Terrimago the site of gardens for gardens, enhances and spreads the culture and knowledge of gardens, botanical gardens, parks and nature through photographic services and professional collaborations with owners. It also teaches how best to photograph them. Terrimago.com Passion for Nature photography Terrimago.com the webside for gardens and of the gardens Terrimago is a specialised structure created to enhance and disseminate knowledge of nature and botany and to promote gardens, parks, botanical gardens and historic houses through the production of photographic projects and publications that can be used free of charge. Terrimago Photos PHOTO SHOOTS New book In the section Terrimago photographs you can find, free of charge, articles and photographic services of gardens, botanical gardens and parks created with photographs byCristina Archinto and with texts by different authors. Stories of gardens, plants and characters, to tell this world from a different angle, more curious, historical and compelling. The latest photoshoot of gardens and botanical gardens alberi a Villa Borghese Parchi Orto Botanico di Madrid Orti Botanici Villa Pisani Giardini Garden of Villandry Gardens Meise Botanical Garden Botanical Gardens Royal Villa of Marlia Gardens Villa Marlia Giardini Orto Botanico di Meise Orti Botanici TUTTI I SERVIZI Terrimago On taking pictures To improve your shots Terrimago On taking pictures is a section of Terrimago that develops in a purely photographic field,with the help of Cristina Archinto gardens and landscapes photographer for many years. MORE newsletter

It is also thanks to the hard work of some Irish botanists who, since the late 1700s, have worked as botanical researchers studying local flowers and lichens that the Dublin Botanical Garden was born. DUBLIN Begonia in the Curvilinear Glasshouse DUBLIN BOTANICAL GARDEN Irish women discovering botany Photographs of Cristina Archinto Text Alessandra Valentinelli I reland is among the European countries with the scarcest flora. Centuries of grazing and agricultural activities have also depleted, and ultimately thwarted woodland growth. That vibrant green that is so enchanting is nonetheless a reflection of a rather articulated biodiversity. Grasslands area with The Great Palm House in the background The abundance of flora found in a simple meadow is unexpected: flowers, grasses, ferns, liverworts and lichens. At first it may seem less compelling than a jungle or an expedition to the Southern Seas, but perhaps it is precisely this “domestic” facet that allowed Irish women to be forerunners and to conquer an important role in the pantheon of botanical studies. At the end of the 1700s Ellen Hutchins , travelled around Cork County, classifying hundreds of still unidentified mosses . In the mid 1800s, Ann Elizabeth Ball was one of the most esteemed experts in Algae , and in 1833 Katharine Sophia Kane published the pioneering taxonomy of the Irish flora . She would be the first woman admitted to the Edinburgh Botanical Society. Rock Garden and Grasslands on natural limestone in the Wild native Ireland plants area It goes without saying that many women worked in the shadow of the more famous male colleagues. Ellen Hutchins never continued her own herbariums, and Lady Kane wrote under a pseudonym . Yet, when the academic interest shifted from the exotic to the endemic species, their studies turned out to be of utmost importance for the research and the knowledge of indigenous ecology, especially when identifying vulnerabilities and threats. Matilda Knowles, archivist at the Dublin Gardens from 1903 to 1933, would have to wait for over a century for the recognition of her works on lichen diversity based on the tidal patterns and the fundamental contribution it brought to the understanding of coastal environments. Asteraceae in the Annual Plants area In order to knot the threads of a memory so intimately intertwined with the resources of the land, Matthew Jebb, the present director of the Dublin Garden, has recreated entire habitats by transporting the rocks and the soil from their original environments . They show the natural evolution of the Irish ecosystems: the transition from reed marshlands to fens, where the rapidly growing plants flourish on top of the layer of decaying plants, rising above the water level. This explains the slow development of the tree-lined landscape, the century old formation of bogs, the discovery of fossil forests trapped under the layers of moss. Plants teach, through their frailty, that they belong to biological communities, highlighting the importance of hedges, ponds, corridors and expanses of green as a means for the protection of wild species. Plants reinstate the fragile balance and the endangered blooms and foreshadow a possible future. South Africa plants in the Curvilinear Glasshouse An open-air museum in its own right, Dublin has recently endorsed the renovation of its nineteenth century greenhouses: symbols of the union between aesthetics and engineering, achieved by the architectural use of iron and glass, and resulting in the technical progress. The “Curvilinear Range”, designed by Richard Turner , was completed in 1848; where the construction lasted five years despite the company in charge of the works going bankrupt. He also designed the Belfast Gardens, and worked in Kew Gardens. The structure has approximately 8,500 glass panes overlapping and honed around the edges to allow water drainage. The roof radiates out at nine specific angles, and the panes are mounted in twenty different combinations. The renovation was achieved by restoring the old wrought-iron decorations also from Kew Gardens. The “Curvilinear” assembled standard pieces, and glass panes were produced with a technique that was innovative at that time. As a whole it is unique. The “Great Palm House”, jokingly nicknamed the “Jungle House”, was made with prefabricated components. It was inaugurated in 1884 to replace the previous wooden structure, which was destroyed during a storm. The cast iron parts forged in Scotland made it possible to dismantle its parts, and restore the damaged ones by casting molds faithful to the originals. In 2004 these were reassembled, rust and corrosion free and protected by modern treatments. The Pond Matthew Jebb used to say, “Taking a walk is ideal for coming up with new ideas”. The Dublin Garden is open year round, except on Christmas Day. Admittance is free, and it is frequently visited by people of all ages . It is a place to share knowledge, outdoor activities and passions; a place to nourish the never-ending curiosity about the environment that surrounds us all, or guess the plant species, letting oneself be amazed, and maybe even contemplate the unexplored frontiers of biodiversity. Exploring nature’s vitality in its simplest form, or by means of the material principles of days gone by, is a tale narrated through the intricacy of its land. It begs the question of today’s climate change and the landscapes of tomorrow. Above all else, it offers a new way of relating to its changing structures, in harmony with cycles to which all beings are inextricably linked. FEATURED Women Irish Botanists Ellen Hutchins (1785–1815) Over 200 years ago, on the shores of West Cork, a young woman was avidly collecting, studying and identifying plants. Ellen Hutchins was Ireland's first female botanist although somewhat forgotten, but in the field of botany her contribution is widely known and appreciated. Born into a very poor family at the age of two, she was orphaned by her father, but it was thanks to the care and attention of Mr Stokes, an eminent Irish physician, and his wife that Ellen decided to devote herself to botany, dividing her time between researching plants in the open air, which greatly benefited her precarious health, and cataloguing her discoveries, producing several detailed and meticulous watercolour drawings. His ability to find new plants and the quality of his drawings and specimens aroused the admiration of the leading botanists of the time and his work was featured in many publications. Although he never published under his own name, he was an important contributor to the newly developing plant sciences of his time. In his lifetime, he catalogued more than a thousand plants including algae and lichens and discovered some of them under his own name such as Jubula hutchinsiae and Herberta hutchinsiae. Velvet horn fucus tormentosus from collection to publication Anne Elizabeth Ball (1808–1872) Unlike her predecessor Ellen Hutchins, Anne was born into a family already embedded in a world of science and nature, her brother Robert Ball being a naturalist and her father Bob Stawell Ball an astronomer. In her early twenties, Anne began collecting and studying seaweed and, despite not being a member of Dublin's scientific societies as a woman, established herself as a successful algologist. However, as was customary at the time, her work was published by male naturalists such as William Henry Harvey, a friend of her brother, who reciprocated by naming the genus Ballia and the species Cladophora balliana after her. Ball also helped provide William Thompson with illustrated records of hydroids, which were published in the fourth volume of The Natural History of Ireland in 1856. His collections were preserved and later acquired by the Dublin Botanic Gardens until 1961 when they passed to the Natural History Museum in London. A specimen of Ballia callitricha in one herbarium Katharine Sophia Kane (1811-1886) Also orphaned at a young age, she was raised by her uncle Matthias O'Kelly who had a strong attraction to nature, as did his son Joseph who became a geologist. Katherine was only 22 years old at the time of her first publication The Irish Flora and, although it was not a large work, it was one of the first of its kind, praised for its accuracy. In 1836, the then 25-year-old Katherine became the first woman to be elected a member of the Edinburgh Botanical Society and her herbarium is preserved at University College, Cork. During her life she also took an interest in tree cultivation, writing on the subject for the Irish Farmer's and Gardener's Magazine The title page of the 1833 volume The Irish Flora Matilda Knowles (1864- 1933) Matilda was encouraged from an early age by her father William James Knowles, also an amateur scientist, by taking her and her sister to meetings of the Belfast Naturalists. Her studies led to her being regarded as the founder of modern studies of the lichens of Ireland. In1895 she was the author, with Derry Mary Leebody, of The Flora of the North-east of Ireland and between 1897 and 1933 published over thirty scientific articles on a wide range of botanical subjects. It was while studying the lichens of Howth that he discovered how coastal lichens grow in distinct shores and are distinguished by their colour: black, orange and grey From 1923 he shared the curatorship of the National Museum of Ireland Herbarium, a collection of dried and pressed plants now housed in the Dublin Botanic Gardens. His work is said to have 'constituted an important basic contribution to the fungal botany of Ireland and western oceanic Europe'. Lichens collected by Matilde Knowles GALLERY Photo ©CRISTINA ARCHINTO Info: Official website more botanical gardens Jardin des plantes Nantes Orto botanico di Berlino Orto botanico di Madrid Orto botanico di Amsterdam Orto botanico di Napoli Orto Botanico di Zurigo e la Serra Malgascia ARC_7320 Orto botanico di Ginevra L1030823 Orto botanico di Siena

Park La Grange in Geneva, site of historic political meetings, is appreciated in all seasons, particularly for its fragrant rose garden. GENEVA Park Villa la Grange by LIVIA DANESE Parc La Grange is the largest park in the city of Geneva. The 19th century English garden welcomes visitors and citizens who enjoy the park in every season by organizing picnics and walks in the well-kept natural environment. The Favre family donated the park to the city of Geneva in 1917 but overall the area has very ancient origins, as shown by the archaeological remains dating back to the Neolithic period. The territory’s history has spanned the centuries until the second half of the 18th century when the Lullin family commissioned the construction of their summer residence. The neoclassical structure of the villa is still visible today and has preserved beautifully over time. Because of its magnificence and its historical eminence, the place still hosts important events and diplomatic meetings today. The view of Lake Geneva, initially concealed by the main entrance, is soon revealed in all its splendor, enclosed by plants of every shape and color. The garden surrounding the villa is embellished by the presence of monumental trees, including oaks, cedars, beeches, chestnuts and plane trees, which stand out in the picturesque landscape offering a unique autumn display. Their foliage, gradually taking on the characteristic autumn colors, covers the park with a bright and colorful mantle. The park’s main attraction is the rose garden which counts more than 200 species. Starting from the first warm spring days it is particularly popular and appreciated. The scent of roses accompanies visitors and enthusiasts along a beautiful and intimate flowery walk in the octagonal garden, which was recently renovated. The latter, designed to recreate the privacy of a hortus conclusus, was built at the end of World War II to create a colorful, bright and positive environment in the postwar period. Parc La Grange is constituted by tree-lined avenues, ponds, colorful flowerbeds and beautiful historical buildings, offering visitors a charming and beloved natural oasis overlooking Lake Geneva. In addition in Parc La Grange, biodiversity is encouraged by wood-digging insect breeding sites and bee hives, as well as native shrubs and meadows where sheep graze during the summer and is ecologically managed without the use of chemicals. GALLERY Load More Photo ©CRISTINA ARCHINTO LINK S TREE WATCHING Web more gardens and parks Parco del Paterno del Toscano Labirinto della Masone Villa d'Este Giardino di Kenroku-en Giardino dell'impossibile Giardino di Ninfa Villa Pizzo

A story set in the park of Villa Borghese in Rome, walking among its beautiful trees. PHOTOGRAPHIC DIARY Winter lights in the gardens of the Reggia di Venaria Text e photographs by Cristina Archinto W ent to the Reggia di Venaria to see the John Constable exhibition, I found myself with my nose pressed against a window entranced by the beauty of its winter gardens. The absence of sun due to a blanket of gray-white clouds increased its charm. I often repeat that I feel more like a photographer of light than of gardens but in front of so many geometries I confess that I found myself back in time, to my first great passion: architectural photography. Determined not to miss this opportunity, I find myself in the park, two months after having already done a photo shoot, this time accompanied only by the Leica camera but certainly sufficient for the occasion, and above all with no work obligations. Present at the situation only a very cold and no soul. Perfect. Inaugurated in 2007, the Venaria Gardens are a good combination of a recovered geometric 17th-18th century past and an artistic present with works of art by Giuseppe Penone and Giovanni Anselmo harmoniously inserted into its landscape. The entire city complex of Venaria develops in length, and the garden follows its course with the very long Allea Centrale which goes from the fountain of Hercules to the temple of Diana creating a single axis as a whole. Along the side of the Citroniera and the Galleria Grande is the Grand Parterre with tones of grandeur given by the proportions, full of cylindrical yews, citrus pots and real rooms with walls, groves and vegetable vaults along the perimeter with many flowers, mostly of the year. In the eighteenth century it was a representative area, where strolling with an umbrella while gossiping was a must. Unfortunately, over time it has also been a place where nature has been replaced by soldiers from everywhere, during various wars. There are also various gardens, such as rose gardens, flower gardens and Potager Royal gardens with vegetables and orchards, but they are certainly not an attraction in this season. Photo notes In the Venaria gardens anyone who loves to observe is certainly fascinated by the beauty of the almost completely bare hornbeam avenues which, instead of hiding, only veil the Great Palace or the branched structures of the majestic trees along the avenues and next to the Peschiera pool which are reflected on the slightly frozen. Even the birches with their white branches and a very few brown leaves blend in the light of the landscape as if they were Japanese silks. The long perspective avenues cut the photographic frame in two, the pyramid box trees and the hedges trimmed in steps or semicircles impose themselves on the image as abstract art. Works too from the rigid forms of Pennone they underline the geometric aspect of the landscape. Perhaps at first glance it seems easy to photograph these gardens, mainly thanks to the geometries that easily tell the space, you have to be careful because the rigor of the axes must be absolute, even a slightly inclined photo would be a distraction for the eyes. Furthermore, using the central focal point there are no difficulties, otherwise if you want to vary it, you have to be careful of the balance of the shot which, if distorted, risks breaking the harmony of the photograph, making it unpleasant. The colors of winter and with light uniform tend to maintain similar and soft shades ranging from beige to green. In this case we wanted to give a strong contrast with red or yellow peaks due to the branches of the white cornelian salts present in the garden. The uniform light of the day is the reason for the total absence of shadows, fact that in more natural contexts would create a lot of discomfort, in this case it proves successful not only because it can easily be photographed from any side but also because the geometric shapes are not deformed by the dark of their shadows. Experimenting photographically with these gardens and in these conditions is magical, I recommend it to everyone, whether they are gardens or even a landscape in the plains, in winter or with a uniformly colored sky. A great master was Luigi Ghirri who, for those who by chance do not know yet, I strongly recommend going to Parma until February 26 to see his exhibitionVision labyrinths. Luigi Ghirri 1991 . Go there and find out. Or go to the Reggia di Venaria, you will certainly find very stimulating panoramic points in other seasons as well. The important thing is first of all to observe, observe and observe again, then elaborate the shot and finally take a picture that is truly yours. GALLERY Photo ©CRISTINA ARCHINTO Link Palace of Venaria Other GARDENS and PARKS Giardini Botanici di Villa Taranto Giardini Botanici di Villa Taranto I giardini di Villa Melzi I giardini di Villa Melzi Parco giardini di Sicurtà Parco giardini di Sicurtà Gairdino di Villa Lante Villa Lante parco del Flauto Magico Parco Flauto Magico Bomarzo Parco Villa la Grange Labirinto della Masone

There is a Jardin des Plantes in Nantes that is truly noteworthy. Not only because it is very well maintained, even in these times of drought and decidedly high temperatures, but because its history, which has always been linked to French sailors and explorers, has brought truly remarkable botanical specimens from all over the world to this day. FRANCE A pond in the shade of a Cercidiphyllum from Japan Jardin Des Plantes of nantes A History of Seeds and Sailors Photographs and text by Cristina Archinto T he history of France, it is well known, abounds with seafarers and colonies but not everyone knows that from the very beginning the attention given to botany was almost on a par with that of England. In the heart of the Loire region, in Nantes, not far from the railway station, there is a garden, or rather, to be more precise, a Jardin des Plantes, truly noteworthy, not only because it is very well maintained, even in these times of drought and decidedly high temperatures, but because its history, which has always been linked to French explorers, has brought truly remarkable botanical specimens from all over the world. River Loira Its history has distant roots; it was in 1688 when a group of local pharmacists decided to create, more for pleasure than anything else, a small 'apothecary's garden' (Jardin des Apothicaires ). But it was only with the arrival of Pierre Chirac, doctor and superintendent of the royal medicinal plant gardens, that the garden developed into an official 'royal plant garden'. This was due both to its geographical location - Nantes lies on the Loire, a river navigable as far as Paris and an ideal place for the acclimatisation of new plants - and, above all, to what the doctor was able to achieve by exploiting his social position: a royal decree, dated 1726 by Louis XV, obliging 'all captains of ships in Nantes to bring back seeds and plants from colonies in foreign countries and deliver them to the Jardin des Plantes in Nantes', from that moment on, Chirac was supplied with a considerable amount of 'raw material' and the garden began its strong growth. Collections of annuals But its history is long and has other protagonists; first there was Jean Alexandre Hectot, who in 1806 became director of the garden, relocated to its current location and to whom we owe the great collections, including that of magnolias . Then there was Antoine Noisette, a well-known landscape gardener of the time, who in 1822 was asked to redevelop the garden to open it to the public but, as he had set up a plant trade at the same time, the gardener over time concentrated more on sales than on growing the garden and in 1835 was dismissed. Subsequently, Jean-Marie Écorchard arrived to restore the garden from a personal nursery to the botanical garden of Nantes. Thanks also to the continual contributions of sailors who had not lost the habit of providing new plants, including Captain Mathurin Jean, who brought back thousands of seeds and plants from places such as Martinique and India, he brought it back to its worthy splendour. He was also responsible for the construction of the first greenhouse in 1844 and the 'English park' style that still exists, with ponds and tree-lined avenues, and the definitive opening to the public in 1865. The last protagonist in the garden's history was Paul Marmy, who became the director, in 1893, of an orchard that had unfortunately fallen into disrepair in the meantime, both because of the "great frost" in the winter of 1879 that killed 245 trees and 600 shrubs, and because of a lack of funds from the municipality. He was responsible for the reorganisation of the botanical collections and the creation of the 'palmarium', a beautiful greenhouse of palms and exotic plants that is still well preserved today. One of the four greenhouses The garden today covers more than seven hectares with several greenhouses, hot, cold and an orange grove. The 'Palmarium' greenhouse is also used as a tropical ecology laboratory and houses lianas and epiphytic plants (air plants). In the park, still in the English style, one can enjoy ponds, fountains, small islands and the ever-present pavilion. In a more botanical sphere, monumental trees, given its long history, are not lacking. In addition to the magnolia grandiflora known as 'Hector's magnolia', which, if it were indeed the same one planted by the director, would be over two hundred years old, although some believe it did not survive the great frost and was therefore replaced in 1880, there are Magnolia ferruginea of the Platanus acerifolia, Liriodendron tulipifera of the Aesculus hippocastanum, Sequoiadendron giganteum, Sequoia sempervirens, Metasequoia glyptostroboides , Wollemia nobilis, Cercidiphyllum of Japan and Taxodium distichum all around one hundred and fifty years old , in addition there are several shrubs and perennials such as Angelica heterocarpa , in total around 10. 000 different species from all over the world. A artwork by Jean Julien Since the summer of 2020, works by Jean Julien , a local artist and graduate of St. Martin's in London, can be seen in the garden. They are amusing, almost two-dimensional characters that can be found around the park, in the paths, on the lawns, around the trees, created especially for the Jardin des Plantes in Nantes. The cacti greenhouse French botanical culture has distant roots and is linked, as we have still seen, to a history of sailors and colonies, but it must be said, the habit of having such places accessible to all, including dogs, free of charge, is a sign of civilisation. For the French, it is a prerogative to cultivate botanical culture, and so it should also become ours. For them, reading in the shade of a tree whose name you can even learn, or having the chance to wait for someone while enjoying a turn-of-the-century greenhouse full of exotic plants, or being able to have a picnic while breathing in the scent of exemplary flowers, perhaps, as in this case, also surrounded by works of art that certainly put one in a good mood, is fundamental. Let us remember that only by spreading the culture of green will we begin to get the respect it deserves. GALLERY Photo ©CRISTINA ARCHINTO more botanical gardens and nurseries Orto botanico di Berlino Orto botanico di Madrid Orto botanico di Amsterdam Orto botanico di Napoli Orto Botanico di Zurigo e la Serra Malgascia Giardino Botanico Nuova Gussonea Orto Botanico di Catania Orto Botanico di Ginevra

Terrimago to photograph Share your shots We decided to create a community of garden photography , In this section you can share your shots with the whole community of the Garden Photography Club. Just sign up and upload your best shots with a small description of the photographic project and any captions. You will also be able to have a small reading of your portfolio.

The Moutan Botanical Center is home to the largest collection of Chinese peonies in the world. From Rockii species to ebaceous peonies, the garden brings together all varieties of these fragrant flowers in an oasis of tranquility and color. LAZIO CENTRO BOTANICO MOUTAN The Chinese peonies garden BY GRETA ARANCIA SANNA Hidden in the countryside of northern Lazio is a garden, unique in its kind, that is home to all the species and varieties of Chinese peonies. Here an unprecedented collection of unique rare plants flourishes among holm oaks, laurels, cypresses and autochthonous plants. In April and May this corner of terrain blooms in a plethora of colors and inebriating fragrances. The story of the world’s largest collection of Chinese peonies starts in 1980 with Mr. Carlo Confidati, whose search for an original design for his home garden lead him to be capture by the allure of the flower, prised by so many for its beauty. The center was later founded in 1993 out of a deep desire to know all existing species and varieties of Chinese tree peonies. The aspiration was to find these flowers in the remotest areas of Asia, import them to Europe and bring them together in a single place, to promote their awareness and diffusion. Today the Moutan Botanical Center includes around 600 different varieties and natural hybrids belonging to known botanical species. The undisputed gems of the present landscape are the Rockii species, extraordinary peonies that grow wild on the high plains in Tibet, at an altitude of over 2000 meters, withstanding extreme temperatures that drop below -20°C. The Chinese name for this flower is “Zi ban mu da” meaning “tree peony with flowers at the base of the petals”. this characteristics makes it easily identifiable and very prized. It was discovered in 1925-26 by the American Joseph Rock, a plant hunter. It has a vigorous, wide shrub, 3 meters tall with milky white flowers that present a characteristic black stain at the base. With its elegant and characteristic foliage, the stain on their petals, the late flowering and the remarkable resistance to the cold the Rockii peony is the pride and joy of the garden. Another peony that adorns the garden is the Ostii species. These present single white flowers with an average of 12 petals, with occasionally pink veins. It is further an early and longlasting flower with a delicate scent. The two latter species have been frequently combined in a flower hybrid with an uncommon shading of color: the rockii x ostii. The plants are obtained by natural hybridisation, by way of a long propagation using the seed and selecting the progeny. This makes each one a unique and unrepeatable example which may be distinguished even by just a detail in the flower of the leaves. The hybrid of these two species have intermediate characteristics that make the plants truly particular. They are normally very large, vigorous and resistant, with large single flowers. The undefined purple stain at the base is that of the rockii peony but the color shades upwards towards the petal tips. The hybrid also presents a pink variety usually lighter or deeper pink with vivid purple streaks that origin at its heart. The garden also proudly exhibits a number of Herbaceous Peonies. Easy and sturdy these shrubs, helped by their rhizome roots, are ideal for small gardens dying down in winter and growing back in spring. Their long stems are also ideal to make bouquets whose permeating fragrance dissipates in the fresh breeze. More specifically the peony lactiflora, native to Siberia, produced many cultivars, with flowers measuring up to 20 cm across. It has a sweet fragrance and ranges in color from red to white. Finally, an additional species that irradiates that garden with its vibrant shades of pink is the Suffruticosa peony. Its flower is characterised by a crown of petals rich in color and foliage. It produces numerous flowers and some species, such as the Er Qiao, are a surprising combination of two different colors. This Peony Garden is truly an oasis of tranquility set amidst the colours and fragrances of the peonies and amongst climbing roses, American vines and passageways spelling wisteria that waver in the spring breeze, the noises of the city feel pleasurably distant. Overall, the Moutan Botanical Garden invites us to meander through a place unique in its kind, revealing the particularity and beauty behind the peony and all its existing species. Greta Arancia Sanna photo ©CRISTINA ARCHINTO Info: Centrobotanicomoutan.it more botanical gardens and nurseries Orto Botanico di Ginevra Orto Botanico di Ginevra Orto Botanico di Palermo Roma Roseto di Roma Chicago Chicago Batanical Garden Giardino Esotico Pallanca Water Nursery Giardino Botanico di Hanbury

Opuntia ficus-Indica, better known as prickly pear, is a succulent plant belonging to the family of Cactaceae and it is xerophilous, that is living preferably in arid environments, where it can also reach 5 meters of height. The plant does not have a main trunk, its stems are cladodes, commonly known as paddles, which take care of photosynthesis, whereas its leaves with time have evolved into thorns. BOTANY POPPIES AND BEES Why don't bees pollinate red flowers except poppies? By CARLA DE AGOSTINI T he history of evolution is a history of relationships between species, as well as between species and the environment. When we smell a flower, for example, we actually hear a message addressed to the insects, a call to warn them that there is nectar waiting for them in exchange for transporting pollen. And the same goes for the choice of colours. Flowers as we know them are relatively recent. Angiosperms, i.e. plants that have flowers and fruit from seed, appeared between 135 and 140 million years ago and were not so colourful to begin with: fossils suggest that they were simple, dull-looking structures without much pigment, pale yellow or green at most. Today, with the exception of ferns, conifers, cycads and mosses, the majority of plant communities belong to the Angiosperms. Slowly, with the appearance of flowers, we also see the emergence of today's bright colours, an increasingly sophisticated mechanism to encourage pollination not only by wind or water but also by attracting insects. Many flowers have thus evolved to adapt to the needs and abilities of bees. Bees are responsible for 80% of pollination, without which there would be no apples, blueberries, cherries, avocados, cucumbers, almonds, onions, grapefruits, oranges, pumpkins and more. And it is to attract bees that the bright colour of the petals has become an important adaptation variable. The poppy has developed some of the most fascinating and unexpected strategies because bees don't perceive the bright red colour visible to the human eye but are attracted to the ultraviolet. Humans perceive colour through the pigment of the object and the part of the light it reflects. In bees, on the other hand, the field of vision is a mosaic of cones that enable them to recognise a different range of colours, help the insect to stay balanced during flight and identify each flower around it precisely, even at high speeds. The red hue is not perceptible to the bee's eye, and research has shown that it only distinguishes four colours: yellow (orange, yellowish green), bluish green, blue and ultraviolet. Therefore, flowers that are bright red to our eyes, such as the red violet or Chinese carnations, are not fertilised by bees, but by daytime butterflies. On the other hand, flowers such as heather, rhododendron, cyclamen or clover have a purple hue that bees perceive as a blue colour, or a white colour perceived as bluish green. The poppy, however, is one of the few red flowers that most attracts bees. This is because the pigmented cells in its petals are arranged in such a way as to create air-filled spaces where the light is dispersed, allowing UV rays to be reflected and the ultraviolet range to be perceived by the bee, which then settles on it and fertilises it. And it is from the Sicilian, and in part Sardinian, shovels that the prickly pear arrives and invades Eritrea, planted both by 19th century Italian missionaries and by migrants of the first Italian colonization. Here, the beles, the name in Eritrean, are not only the fruit but also the nickname jokingly given by peers from the Horn of Africa to second-generation Eritreans living in Italy, because they arrive with the same punctuality as the fruit: in the summer rainy season, and then leave again. Today, Opuntia ficus-indica is used for a wide variety of products, both for its high nutritional value, rich in minerals, especially calcium, phosphorus and vitamin C, and for its mucilage, the substance that allows the plant to have water reserves. Thanks to this, the prickly pear has become a major player in eco-sustainable innovations. For example, a Mexican professor of chemical engineering, Sandra Pascoe Ortiz, has patented a plastic and biodegradable material: by mixing prickly pear juice with glycerin, proteins and natural waxes, she has obtained a liquid which, after being laminated and dried, becomes a completely non-toxic, biodegradable and edible bioplastic. In Italy, too, alternative uses of prickly pears are proliferating. For example, a glue for fresco restoration work has been experimented with using mucilage, and a textile industry has obtained cruelty-free eco-leather from its waste. But that's not all, there are also sunglasses made from their fibers, furniture and sculptural lamps made from the waste from shovels that are entirely biodegradable at the end of their life! GALLERY Photo ©CRISTINA ARCHINTO MORE ENVIRONMENT AND BOTANY Vie cave opuntia fiorita Opuntia Tree Caño Cristales Palmeti Palm trees Caldara di Manziana Steep land Tiber

Villa ''Il Pizzo'' overlooks Lake Como set into a long series of terraces, seemingly carved out of the mountain. Situated on a promontory called ''Pizzo'', which in Como dialect means ‘point' or ‘spit', the site was bought in 1435 by Giovanni Mugiasca, a rich merchant from Como. The Mugiasca family LOMBARDY Lago di Como VILLA PIZZO BY ALESSANDRA VALENTINELLI Villa ''Il Pizzo'' overlooks Lake Como set into a long series of terraces, seemingly carved out of the mountain. Situated on a promontory called ''Pizzo'', which in Como dialect means ‘point' or ‘spit', the site was bought in 1435 by Giovanni Mugiasca, a rich merchant from Como. The Mugiasca family built their country house here which only became a refined residence in 1569. In 1630 they fled here to escape the dreaded Manzonian Plague, offering hospitality to several friends in exchange for manual work which involved digging, levelling and terracing the land. Thus the present structure of the garden was created, later to be enlarged at the end of the 18th century by Bishop Giambattista Mugiasca. In the 19th century important improvements were undertaken by the architect Simone Cantoni and subsequently, on the extinction of the Mugiasca family, the complex passed to Arch-Duke Ranieri of Hapsburg, Viceroy of Lombardy-Veneto, who gave free rein to his passion for botany, summoning the famous gardener Villoresi from Monza Royal Palace. In 1865 the ''Pizzo'' passed to a French noblewoman Madame Musard, mistress of King William II of Holland, who dedicated herself to embellishing the Villa and Garden, subsequently leaving it to the Volpi-Bassani family, whose descendants are the present owners. In the areas nearest to the main buildings are geometric paths running between the flowerbeds, clipped topiary hedges and baroque fountains, typical of formal Italian gardens. The long, renowned Cypress Avenue distinguishes the Villa, even from the lake. Towards Moltrasio the garden increasingly conforms to the English romantic style, more luxuriant, with tall trees interlaced with a system of small paths bordered by a water grotto, pools, streams and the ''Fountain of Alessandro Volta'', often a guest of the Mugiasca family in Villa Pizzo. Among the illustrious personages who frequented the Villa during the Mugiasca ownership, there was also the famous scientist Alessandro Volta, remembered by a monument that the owners had built following his death in 1827. This is the very first historical monument dedicated to Volta. When the Mugiasca family died out, it was Ranieri d'Asburgo, viceroy of Lombardo-Veneto, who bought the property. He found at Pizzo the ideal place of rest and refuge from the complex political events of the time. At Pizzo the viceroy Ranieri did not arrive alone, but accompanied by the famous landscape architect Villoresi, already designer of the Villa Reale in Monza, who gave a unique and definitive structure to the large park around the Villa. Following the turbulent political events of the end of the nineteenth century, which resulted in the "Moti del 48", the viceroy left the Villa, which was purchased by the charming Parisian madame Elise Musard, who gave a very recognizable feminine touch to the Villa, dyeing it pink, as it has remained until today. When Madame Musard tragically left the Villa, the Volpi-Bassani family bought it and lived it respecting the architectural and stylistic choices of the past and adding elements of great value that can still be admired today in the park such as the family Mausoleum, built by renowned architect Luca Beltrami and the large dock, which overlooks the lake giving a wonderful panoramic view. The simple and geometric architecture of the Villa, with the sobriety of its decorations that intersect with the irregularity and variety of shapes, colors and styles of the gardens, combined with the uniqueness of the history and events that took place in Villa Pizzo over the centuries, make Pizzo a unique place on Lake Como. Gallery Photo ©CRISTINA ARCHINTO Links VILLA PIZZO MORE GARDENS AND PARKS Giardini Villa la Pergola Villa Lante Labirinto della Masone Giardino di Kenroku-en Giardino dell'impossibile Giardino di Ninfa Castello di Masino Parchi di Parigi