So full disclosure, I am the nerdiest gardener you are ever going to meet.
大揭密: 我會是各位遇過最怪咖的園藝家。
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
Technically, I'm an ecological horticulturalist, which is a fancy way of saying that I design and manage gardens that are extravagantly beautiful while also providing habitat for plant populations, wildlife communities and even soil organisms. And you might wonder, isn't that what all gardeners do? Unfortunately, no. The vast majority of gardens are ecological deserts, and in fact, an incredible amount of environmental damage has been done in the name of making pretty gardens. In the US alone, we dump over 100 million pounds of insecticides, herbicides and synthetic fertilizers on our lawns and gardens every year. There just isn't a garden pretty enough to be worth all of that, and the reality is that it's completely unnecessary.
嚴格說來,我是生態園藝學家, 這是個很炫的詞,其實就是說 我設計和管理奢華美麗的花園, 同時提供棲息地給植物種群、 野生動物群體,甚至土壤生物。 各位可能會想納悶,不是 所有圖藝家都在做這些嗎? 很不幸,不是。 絕大多數的花園都是 生態沙漠,且事實上, 大量的環境破壞 都是以打造漂亮花園的 名義來進行的。 單單在美國, 每年我們在草坪和花園上 傾倒的殺蟲劑、 除草劑,和合成肥料就超過一億磅。 沒有一個花園會漂亮到值得這麼做, 且事實是,那些都是完全不必要的。
Gardens and landscapes that are absolutely gorgeous can also help the world around us. They can provide food, water,and shelter to wildlife. Gardens can and have brought back plants and animals from the brink of extinction.
美侖美奐的的花園和景觀 也能幫助我們周圍的世界。 它們可以為野生動物 提供食物、水,和庇護。 花園能夠、而且已經做到 拯救瀕臨絕種的植物和動物。
There is a movement happening all over the globe. Gardeners, garden designers, landscape architects, even entire cities are finding ways to beautify our environment while making space for the animals we share this land with. I've seen biodiversity return to one of the toughest places to live on the entire planet: the middle of New York City,
有一場運動在全球各地展開。 園藝家、花園設計師、景觀建築師, 甚至整個城市, 都在想辦法美化我們的環境, 同時提供空間給與我們 共享這片土地的動物。 我曾見過生物多樣性重新返回 地球上最難生存的地方之一: 紐約市中央。
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
where I cared for, designed and helped build public parks and gardens.
在那裡,我照顧、設計、 並協助建造公共公園和花園。
(Applause)
(掌聲)
At Brooklyn Bridge Park, where I was director of horticulture, we took these massive derelict shipping piers out over the water between Brooklyn and Manhattan and turned them into an 85-acre post-industrial public park.
我曾在布魯克林大橋公園 擔任園藝主任, 我們把大型廢棄的貨櫃碼頭搭建 在布魯克林和曼哈頓間的水域上, 把它們變成了一個 八十五英畝的後工業公園。
(Applause)
(掌聲)
It was designed by MVVA and built out over a decade. And it's hard to imagine now, but this lush landscape was built on parched concrete. This is about as appealing to wildlife as a parking lot. And yet, just a few years after construction, we welcomed migratory birds, rare insects and clouds of butterflies, all among millions and millions of park visitors. When people go to Brooklyn Bridge Park, they're usually there to play basketball or have a picnic. They have no idea that they're walking through a monarch habitat or a firefly sanctuary. It just reads as a beautiful park with lots of butterflies and magical evenings.
它是由 MVVA 設計的, 建造費時十多年。 現在很難想像, 但這片蒼翠繁茂的景觀 是建立在乾涸的水泥地上。 它對野生動物的吸引力 和停車場差不多。 然而,建造幾年後, 我們就迎接了候鳥、 稀有昆蟲, 和成群的蝴蝶, 同時還有數百萬公園訪客。 大家去布魯克林大橋公園 通常是去打籃球或野餐, 但他們不知道他們正在 穿越帝王蝴蝶的棲息地 或螢火蟲的保護區。 這看起來就只個美麗的公園, 內有許多蝴蝶和魔幻的夜晚。
And if we can do that in the middle of New York City, amidst all that traffic and concrete, you can do it anywhere. Indeed, we must incorporate habitat everywhere immediately, especially in our cities.
如果在紐約市中央 我們都能做到那樣, 在那麼繁忙的交通 和大量水泥之中都能做到, 其他地方更不是問題。 的確,我們必須立即 將棲息地整合進其他地方, 尤其是在我們的城市裡。
We are facing a biodiversity crisis of catastrophic proportions. We're changing the planet so quickly that plants and animals cannot keep up. You may have heard of the insect apocalypse, and unfortunately it is just as terrifying as it sounds. We have lost nearly half of insects on planet Earth just since I was a little kid. Now, you might not like bugs, but they are still keeping you alive. One in every three bites of food that you eat is the direct result of insect pollination. And this isn't just a problem for humanity. Where we have the data, we've lost a quarter of our birds. In North America, it's 29 percent. Most of these birds feed their babies exclusively on insects. So it's not just climate change that we need to solve right now. There is some existential multitasking required of us. Thank goodness that there are solutions and many of them literally involve planting flowers.
我們正面臨災難等級的 生物多樣性危機。 我們改變地球的速度 快到植物和動物都跟不上。 各位可能有聽說過昆蟲末日, 不幸的是,它確實 就像聽起來的那麼可怕。 從我小時候到現在, 我們已經失去了地球上 約一半的昆蟲。 各位可能不喜歡蟲子, 但牠們確保大家可以活著。 各位吃的食物中,每三口就有一口 是昆蟲授粉的直接結果。 而且這不只是人類的問題。 在我們有資料的地方,我們 已經失去了四分之一的鳥類。 在北美還高達 29%。 這些鳥類大多數都只拿 昆蟲來餵食牠們的寶寶。 因此,我們現在需要 解決不只是氣候變遷。 我們需要同時處理一些生存危機。 謝天謝地,有解決方案。 其中許多是真的和種花有關。
So let's talk about gardening for biodiversity, because while you might not be a gardener, I am still going to ask you to get your hands dirty. All it takes is a pot on your stoop to have a positive effect. The first thing we should all be doing are planting plants that are from the places where we're gardening. We call them native plants, and they're important because they evolved alongside of the wildlife there. Plants and animals often form relationships and even dependencies on each other. For example, the eastern red columbine is arguably the most cheerful of our spring wildflowers. But of course they're not blooming for us. Their red flower heralds the return of the ruby-throated hummingbird, the East Coast's only hummingbird. After these tiny birds have flown thousands of miles on their migration from Central America to the northeast, they rely on the sugary nectar of the columbine to refuel, and they have reason to believe that this flower will be waiting for them when they do. The Columbine stores their nectar at the end of long spurs, where only the long tongues of the hummingbird can reach it. As the bird drinks the nectar, they pollinate the flower. Both organisms are benefiting here, and in fact, the ruby-throated hummingbird is the eastern red columbine's pollinator partner. The bird and the flower could not be more charming, but it's the dynamics between the two where the real magic resides. Let me explain.
咱們來談談為了生物 多樣性而做的園藝, 因為,雖然各位可能不是園藝家, 我還是要請各位親自動手做。 只要在你家門外階梯上放 一個花盆就能產生正面效果。 我們大家應該做的第一件事 是要種植來自當地的植物, 稱為本土植物,它們很重要, 因為它們與當地野生動物一同演化。 植物和動物之間通常會發展出 關係,甚至會對彼此依賴。 舉例來說, 東紅耬斗花 可說是我們春天的野花中 最能讓人感到愉快的。 但當然它們不是為我們盛開。 它們的紅花預示著 紅玉喉北蜂鳥的歸返, 東岸只有這種蜂鳥。 這些小鳥從中美洲飛行 數千英里遷徙到東北部之後, 牠們要靠耬斗花的 甜美花蜜來補給能量, 且牠們有理由相信,下次牠們 回來時,這種花會等著牠們。 耬斗花的花蜜儲存在長花梗的末端, 有蜂鳥的長舌才夠得著。 蜂鳥喝花蜜時, 它們就會授粉給花朵。 在這情況下兩種生物 都能受惠,事實上, 紅玉喉北蜂鳥 是東紅耬斗花的授粉夥伴。 這種鳥和這種花非常迷人, 但真正的魔力存在於 兩者之間的互動。 讓我解釋一下。
Birds have an extra photoreceptor that allows them to see red incredibly well. Flowers have taken advantage of this and use the color red to communicate. As the hummingbirds fly over land on their journey, a wave of red flowers blooms to greet them. This beautiful dance of symbiosis is happening all around us, among plants and animals that have evolved together for thousands, if not millions of years. In return for planting native plants, we get a front-row seat to the wonders of the natural world. It's hard work, but it's the best kind because at the end of our efforts, not only do we get biodiversity but we get butterflies.
鳥類有額外的光感受器, 讓牠們能夠非常清楚地看見紅色。 花朵利用了這一點, 用紅色來與鳥類溝通。 當蜂鳥在旅途中飛越陸地時, 一波紅色花朵綻放來迎接牠們。 這種共生的美麗舞蹈 在我們周圍處處可見, 存在於數千年甚至數百萬年來, 一起演化的植物和動物之間。 種植原生植物的回報 就是我們可以卡到前排座位 來欣賞自然世界的奇觀。 這是辛苦但最好的工作, 因為在我們付出努力之後, 我們不僅會得到生物多樣性, 還會得到蝴蝶。
When butterflies visit flowers, they're there for a quick drink of nectar. But if we want to support their full life cycle, we need to provide them with food when they are very hungry caterpillars. Caterpillars eat leaves, but they can't just eat any leaf. They need the leaves they have evolved to digest. Monarchs and milkweed are the most famous duo, but every butterfly and moth has a plant or even a few that they lay their eggs on. These are their host plants. At Brooklyn Bridge Park a while ago, I saw American lady butterflies visiting our flowers. So I looked up their host plants and found that their favorite was a tiny white flower called pearly everlasting. So I ordered a few, hoping that the butterflies would eventually find them. However, when I opened the box, it was like butterflies just materialized out of thin air and went straight for the pearly everlasting. We had to brush the butterflies off the plants just to get them in the ground.
當蝴蝶在花朵上逗留時, 牠們是去快速喝點花蜜。 但若我們想支持 牠們的整個生命週期, 牠們還是非常飢餓的毛蟲時 我們就得提供牠們食物。 毛蟲吃葉子, 但不是任何葉子都行,必須是 牠們已演化能消化的樹葉。 帝王蝴蝶和乳草是最著名的組合, 但每種蝴蝶和蛾都會在 某種或幾種植物上產卵。 這些是牠們的寄主植物。 不久前,在布魯克林大橋公園, 我看到美洲紫斑蝶 在我們的花朵上逗留。 於是我去查了牠們的寄主植物, 發現牠們最愛一種小白花, 叫做珍珠永生花。 所以我訂購了一些,希望 這些蝴蝶最終會找到它們。 然而,當我打開盒子時, 蝴蝶就好像突然憑空出現, 直接朝向珍珠永生花飛去。 我們得把蝴蝶從植物上拂開, 才能把它們放到地上。
Now I know that it might be a shock for some of you to hear that people like me want insects eating our garden plants. But even bugs we refer to as pests can be important for biodiversity. Long ago at Brooklyn Bridge Park, our catalpa trees got covered in aphids. They are a common garden pest that suck the sugary liquid out of leaves. People encouraged me to spray them with pesticides, but I didn't. And the following year we found the two-spotted lady beetle on our catalpas. This was the first sighting of this ladybug in New York City in 30 years.
我知道在座有些人可能會很訝異 聽到像我這樣的人會希望 昆蟲來吃我們的花園植物。 但即使被我們稱為害蟲的蟲子 對生物多樣性也可能很重要。 很久以前,在布魯克林大橋公園, 我們的梓木上滿是蚜蟲。 牠們是常見的花園害蟲, 吸食葉子中的甜蜜液體。 別人鼓勵我用殺蟲劑 噴牠們,但我沒這麼做。 隔年, 我們在梓樹上發現了兩隻二星瓢蟲。 這是三十年來首度在紐約市 看到這種瓢蟲。
(Applause)
(掌聲)
And the thing about them is that they eat those tiny aphids that are on our catalpas. So if we had sprayed the trees, we would have harmed the ladybugs as well.
牠們有個特點,那就是牠們 會吃掉梓樹上的小蚜蟲。 如果我們對樹木噴灑殺蟲劑, 瓢蟲也會受到傷害。
Gardening is a long game. With patience, we can return balance to these systems. When we allow pests to live in our gardens, predators like ladybugs will soon move in. By building up biodiversity, pests are kept at bay. Most gardeners try to maintain these clean, sterile environments that are the exact opposite of what wildlife wants. The more we can stop being tidy, the more wildness we can bring into our gardens and landscapes, the better habitat we provide. Wherever possible, we should stop mowing. Why not get rid of your lawn? Or shrink it drastically. Lawns should be area rugs, not wall-to-wall carpet.
園藝是場長期賽局。 有耐心的話,我們可以 讓這些系統恢復平衡。 當我們容許害蟲 生活在我們的花園中, 像瓢蟲這類捕食性動物 很快就會搬進來。 透過建立生物多樣性, 就能遏制害蟲。 大部分園藝家都會試圖 保持環境乾淨、無菌, 這與野生動物所想要的完全相反。 我們越能停止保持整潔, 將越多的荒野特質 帶入我們的花園和景觀中, 我們就能提供越好的棲息地。 只要容許,就應該停止除草。 為什麼還要留著你的草坪? 不然就把它大幅縮小。 草坪應該是區域的小塊地墊, 而不是整片式的地毯。
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
(Applause)
(掌聲)
Leaves that fall to the ground should be left there. They're literally called leaves. We should leave them.
落在地上的葉子應該就留在那裡。 它們就是落葉, 本該 “留” 落地上。
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
Bumblebees nest in those leaves, birds will forage in them, and butterflies overwinter in them as well. Seed heads can be sculptural while feeding the birds, and old flower stems can be tucked away to allow tiny bees to nest in them. All of these practices create new looks for our gardens, but part of this work is changing our ideas of beauty. Traditional gardens were often about displaying control over nature. But we no longer wear powdered wigs and hoop skirts. We don't need to be authoritarian in our garden design.
大黃蜂會在那些樹葉中築巢, 鳥類會在樹葉中覓食, 蝴蝶也會在其中過冬。 種子穗可以當作雕塑, 同時當鳥類的食物, 而老的花莖可以收集起來, 讓小蜜蜂在其中築巢。 所有這些做法都會 為我們的花園創造新風貌, 但這項工作有一部分是在 改變我們對美麗的定義。 傳統花園的重點通常是展示 對大自然的控制權。 但是我們已經不是在 十七、十八世紀了。 在做園藝設計時不需要獨裁主義。
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
And it's not all or nothing. There's almost always space on our land where we can go a little wild. The rose mallow is this tropical-looking hibiscus that grows throughout eastern North America. The stems are often cut down by gardeners in spring, but we left them up one year because we found that there were a bunch of beneficial insects that used those stems. And what we ended up with, I find absolutely stunning. It might not be a look for every garden, but certainly we can find space for it. Because a few weeks later, we found a song sparrow nest nestled in between those uncut stems. And soon we had baby song sparrows hopping around outside of the garden. There's a direct link between that garden practice and an actual baby bird.
且這不是全有或全無的局面。 我們的土地上幾乎總會 有空間可以讓我們狂野一下。 玫瑰木蜀葵是一種看起來 像熱帶槭樹的木槿, 生長在整個北美東部各地。 在春天,園丁通常會把莖切下來, 但我們會把它們留一年, 因為我們發現一堆有益的昆蟲 會使用這些莖。 最終我們得到的, 我覺得絕對令人驚嘆。 它可能不是適合每種花園的外觀, 但我們肯定可以為它找到空間。 因為幾週後, 我們發現了一個歌帶鵐的巢, 就在那些沒被切下來的莖之間。 很快地,小歌帶鵐 就在花園外面跳來跳去。 這種園藝作法和一隻活生生的小鳥之間 有著直接的連結。
In these scary times, it can be so hard to know what to do and how to help. But it feels great to cultivate life with your own two hands. And there's an abundance of research now to show how beneficial gardening is for our health and even our happiness. Because we all deserve to live in a healthy and thriving ecosystem. But it feels even better when we're part of those systems, supporting the plants and pollinators around us the way that they support us.
在現今擔心害怕的時期, 可能很難知道該怎麼做及如何幫忙。 但能用自己的雙手 培育出生命的感覺很棒。 而且現在有大量的研究指出 園藝對我們的健康 甚至幸福感都很有益。 因為我們都值得生活在 一個健康蓬勃的生態系統中。 但更棒的是我們能成為 這些生態系統的一部分, 支持我們周圍的植物和傳粉昆蟲, 就如同它們支持我們一樣。
Like many of you, I am at times immobilized with climate grief, thinking about the world that we're leaving for our children. But gardening, honestly, brings me so much hope that we can solve some very big, very serious problems, that we have the solutions already. And many of them simply involve planting flowers.
和在座許多人一樣, 我有時候會因氣候憂慮 而感到動彈不得, 想著我們會留下什麼樣的 世界給我們的孩子。 但是說實話,園藝帶給我好多希望, 覺得我們能夠解決一些 非常重大、非常嚴重的問題, 我們已經有解決方案了。 且有許多解決方案都與種花有關。
Thank you so much.
非常謝謝。
(Applause and cheers)
(掌聲和歡呼)