Why did Thomas Edison plant a banyan tree sapling at his winter residence in 1926? You guessed it, there was an experiment involved. Native to India, it is now a massive, beloved tree at the Edison & Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers, Florida. While this isn’t an “escape from the lab” story, it is sort of a “took over the lab” story! Debbie Hughes, the Horticultural Director, explains what happened. Also, we dig into the mythology of fig trees - specifically “strangler” figs - and their critical ecological and cultural importance with rainforest ecologist and author Mike Shanahan.GuestsDebbie HughesHorticultural Director, Edison & Ford Winter Estateshttps://www.edisonfordwinterestates.org/Mike ShanahanAuthor,  Gods, Wasps, and Stranglers: The Secret History and Redemptive Future of Fig Treeshttps://underthebanyan.blog/about/Tree Story ShortSashil SachdevaVadodara, IndiaPodcast ConsultantMartha Douglas-OsmundsonMusic"Sleepy Head," AlchemorphTheme Music"This Old Tree," Diccon Lee, www.deeleetree.comArtworkDahn Hiuni, www.dahnhiuni.com/homeWebsitethisoldtree.showTranscripts available.Follow onFacebook or Instagram This Old Tree podcast is a sponsored project of New England ISA. To support This Old Tree and New England ISA, click here. We want to hear about the favorite tree in your life! To submit a ~4 or 5 minute audio story for consideration for an upcoming episode of "Tree Story Shorts" on This Old Tree, record the story on your phone’s voice memo app and email to:[email protected] episode was written in part at LitArts RI, a community organization and co-working space that supports Rhode Island's creators. litartsri.org

Ver todos los episodios