Science Explainers
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We Need to Talk About Honey Bees
Honey bees, darlings of media and agriculture, aren't the best brand ambassador for bees.
By Gwen Pearson -
Plants and Pollinators: An Evolutionary Love Story
Learn about the special relationships that have evolved between plants and insect pollinators, and the threats they face today.
By Ellie Shechet -
Everything You Need to Know About the New Plant Hardiness Zone Map
In the latest Plant Hardiness Zone Map, about half the country moved into a slightly warmer zone. So what does that mean?
By Ellie Shechet -
Cherry Trees Are Often Grafted. What Does that Mean?
Did you know that some cherry trees are actually—kind of—two cherry trees?
By BBG Staff -
What’s With the Bands on BBG’s Trees?
In consultation with Andrew Reinmann, an ecologist and biogeochemist at CUNY, Brooklyn Botanic Garden has installed dendrometers—tools that measure tree growth—on trees around the grounds.
By BBG Staff -
The Lingering Mysteries of the Mast Year
Why do trees mast? Scientists still aren’t sure.
By Ellie Shechet -
What’s the Latest on Spotted Lanternflies?
Keep stomping, says Julie Urban, an evolutionary biologist at Penn State—but “don't freak out.”
By Ellie Shechet -
The Buzz Behind Your Summer Tomatoes
Certain bees practice "buzz pollination," an ancient interspecies give-and-take that evolved over tens of millions of years.
By Elliot Hass -
Studying Nature’s Calendar with BASE
This past spring students from the Brooklyn Academy of Science and the Environment (BASE) completed a unit in phenology, recording seasonal changes they observed in trees.
By Liz Otte -
Intimate Associations: Pollinators and Their Trees
The relationships between pollinators and their tree hosts deserve a closer look.
By Chrissy Word