Our spook-tacular Halloween Trail is in full swing!
Caley, the good garden witch, has turned her cat, Miàgh, into a toad!
Join the trail from 17th – 20th & 24 – 27th October to find the plant potion ingredients to turn her back into a cat!
The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh’s (RBGE) project to digitise its renowned Herbarium collection has reached a significant milestone as it celebrates the digitisation of its one millionth specimen.
The digitisation project aims to bridge the gap between the collection and the public by making data visible on an accessible platform – taking an innovative approach to scientific data sharing.
In line with this commitment to empower learners and share their resources, the Garden invited the Expedition Botanics – Secondary Summer Club, a group of 15–18-year-olds with a budding passion for science, to get behind-the-scenes access to the digitisation process of the millionth specimen.
To celebrate the milestone the Herbarium, which holds an ever-growing collection of over three million specimens, RBGE has digitised a specimen of Stereocaulon vesuvianum. The specimen, which is a species of lichen*, was collected by Dr Rebecca Yahr, Lichenologist at the Garden, during an expedition up Ben Nevis to mark 250 years since the first recorded climb up the historic mountain.
The landmark expedition was part of RBGE’s contribution to the Darwin Tree of Life (DToL) project, a groundbreaking genome-sequencing programme aimed at unlocking DNA sequences of all the species in Great Britain and Ireland.
By examining plant and fungal lineages and their characteristics, the Garden works collaboratively with partner organisations, including the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, the Wellcome Sanger Institute, the University of Oxford and the University of Edinburgh, to reflect on plants’ ancestry – plantcestry – uncovering invaluable insight into how life on Earth has evolved and how we can support global biodiversity conservation efforts.
Rebecca Yahr said: “Scotland has an important role in international conservation, particularly for lichens. Celebrating the milestone with this important specimen is an exciting opportunity for us to highlight Scotland’s unique biodiversity and extend RBGE’s mission to research and understand lichens more generally.”
The Garden’s Herbarium is home to species from 157 countries – an impressive scientific collection which was historically hard to access. The digitised platform, which showcases the rich and diverse plant lineage, now sees requests come in from across the globe from students, scientists and plant enthusiasts alike.
Closer to the community, the Garden’s Secondary Summer School had the opportunity to engage with the living collection as well as apply their learnings to the natural world. One of the lucky youngsters, 15-year-old Bernice Nwagu, was selected to digitise the millionth specimen, highlighting the Garden’s commitment to investing in future generations and sparking their curiosity in career paths within the industry.
The vibrant working collection, which traces back 350 years, is being digitised into high-resolution images that can be viewed by anyone with an internet connection. It demonstrates not only Scotland’s biodiversity but details regions around the world where RBGE has worked in partnership with local experts for generations.
Democratising access to reference collections such as the Garden’s provides scientists around the globe with an enriched understanding of the environment in their quest to conserve our fragile habitats.
Leading the digitisation project, Professor Olwen Grace, Deputy Director of Science (Collection) and Curator of the Herbarium said: “Being able to share this information with scientific communities as well as the public allows us to develop a more robust understanding of biodiversity challenges and the solutions that can help us build resilience to shifting climates.
“As biodiversity scientists, it’s both the best and worst time for us to be working. It is far easier to share and translate our work on plant lineages to produce models that demonstrate direct impacts and help us tackle problems at national and global scales; however, the acceleration of climate change means that we are in a race against time.
“At the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, we see it as our moral imperative to share this information, especially when we are facing a global biodiversity crisis.”
As part of the Garden’s commitment to building a positive future for biodiversity and providing access to the collection that represents half to two-thirds of the world’s flora, the digitisation process has followed the ‘FAIR Guiding Principles for scientific data management and stewardship’. This has ensured the data has been standardised in terms of findability, accessibility, interoperability and reusability of digital assets.
Hop on over to the Botanics this weekend to join in with our Easter Trail!
Set off on a hunt for the Golden Egg, discovering different animals and their eggs on your journey to help the Botanics bunny.
Now open daily until Sun 14 Apr, find out more:
The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh opened its gates to ‘Christmas at the Botanics’ this evening, Thursday 17 November, with an awe-inspiring trail of new installations.
The Garden, full of Christmas cheer, is inviting the people of Edinburgh, Scotland and beyond to embrace the festive season and to support the trail. A visit to the magical, botanical illuminated trail is a way of helping to fund the Garden’s important plant conservation work.
Director of Enterprise and Communication at the Garden, Kari Coghill said: “Christmas at the Botanics has increased in popularity each year and has become one of the city’s most popular festive traditions. Its opening is a milestone moment in the capital’s festive calendar that kicks off the holiday season feeling for so many people.
“Bringing new installations to the trail is exciting and we are also bringing back much-loved favourites this year too, such as the light projection on the front of Inverleith House and the ‘Christmas Cathedral’, a tunnel of sparkling lights which has provided so many fantastic Christmas images for visitors in recent years.
“Visitors to the light trail contribute directly to our wider work because our profits from ticket sales support the Garden’s plant research and conservation efforts in Scotland and around the world.”
New Installations:
· Lilies by Jigantics, 12 one-metre high LED illuminated lilies floating on the Botanics Pond.
· Aurora by Ithaca, recreating the famed visual tones of the stunning Aurora Borealis.
· Christmas Gifts by Woody Fox, 14 giant wicker sculptures of Christmas presents.
· Feathers by Pyrite Creative, a display of UV feathers up to two metres in length which appear to float in the trees.
· Floraison by French artistic collective Pitaya features 240-red-lit flowers.
· Edison Trees includes 60 reproductions of the filament bulbs made popular by London’s historic Edison Electric Light Company at the turn of the century.
This year’s trail is more twinkly than ever but has been created with sustainability in mind. The installations are low in energy usage, over 90% of the trail is LED, and are lit by the Garden’s main power supply to remove the need for generators.
Continuous lighting of trails and paths has been avoided and audience area lighting is only used where it is necessary for public safety.
Kari Coghill added: “Part of the joy of the trail is that it is a chance to be in the Botanics after dark and to experience the Garden from a whole new perspective.
Our trail designers have been appointed on the strength of their experience of working in environmentally sensitive ways in heritage and landscape settings. This year’s trail is the best yet.”
The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is a world-leading scientific organisation, a globally important resource, and a charity funded by the Scottish Government and by visitor income. Visitors to the trail contribute to the Garden’s wider work which addresses biodiversity loss and the impact of the climate crisis.
Christmas at the Botanics is one of 14 illuminated trails staged across the UK by leading events promoter Raymond Gubbay Limited, a division of Sony Music. Christmas at the Botanics is presented in partnership with the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and creative producer Culture Creative.
Jonathan Marks, Director at Raymond Gubbay, the division of Sony Music which is promoting the event, said: “It is always exciting to open Christmas at the Botanics.
“The trail attracted over 90,000 visitors during its five-week run last year and we hope that this year’s trail will inspire even more people to come and enjoy the trail, a festive tradition for so many. Everyone involved in the production has worked hard to provide a special experience for all who attend as they explore installations old and new.”
Tickets for this year’s show are available to buy. For further ticket information, pricing and timings, please visit www.rbge.org.uk/christmas.
Visitors are encouraged to book in advance to avoid disappointment. The trail runs for 37 nights on selected evenings from 17 November to 30 December 2022.
For more details visit https://mychristmastrails.co.uk/ and follow @mychristmastrails on Facebook and Instagram.
Seagrass meadows and oysters are being put on the path to recovery in the Firth of Forth in a major marine restoration project – supported by the ScottishPower Foundation – that will enhance the local environment and help tackle climate change.
Announced days before the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference gets underway in Glasgow, ‘Restoration Forth’ will see up to £600,000 awarded over three years from the Foundation’s Marine Biodiversity Fund, which was created to mark the year of COP.
The first award from the fund – and the biggest-ever grant provided by the Foundation – Restoration Forth will be managed by WWF, the leading independent conservation organisation, in partnership with scientists, charities and local community groups. They will work together to design a blueprint to restore and sustainably manage seagrass and oyster habitats for a thriving Firth of Forth.
Often described as the ocean’s unsung hero, seagrass provides important habitat for marine life and is an incredible tool in the fight against climate change. Oyster reefs – which once flourished in the Forth – remove pollutants and provide sanctuary for a vast array of marine life.
Working closely with local communities, the restoration of these two species will enhance the coastal and marine environment of the Forth, support nature-based solutions to address climate change, and create opportunities for local people to reconnect with the sea.
ScottishPower Foundation’s grant is the first funding contribution towards the £2.4 million total cost of the project, which aims to restore up to four hectares of seagrass and 10,000 oysters per year by the end of 2024.
Ricardo Zanre, WWF’s Ocean Restoration Programme Manager said: “Coastal habitats like seagrass meadows and oyster reefs are vital to a thriving marine environment but across the UK we’ve seen their steep decline over the last century.
“This is a concerning loss in so many ways – for the homes they provide for marine life, their value in absorbing carbon dioxide and improving water quality and their importance as heritage for coastal communities.
“The Forth is an amazing example of a place where local communities working to restore coastal habitats can not only help to bring back these benefits, but also to strengthen the connection between nature and community. We’re hugely grateful to the ScottishPower Foundation for sharing this vision and their support in helping to achieve it”
Melanie Hill, Executive Officer and Trustee of the ScottishPower Foundation, said: “We’re really excited that Restoration Forth is the first project supported by our Marine Biodiversity Fund. With COP26 about to get underway, the climate emergency is very much at the forefront of all our thoughts and there is no time to waste.
“This project – supported by the biggest-ever grant awarded by the Foundation – is a great example of how we can take action now to restore our coastal habitats. Thriving marine environments are crucial if we are to tackle the biodiversity and climate crises and Restoration Forth will allow us to make a positive impact in partnership with local people and communities, who are at the heart of the Foundation’s work.
“A large part of our funding will go towards developing a skills development programme for local communities to protect their restored coastal environment. This incredible work in the Firth of Forth will provide a blueprint for restoring ecosystems through a collaborative community approach.
“It has the potential to be used as a model for marine biodiversity restoration projects across Scotland and around the world, ensuring the Foundation will help create a positive climate legacy for years to come. That’s exactly what we wanted to achieve when we created our new fund and why we’re so proud to work with so many esteemed partners to help turn this project from a vision into a reality.”
Partners supporting WWF to deliver Restoration Forth include Edinburgh Shoreline Project, Fife Coast & Countryside Trust, Heriot Watt University, Marine Conservation Society, Project Seagrass, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Scottish Seabird Centre, The Ecology Centre, The Heart of Newhaven Community and Wardie Bay Beachwatch.
The ScottishPower Foundation was established in 2013 to make a significant and lasting contribution to society, enhancing the lives of people living in communities throughout the UK. It provides funding to help support the advancement of education, environmental protection, arts and culture and citizenship. It also supports charities who aim to provide relief from poverty, disability, or other disadvantages.
As world leaders arrive in Glasgow for the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), scientific experts have created a virtual tour showcasing research to tackle Scotland’s climate crisis.
Researchers from across SEFARI (a consortium of six globally renowned Scottish Environment, Food and Agriculture Research Institutes) have joined forces to highlight how innovative research is helping Scotland adapt to, and mitigate, the impacts of climate change.
Covering everything from peatlands to parasites, the Google Earth tour includes videos by scientists from Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), James Hutton Institute, Rowett Institute, Moredun Research Institute, BioSS and Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE).
Supported by SEFARI Gateway, the tour takes in collaborative research in the Forsinard Flows and at SRUC’s Kirkton and Auchtertyre farms into the impact of peatland restoration on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Visitors are transported to Scotland’s rainforests, to hear how scientists are protecting the vulnerable species living there, and into the world of parasites to learn how these opportunistic organisms are adapting to climate change as part of research at the Moredun Research Institute.
The team at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh demonstrates how rain gardens can regulate the flow of water during extreme weather events, helping urban environments combat the impacts of both flooding and drought, while researchers from the Rowett Institute explain how novel crops such as hemp can help sequester carbon, promote biodiversity and restore the health of our agricultural land.
Visitors can experience the seascape of Aberdeenshire, where research into people’s perceptions has helped to develop visually appealing coastlines that also deliver renewable energy, and visit the James Hutton Institute’s Climate-Positive Farming initiative at Glensaugh farm, where a transformational approach to farming is helping to achieve net zero targets, while protecting and enhancing biodiversity and ensuring a sustainable farm business.
Finally, at SRUC’s GreenCow facility near Edinburgh, researchers explain how state-of-the-art respiration chambers are being used to identify measures to reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions from cattle production systems.
Dr Lorna Cole, an Agricultural Ecologist at SRUC, said: “Last year saw me working from home, lecturing Wildlife and Conservation Management students and home-schooling two teenagers.
“This really highlighted the value of interactive online teaching resources that are both accessible and accurate.”
Professor Lorna Dawson, SEFARI Gateway Lead for Environment and principal scientist at the James Hutton Institute, said: “The best thing about this virtual tour is that everyone can join, in their own time, from the comfort of their home or office, to learn more about how we are working together in collaboration and cooperation, across the institutes and with our partners, to help tackle the important issues of climate change and biodiversity loss – ensuring that Scotland’s people, biodiversity and industries continue to thrive now and into the future.”
To join the tour, visit: https://bit.ly/OnSEFARITour
Next Saturday, a 10 metre tall sea goddess will appear at the Botanics.
With eyes the colour of oyster shells and a voice like the chorus of the waves, Storm has emerged from the deep to encourage us all to celebrate our seas, care for our coastlines and empower us to put the environment first.
This intimate experience from Vision Mechanics marks Scotland’s Year of Coasts and Waters 20/21 and is an incredible opportunity to see a folklore giant made-real.
From 11am on Saturday 30 October 2021 | Free entry | RBGE Creative Programmes
Bringing much-needed merriment to round off a tough year for all, the twinkling trail will be one of the few festive activities happening in the capital this year thanks to its outdoor setting and a series of stringent health and safety measures to protect visitors.
These include regulated entry time slots, limited capacities, reduced dwell times, contactless ticket scanning and a one-way trail route.
Attendees must book their tickets online in advance of their visit and follow the lasted Scottish Government restrictions on travel and meeting others.
Delivering a dazzling display of lights, projections and lasers, the one mile long after-dark extravaganza will welcome back some of the Garden’s most popular installations including the Cathedral of Light and Laser Garden.
For those who are on his ‘good’ list this year, Santa Claus will make an appearance outside on the trail to greet visitors at a distance, while several new installations include a projected light show on the Garden’s modernist Front Range Glasshouses and Starfield – a display of 20 giant LED twinkling stars – are also set to be firm favourites for 2020.
In line with Scotland’s new Covid-19 local protection levels and travel restrictions, this year the trail’s success is dependent on support from the residents of the City of Edinburgh local authority area.
Simon Milne MBE, Regius Keeper of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, said: “We are calling on the people of Edinburgh to show their support by visiting Christmas at the Botanics.
“By coming to the trail not only will visitors enjoy a wonderful festive experience but also help us and our work enormously. Profits from the trail go to help finance our important and innovative plant research and conservation programmes in Scotland and around the world.
“Never has our work been more crucial as we face the interrelated challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, biodiversity loss and climate change. This has been a hugely difficult year for us all. At the Botanics, we want to end the year by creating something very special for the City and we hope everyone will come and enjoy some festive fun.”
The 2019 trail welcomed 76,000 visitors during its five-week run – and the 2020 event promises to be equally as popular.
Jonathan Marks, Chief Development Director at Raymond Gubbay, a division of Sony Music, which promotes the event, added: “Christmas at the Botanics has established itself as a truly uplifting experience that helps the capital kick off the festive season in style, and it’s never been more needed than in 2020.
“A lot of work has gone into making the trail Covid-safe so that our customers can visit with confidence. I am thrilled that the team has made it happen. The fusion of the beautiful natural setting of the Garden combined with the striking, modern art created by the lights provides a deeply atmospheric and magical setting and we can’t wait for visitors to experience it for themselves.”
Due to Covid-19 ALL tickets must be pre-booked for the trail in advance online. For ticket information, pricing and timings, please visit the website below and follow @mychristmastrails #ChristmasAtTheBotanics
https://christmasatthebotanics.seetickets.com/timeslots/christmas-at-the-botanics/
Christmas at the Botanics is one of seven illuminated trails by leading events promoter Raymond Gubbay Limited, a division of Sony Music, in partnership with the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh and creative producer Culture Creative.
More information on the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh health and safety measures can be accessed here: https://www.rbge.org.uk/visit/visiting-us-during-covid-19/
PICTURES: Phil Wilkinson
Green-fingered gardening enthusiasts are being given expert tips on how to make their gardens bloom while keeping water usage low.
Herbaceous Supervisor at Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) Kirsty Wilson, who is also a BBC Beechgrove presenter, is supporting a drive with Scottish Water to remind homeowners of ways to be more environmentally friendly when it comes to gardening.
Kirsty said that although her ‘garden’ at RBGE is 70 acres, there are plenty of methods that people can adopt in their domestic setting to ensure they are not being wasteful with water.
Ensuring water resources are protected and waste reduced is a vital part of how Scottish Water is supporting sustainability, which is being highlighted during Climate Week.
One of the best tips is to water in the morning, which will allow plants to draw from water throughout the day, avoiding anything draining away overnight.
Kirsty said: “We can train our plants to drink water slowly by giving them less water, which will actually encourage them to drink less. In essence, if you keep the glass half full, your plants will adapt and learn to drink more slowly.
“If we swap hoses for watering cans, we can save a lot of water – using a watering can slows the flow of water, meaning more water stays in your plant pot rather than running out of the base.”
People with gardens should avoid watering lawns and grass, as the average lawn will bounce back quickly after a burst of rainfall – which is still always likely in Scotland.
Kirsty, who has also worked at Highgrove House for HRH the Prince of Wales, RBGE’s royal patron, added: “You can make your garden more environmentally friendly by installing a water butt – not only is rainwater better for your plans than mains tap water, it reduces pressure on drains during periods of heavy rain.
“If you don’t have space for a water butt, you can improve how well your soil holds water by adding organic materials like homemade compost, so when it does rain the soil retains more water.
“Water from your household is also ok to use, with care, on your outdoor plants – water from your kitchen, washing machine, baths or showers, is safe to use on most garden plants.”
RBGE is the latest to Join the Wave in supporting Scottish Water’s ‘Your Water Your Life’ campaign, which aims to encourage people to celebrate the country’s precious, natural resource – our Scottish tap water.
According to Kirsty and RBGE, gardens play an important role in preventing surface water from flooding urban areas. Green spaces soak up rain, whereas tarmac and paving can increase the amount of rainwater that runs off into street drains.
RBGE is also pioneering an experimental ‘Raingarden’ which is already proving to be helpful in understanding and planning strategies for coping with unpredictable weather.
Kirsty added: “Longer dry periods followed by heavy downpours are particularly problematic in terms of maintaining plant health and avoiding localised flooding in gardens of all sizes.
“Lawns are simply not effective at soaking up or trapping excess water and the answer does not lie in resorting to concrete or paving. We need to develop different gardening practices. Replacing hard surfaces and grass areas with a mixed selection of herbaceous perennials and shrubs can capture water runoff and increase the wildlife and habitat value of the area. This is a model that can be picked up and adapted to suit the needs of any plot, large or small.”
Brian Lironi, Director of Corporate Affairs at Scottish Water, said: “‘Your Water Your Life’ aims to highlight the importance of water in all of our lives, encouraging us to think about our water usage in a different way.
“Gardens and green spaces played a huge role in our lives during lockdown as a positive place and outlet for many of us to channel our energy. These tips show us how easy it is to keep our gardens green and beautiful while also being mindful of how much water we use.
“As we all strive to reduce the impact of all our activity on the environment and increase biodiversity, using water efficiently, saving it where we can and reducing waste, will really help.”
As Herbaceous Supervisor at RBGE, Kirsty is part of a globally important plant research and conservation horticulture institute, working at home and around the world to combat the impact of the climate emergency and biodiversity crisis.
Kirsty works with scientists and fellow horticulturists, outreach ranges from engaging with students and volunteers to her Beechgrove appearances, leading tours, writing articles, and inspiring citizens of Scotland to make changes for the better.
Find out more at: https://www.yourwateryourlife.co.uk/
FRIDAY 11 OCTOBER from 1 – 3pm at Granton:hub
Come and join us on Friday 11th October for a pot filling and seeding event at Granton Hub Wildflower Nursery; growing wildflowers for the Square Metre for Butterflies project as part of Edinburgh Living Landscape.
We need some help! Come along any time from 1.00 pm – 3.00 pm at the Granton Hub 33 Granton Park Avenue, EH5 1HS.
All welcome!
And the bonus is Coffee, tea and cake will be provided at the new Granton Hub cafe.
If you need any further information please get in touch with Leonie Alexander l.alexander@rbge.ac.uk
