Friday, January 25, 2013

Jardim Botânico da Universidade de Coimbra

Jardim Botânico da Universidade de Coimbra 2012 março

Jardim Botânico da Universidade de Coimbra 2012 março 

Jardim Botânico da Universidade de Coimbra 2012 março

Jardim Botânico da Universidade de Coimbra 2012 março 

Jardim Botânico da Universidade de Coimbra 2012 março

Clique aqui para ver mais fotos da Jardim Botânico da Universidade de Coimbra.


O Jardim Botânico da Universidade de Coimbra, localizado no coração da cidade de Coimbra desde 1772, por iniciativa do Marquês de Pombal, estende-se por 13 ha em terrenos que na sua maior parte foram doados pelos frades Beneditinos.

Os jardins botânicos surgem na Europa como consequência da expansão europeia do século XV. O contacto com plantas e animais exóticos despertou o interesse pelo seu estudo. Exemplo disso foi o português Garcia da Orta que no século XVI viajou para a Índia e se dedicou ao estudo das propriedades terapêuticas das plantas, publicando dois importantes ensaios.

O século XVIII é marcado por uma revolução de mentalidades e por grandes avanços na ciência, nomeadamente no campo da Medicina. Assim, o Jardim Botânico de Coimbra foi criado com o objectivo de complementar o estudo da História Natural e da Medicina. Tendo tido como primeiro responsável Domingos Vandelli destaca-se, a partir de 1791, o papel desempenhado pelo naturalista e botânico Avelar Brotero com várias publicações científicas, entre as quais a primeira Flora Lusitana (1804). Este investigador português deu início à primeira escola prática de Botânica. 

A criação do banco de sementes e respectiva publicação do Index Seminum (catálogo de sementes) em 1868, até hoje anualmente actualizado, incluiu variedades exóticas e portuguesas muito diversificadas. Este facto permite-nos hoje salvaguardar espécies que se encontram em risco de extinção no seu habitat natural. O jardim ganhou assim novas funções no âmbito da conservação da natureza.

No domínio educativo, o Jardim Botânico de Coimbra promove programas de educação ambiental e cultural, sensibilizando os cidadãos para questões ligadas às temáticas ambientais e à adopção de comportamentos cívicos.

O Jardim é também um espaço de tranquilidade, repleto de recantos que nos convidam simplesmente a um passeio.

Friday, January 18, 2013

Lake Union Park

 Lake Union Park, Museum of History & Industry January 2013

Lake Union Park, Museum of History & Industry January 2013
Lake Union January 2013

Lake Union Park, Center for Wooden Boats (Boat Shop) January 2013

Lake Union Park, The Center for Wooden Boats January 2013

Lake Union Park, The Center for Wooden Boats January 2013

Lake Union Park is a unique urban gem, close to the center of downtown Seattle. The park provides access to green space & the lake.  It celebrates the cultural, maritime & industrial heritage of the city. The site’s role as a park became possible on July 1, 2000, when the US Navy conveyed the deed to its five acres of land to Seattle Parks & Recreation. The transfer consolidated the South Lake Union site into a 12-acre park. The new park opened on September 25, 2010.

The Museum of History and Industry is dedicated to preserving, sharing & teaching the diverse history of Seattle & the Puget Sound region. The MOHAI, as it is commonly known in Seattle, has collected & made public important artifacts, documents & photographs from the Puget Sound region since 1911.  The museum moved to the old Naval Reserve Building at Lake Union Park in 2012 & opened in December.  It is free on the 1st Thursday of every month.

At The Center for Wooden Boats you can explore boats on & off the water. Admission is free & free public boat rides are offered on Sundays. This is a living museum. The exhibits are historic wooden boats you can take rowing or sailing. The collection varies throughout the year as boats are restored in the boat shop & new vessels are added. Row boats are available for rental with no prior experience. Sail boats require a check out process to assure safety.

Friday, January 11, 2013

December in Seattle

Hamamelis (Witch Hazel) on Capitol Hill December 2012

Rosa rugosa in Columbia City December 2012

 
Sequoia sempervirens (Coast Redwood) at Franklin High School December 2012

South Seattle Community College Arboretum December 2012

Viburnum x bodnantense at York Park December 2012

December 2012 in Seattle was warmer & wetter than normal.  The mean temperature was 41.5F/5.27C.  The normal mean temperature is 40.6F/4.77C.  The highest temperature was 56F/13.33C, the lowest 29F/-1.66C.  Total precipitation was 6.85 inches.  Normal precipitation is 5.35 inches.  Snowfall was 0.6 inches.  Normal snowfall is 1.7 inches.  There was 1 day with heavy rain, 11 days with rain, 27 days with light rain, 2 days with snow, 2 days with light snow, 25 days with fog, 2 days with haze, 27 cloudy days, 4 partly cloudy days & no fair days.  I did very little work in the garden because of the continuous wetness.

Friday, January 4, 2013

Portland Japanese Garden

Portland Japanese Garden December 2012

Portland Japanese Garden December 2012

Portland Japanese Garden December 2012

Portland Japanese Garden December 2012

Portland Japanese Garden December 2012

Click here for more photos of the Portland Japanese Garden.

Although I have visited a number of Japanese Gardens in the Seattle area & in California, I can't say that I know very much about them.  All I can say about the Portland Japanese Garden is that it is the largest & most beautiful Japanese garden I have seen, perhaps the most beautiful of any garden I have visited.  I imagine that everyone that visits this garden is delighted & amazed.  The description below is from the Portland Japanese Garden website.

The Five Gardens
The 5.5 acre Japanese Garden is composed of five distinct garden styles. When we enter a Japanese garden, the desired effect is to realize a sense of peace, harmony, and tranquility and to experience the feeling of being a part of nature. In a deep sense, the Japanese garden is a living reflection of the long history and traditional culture of Japan. Influenced by Shinto, Buddhist, and Taoist philosophies, there is always “something more” in these compositions of stone, water, and plants than meets the eye.
Three of the essential elements used to create a Japanese garden are stone, the “bones” of the landscape; water, the life-giving force; and plants, the tapestry of the four seasons. Japanese garden designers feel that good stone composition is one of the most important elements in creating a well-designed garden. Secondary elements include pagodas, stone lanterns, water basins, arbors, and bridges. Japanese gardens are asymmetrical in design and reflect nature in idealized form. Traditionally, human scale is maintained throughout so that one always feels part of the environment, not overpowered by it. As Professor Tono wanted to incorporate native trees in our Garden so that it would blend naturally with its environment, some of the plantings here are on a larger scale.