The podcast for curious plant-lovers who want to learn more about their favourite green friends over a cup of tea. Your hostess Judith, plant-scientist by training, meets with other plant-lovers around the globe to explore the origins, history, biology, science, use and meaning of plants for us in the past, present and future.
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Have you ever heard about bioart? Did you know that microbial biofilms and fungal cultures on Petri dishes can become pieces of art? All this and much more you can discover in my interview with Uppsala based artist Amanda Selinder. In her work Amanda fuses her background in fine art and her passion for textiles and natural pigments with her curiosity for biological processes. The latest outcome were fascinating pieces of artwork that give a glimpse into the life and biology of endophytic fungi isolated from leaves. In this podcast interview we talked about - How her interest for fine art emerged - How she discovered bioart and what can be done with it - Why she decided to go back to university to study biology - How she dyes silk with natural pigments from fungi - How this arts project has developed into a scientific study Brew yourself a cup of tea and enjoy this interview!
During the last two episodes we have shared clues with you about the Christmassy mystery plant and here we reveal which plant it was and what the clues were referring to. With me in this podcast today are Melissa and Delphine, my friends and partners at Flora-L Design.
Listen to our December podcast episodes and make your guess which plant we are talking about.
Listen to our December podcast episodes and make your guess which plant we are talking about. We'll reveal the first hints in this episode and some more on December 15th.
In this second part of my interview with fungal photographer Stephen Axford and documentary filmmaker Catherine Marciniak, Stephen and Catherine share stories from their travels to Asia and other places in the world. We talk about - whom they have met there - how they contribute to fungal awareness internationally - what their recent productions are and where you can find them - which books about mushrooms they recommend - what their favourite mushrooms are Do you think they have a favourite one after documenting all that fungal beauty and diversity? Brew yourself a cup of tea and discover their answer!
In this episode you listen to my interview with Stephen Axford and Catherine Marciniak who are absolutely passionate about fungi, photography and film-making. Stephen and Catherine have been travelling their home country Australia and the world in the past 10 years to document mushrooms in pictures and their growth in time-lapse movies. In this first of 2 parts of the interview you will learn - How they fell in love with fungi - How they developed their documentation of fungi in photographs and in motion - What led them to collaborate with researchers - Why fungal documentation can be an important resource to people - How it is as a non-scientist to contribute to science
In this podcast interview, which is in Swedish language, I talk with ecologist Janolof Hermansson, who has for many years inventoried and studied lichens both in Dalarna in Sweden and in Russia about: - what lichens are - why it is so difficult to define their composition without modern technology - what conditions they require to develop - what their function in our ecosystem is - how human activity impacts lichens - what you need to go on your own lichen discovery adventure - what it needs to increase our knowledge on lichens
Fungi form a large underground network in our forest soils that has important ecological functions for the growth and health of the forest ecosystem. In this solo-episode with Judith Lundberg-Felten, we take a deep dive underground and explore - How old beneficial fungus-plant interactions, also called mycorrhiza, are. - How trees and fungi can benefit from entering into a symbiotic (beneficial) relationship. - Why they matter for the forest even today. - What the risk of deforestation is for the forest ecosystem.
My guest Julia Carlsson is one of the project leaders for the EU project Life taiga, that reunites 14 county administrative boards in their mission to enhance forest values and biodiversity through controlled forest burning. In this interview Julia shares - what the benefits of controlled forest burning are - how it is done - how controlled burning is used in other areas of the world - where you can visit sites of controlled burning
In this episode I have met Cornelia Lohf who is a certified coach, preventive health care guide and gives guided tours in forest bathing. Cornelia comes originally from Germany and has lived in different parts of Sweden for the past 30 years. She has always loved the forest and in the past five years she has discovered and become a guide for forest bathing (Japanese: Shinrin Yoku) and it's virtues. In this episode we discuss - what forest bathing is and how it is done - where it comes from - what kind of positive effects the forest has on human health - how forest bathing is different in different season - why forest bathing and mushroom/berry picking in the forest are two different activities Brew yourself a cup of tea and enjoy this podcast episode!
We are delighted to take you onto a journey into the woods in this upcoming podcast series. Forest are so much more than trees, they harbour many different organisms. Our series focusses on the diversity of the flora in the forest, plants, fungi and likens and on the meaning of forests as well as the consequences that human activity has on this important and complex ecosystem. Discover in this short introductory trailer what to expect in the upcoming episodes, that will be released every 2nd Wednesday.
Flora-L Design creates print patterns from images of plants under the microscope. The three scientists behind the startup, Delphine, Melissa and podcast hostess Judith got to know each other as postdocs in Umeå, Sweden more than 10 years ago. They bonded over their love to plants, microscopy and textiles and founded Flora-L Design in 2019. In this podcast episode the three plant-biologists share - what their first contacts with plants were like as kids - from where their desire to study plants grew - what brought them to appreciate microscopy - how they see the process of making patterns from microscopy images - how they connect with plants in their everyday life - what they recommend as summer activities around plants
In this second part of my interview with botanical photographer Laurence Hill on fritillaria, we discuss - Which hurdles and opportunities non-formal scientists can face when wanting to publish scientific contributions - Why it is important to read more scientific literature than what one thinks may be important. - What we can learn about human history by looking at plants and their cultivation - How botanical art can be used to convey societal and philosophical thoughts - How to find inspiration and tell your story using plants. This interview is the 2nd part of my interview with Laurence Hill. In the first part he shared his journey into botanical photography with fritillaria and the reason for establishing his website Fritillaria icones that is a fountain of knowledge on this plant genus.
Laurence Hill has dedicated the past nineteen years of his freetime to document fritillaria plants in detail using his photographic skills. He has made this extensive and marvellous collection of botanical photographs on fritillaria available on his webpage "Fritillaria Icones" where scientists and people with botanical interest can freely use his resources. Laurence has also used his photographs for creating pieces of composite art for various exhibits in the UK and Poland. In this first (of two) part of my interview with Laurence he shared - how his botanical photography journey started with a garlic plant by the road in Greece - what it needs to take high resolution, detailed botanical photographs - how the life history of bulbous plants can be very special - how fritillaria plants from different provenances differ - what made him establish the Fritillaria Icones website - how he sees himself contributing to science with his botanical photography In the second part of this interview, to be released on 2021-06-09, Laurence will share insights and learnings from transforming botanical photography into pieces of art for exhibits.
Bob Wallis is the chairman of The Fritillaria Group in the UK. He has, together with his wife, grown and travelled the world to see fritillaria for over 50 years. In my interview with him he shared - how he first discovered his passion for fritillaries - how he learned about growing them and about their native habitats - how his holiday planing develops into research projects - stories from places around the Northern hemisphere he has travelled to - tips for those who want to travel to remote locations to find their favourite plants - how books written 100 years ago can still help today localizing plants in the wild - which fritillaries are easy to grow if you want to start your own fritillaria garden Accompanying to this episode you will find two short videos with Bob on the Fritillaria genus and a travel to an alpine area in Anatolia with lots of pictures of native fritillaries.
Katarzyna Roguz, researcher at the University of Warsaw Botanic Garden has studied Fritillaria meleagris since she started doing research during her Bachelor thesis and through her Masters and PhD theses at the University of Warsaw and her recent postdoc at Tel Aviv University, Israel. She has dedicated her research to the pollination biology of Fritillaria meleagris, F. persica and recently F. imperialis. I had the pleasure to have Katarzyna as my podcast guest and we talked about - Why F. meleagris is so important for bumblebees - How pollination biology studies are carried out - Why plants may adjust self-(in)compatibility depending on where they grow - That even birds can be important for Fritillaria imperialis pollination - Why planted Fritillaria imperialis in the city centre of Warsaw is an interesting study object for pollination biology
Fritillaria meleagris (Kungsängslilja) is blooming in thousands on the King's meadow in Uppsala, Sweden, every year in May and has been studied in this location for over 80 years. In my interview with Håkan Rydin, emeritus professor at Uppsala University, we explore how this popular plant that is native to the Mediteranian and Caucasian region has ended up in Uppsala, why it has become so popular and why the king's meadow and fritillaria have been of interest for research.
Welcome to our introductory episode on our upcoming series on the plant genus Fritillaria. A very common species in this genus is Fritillaria meleagris, also known as snake's head's fritillary or chess flower in English, Kungsängslilja in Swedish, Schachblume in German or Fritillaire pintade in French. Do you recognize any of them? In the upcoming episodes we will meet scientists and fritillaria enthusiasts from Sweden, UK and Poland. We will travel through interviews with these guests to different locations to understand why this genus is so interesting, what it takes to grow it and how research is done on its flowering and pollination.
My interview guest for this episode is Karen Swanepoel, executive director of the South African Essential Oil Producers Association, botanist, lecturer, researcher and expert on essential oils and vegetable oils in South Africa. In this interview we discuss: - How the three Pelargonium species P. graveolens, P. capitatum and P. radens give traits to the P. var rosé hybrid for essential oil production - Why none of the species alone would be able to provide the essential oil - Which factors influence the chemical composition of the oil in the plant - For what purpose the plant produces the oil - How the oil is extracted and the process is further optimized for energy and resource efficiency - What the rose geranium essential oil production means for South Africa's socio-economy
My interview guest for this episode is Matija Strlic, chairman of the International Geraniacea Group. Matija has collected Pelargoniums for more than 25 years and has travelled the world to observe them in their natural habitat. This is the first part (of two) of my interview with Matija. In this second part of my interview with Matija you will discover - Why climate change is especially impacting plants in small, geographical niches - What the value of biodiversity is for our world - What you should never do when you find interesting plants in the wild - Where you should go in South Africa when you want to see a large diversity of Pelargoniums in their natural habitat. - Whether you need a greenhouse to be able to grow Pelargoniums - What the International Geraniaceae group can do for you - Where you can find information and pictures about Pelargoniums and their habitats
My interview guest for this episode is Matija Strlic, chairman of the International Geraniacea Group. Matija has collected Pelargoniums for more than 25 years and has travelled the world to observe them in their natural habitat. This is the first part (of two) of my interview with Matija. In this interview you will discover - What winter and summer growing Pelargoniums are and what you need to know to grow them at home - That there are a few varieties of Pelargoniums native from Anatolia that can resist cold winters with frost and snow - Into which sections the genus Pelargonium is divided and in which habitats we find species of these sections - How Pelargonium species characteristics can change depending on their exact habitat - Why long nectar-tubes of Pelargoniums make them interesting for studies of insects and co-evolution Matija takes us on an exciting journey to different places, many but not all in South Africa, and shares how geology, surface topology and the oceans around the Cape of South Africa shape an enormous diversity of Pelargonium habitats. In the second part of this episode (released on April 20th 2021) Matija will share more about how climate change and human activity affect these habitats and recommend places to go to get amazed by the diversity of Pelargoniums in South Africa.
My interview guest today is Lennart Johnsen from Syngenta flowers. Lennart has over 40 years of experience working with ornamental plants, and all these years he has been dealing also with Pelargoniums. Today he is technical lead at Syngenta flowers, taking care of plant testing and production following Syngenta's breeding programs of ornamental plants. Syngenta flowers provides plants for about 20% of the European Pelargonium market and 30% of the Swedish Pelargonium markets. In this interview I asked Lennart - How breeding programs for Pelargonium are looking like today - What traits (characteristics) the breeders are looking for to create - How long it takes to create new Pelargonium hybrids that reach our flower shops - How long a hybrid can be maintained without undergoing genetic shifts and changing in shape, colour or other aspects - What the biggest challenges in Pelargonium breeding and cultivation are today - Whether genetic modification technology is used in Pelargonium breeding - Where you can find Syngenta's popular interspecific hybrid pelargoniums such as the “kärlekspelargon” I interviewed Lennart while he was on a travel to Portugal to one of Syngenta's Pelargonium facilities. The interview gives lots of insights into the perspective of the ornamental plant industry and, I hope, will broaden your view on Pelargoniums even more. I would like to apologize for the suboptimal sound of the interview and I hope you will anyways enjoy it.
In this episode you will learn - Which pelargoniums are the most widely used source for pharmaceuticals - How fire can stimulate (Pelargonium) seed germination - How Pelargoniums can be cultured on lab-scale and what hairy roots are - How plant science inspires cultivation as an alternative access source to pharmaceuticals from Pelargonium sidoides - How metabolite production in plants can be affected by their cultivation In a very pleasant and captivating interview with professor Nox Makunga, plant molecular biologist at Stellenbosch University, we take you on a journey to the cape of South Africa and Nox Makunga's research lab.
In this episode you will learn - how Pelargoniums came to Europe in the 17th century - why Pelargoniums are easily grown and how you can succeed with them - how you can replicate your Pelargonium plants - what the Swedish Pelargonium Society can do for you In this episode I discuss historical facts and practical tips about Pelargoniums with Veronica Olsson, chairwomen of the Swedish Pelargonium Society. I also reveal a little suprise at the end of the episode.
In the next series of episodes, launching on March 24th, your hostess Judith takes you on a journey from your windowsill all the way to South Africa to learn about Pelargoniums. You can look forward to discover - The journey of Pelargoniums from South Africa to Europe in the 17th century - Tips on growing pelargoniums at home and using them in the kitchen - Their role for their native habitat in South Africa - Their medical use and how modern science supports their conservation in native habitats - Breeding technologies used for Pelargonium today in large scale industries Meet Pelargonium collectors, botanists, molecular plant biologist and breeders from Sweden and South Africa through Judith's interviews with them and look at the Pelargonium on your windowsill with new eyes!
In this episode you will learn - how you can easily grow nasturtium in your garden - how nasturtium can be used in the kitchen - which molecules nasturtium contains that can have a beneficial health effect - how nasturtium can be used as a medicinal plant In this episode I discuss some tips about nasturtium for your garden and kitchen with Mona Prestele, owner of Prestele's Trädgårdscafé in Northern Sweden.
In this second episode about the plant nasturtium you will discover - Why nasturtium has nothing to do with nasturtium officinale - Why nasturtium makes your nose twist - How nasturtium got its Latin name tropaeolum majus - How plants develop from an embryo in the seed. - What the endosperm in a seed is and why it's important for plants and as a food source for humans. - How we look inside a plant using sections and what one can see there. My interview guest is botanist Melissa Roach from Canada, one of my partners at Flora-L Design.
We dedicate this episode to Elisabeth Christina Linné's observation of the flickering nasturtium flowers and explore the history and findings behind this phenomenon. In the interview with Annika Windahl Pontén you will discover - The discovery that Elisabeth Christina Linné made more than 250 years ago about nasturtium. - How and why that discovery influenced English Romantic poetry. - What such a discovery meant for a 19-year-old woman at that time. - How her discovery was explained first 150 years later.
Welcome to the Flora and Friends podcast. Find out what to expect from the podcast and get to know your hostess Judith.
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