughts on Kimmerer's "Weaving Traditional Ecological Knowledge into Biological Education"

I used to think that true "science" was all done according to what we call the scientific method, and my mind initially rebelled against the idea that indigenous people's did science when I was first introduced to the concept. I now understand that what I had was a bias rooted so deep in my subconscious that I didn't even know it was there. Of course indigenous peoples did and still do science - now it blows my mind that I ever thought otherwise.

Indigenous peoples haven't been stumbling along clueless for thousands of years. They have traditions. They know things about their land. They know what to eat and what not to eat. They leaned what to use as medicines or to build their canoes or clothes out of. This was not done by accident - it was a source of trial and error and a careful approach to learning about their surroundings (AKA science). And imagine the kind of learning that can be done over thousands of years living in the same place, passing that information forward from generation to generation. There is an intimate relationship that is formed and abundant knowledge that is gained over such a long time. This knowledge has value and needs to be given respect, the same as our "scientific" ecological knowledge.

I always felt a sense of ridiculousness in making students test something that they will instinctively know the outcome of. What are we really trying to teach them? Are they really wrong when they say it is a waste of time? Making them measure the temperature in the sun and the shade, for example, would be pointless. Of course it is warmer in the sun. So why can't we treat them like the intelligent people they are and just get on to asking *why*?

The one thing we need to be careful of when discussing TEK is romanticizing indigenous peoples. There may be a collective wealth of knowledge in the first peoples of this land, but not every indigenous person is an expert in TEK. What's more, not every indigenous person with TEK will choose to share that with us. We need to approach each person as an individual, not as a library of ecological knowledge.

Traditional ecological knowledge has value alongside "scientific" ecological knowledge. The two compliment one another as each have added valuable information to our collective information database. Don't throw out the data just because you're not familiar with the source. Get to know where it came from and you may find a deeper respect for the data and those who collected it.

Plant Journal; Day 6

Budd seems to have grown taller over the weekend! I will have to start measuring. It surprised me to find the plant came up to my eyes in height.

I can't wait to see the colour of the flowers. I was looking at buddlejas over the weekend and found some with white flowers, some with purple. I think this one will be purple.

Unfortunately, the plant is showing minor signs of infestation. There is dark goop at the tip of the tallest flower buds and holes in some of the leaves. Not sure just what is the cause.

Plant Journal; Day 3

I have gotten in the habit of sitting with my plant while eating my lunch. I have started to think of it as my lunch companion, and rather enjoy its company. Today I finally looked up a little bit about my plant friend.

It turns out that butterfly bush's official genus name is buddleja, so I am going to name my plant friend Budd. Budd the butterfly bush. Varieties of butterfly bush live all over the Americas, Asia and Africa, so my plant friend could very well have started to grow here of its own accord,  which makes me happy given the small space it has to work with. How did it get here? Where were its parent plants? How far did the seeds travel? Budd is such a tough little pioneering plant!

Reflections on Warkentin's "Cultivating Urban Naturalists"

Reading this paper at first I thought the idea of nature journaling in central park absurd, but it makes sense. The plants there are very real and alive and go through similar cycles as those in the wild. I had never before thought of all the creatures that must be loving in Central Park - I have this image in my mind of it being a sterile place. Static and unchanging. But of course it does change! And there must be animals there! It made me want to go back to Central Park to really see and experience it with all my senses.

UBC is largely the same. Landscaped and planted; carefully groomed and maintained. Sitting with a plant here, I do feel like it is something static and unchanging. I'm looking forward to seeing what I can find.

I wonder how junior high school students would take to this kind of activity. I agree that those who did it would get incredibly rich and very personal experiences from the opportunity to just spend time being and experiencing in nature. But how much would they fight it? Would they take to it like little kids do, or would some of them completely miss the point? And how can we scaffold them to be sure they understand that it is important?

I think class warmup activities outside would be required first, like the soundscaping activity.  I especially like that this is a form of mindfulness training for young students who clearly need it. They need to get to know how to experience their surroundings and how they feel within them.

Plant Journal; Day 2

Today I took a closer look at my plant. There is another butterfly plant in the same little green space that has the beginnings of flowers blooming, and I was wondering why my plant did not. Especially considering the fact that the butterfly plants in my neighborhood have been in bloom for weeks. On closer inspection, it has buds coming up that should soon show blooms!

It also looks like someone has been doing some kind of care for this plant, as a branch has been cut off at some point in it's past. Does that mean it is planned to be here? Maybe there are no others in the adjacent spaces because they have been healthier here.

Choosing a Plant to Observe

I chose a butterfly bush in a small piece of green space in front of the Pacific Museum of Earth. I don't know the scientific name for butterfly bush *yet*.

What strikes me about this plant is how it's placement almost seems accidental, even though this is a plant that is cultivated in gardens. Does in grow wild in this region as well? Where is it originally from? Are they invasive?

I have fear that someone may come along and just chop down all the plants in this little green space. It looks wild and ukempt, which is unusual for UBC'S grounds. The clover and other plants almost look like they are choking it out. Will my butterfly bush be cut down as collateral damage?

-

While sitting here, some people came along and stepped into the plants in this little green space to cross it. This one little thing made me feel ANGRY. It's day one and I already feel connected to this space and these plants.