Meaningful & Memorable Visit to the Botanical Garden!

I enrolled in this course right before week 3, so our trip to the botanical garden was my first experience of the class and I can confidently say it did not disappoint. In my case, I have been to the botanical for many occasions including club photo shoots, dates with my boyfriend, and walks by myself. However the amount I learned this week about the garden/land from Cole, Patricia, and Alvaro, has definitely deepened my appreciation and understanding. IMG_2801_1.JPG

IMG_7093.JPG

Above are photos of previous outings I have had to the botanical gardens!

Cole Oost did an outstanding job explaining the details behind the gem of a place that the botanical garden is on UCLA campus. I was most intrigued by the fact that the garden had been around for the duration that the school had been open because previously I would have assumed that it was installed in more recent times. Before being informed by Cole that the botanical garden houses the tallest tree in Southern California, I would have never thought to look up and in prior visits have always kept my eyes fixated on the turtles in the stream. Another piece of information that stood out to me from the rest was how the ground of the botanical garden was an "experimental site for useful subtropical trees in the southern California Landscape" where Mildred E. Mathias would throw random seeds to see which ones would sprout ("History of this Garden", par. 1). Knowing that the garden has gone through so many changes and has evolved into what it is today to represent California and other aspects of the land makes it stand out from any other botanical garden I have ever visited. tall tree.jpg

Above is a photo of the tallest tree in southern California! Wow!

Seeing individuals like Cole speak so intelligently and passionately about the plants and history of the botanical garden is refreshing to me as someone who is still exploring my interests. I would have imagined that botanical garden is too small of an area for one to get lots of expertise and insight on, however, clearly I have been proven wrong by the extensive amounts there is to know about the premises. Cole seems to love his work with the garden and it makes me curious about the other pockets there are to be discovered on campus and the people that have been lucky enough to come across them. As such an amazing speaker and person Cole is, I hope to find myself back to the garden for other events throughout my two years left at UCLA. 

In addition to Cole's presentation, having Patricia Cavidad perform her ritual and educate us about other details of her life was unlike anything I had ever witnessed. Asking for permission from the land to perform her ritual and cleansing the space takes the conversations UCLA has about acknowledging the Tongva land one step further. While UCLA has recently begun to take notice and publicize that the campus is build on grounds of violent colonialism and other battles, Patricia was respectfully thorough in putting those statements into action. It is one thing to say something, while it is another to act on it. 

nap under tree.jpg

cool plant.jpgPhoto of someone appreciating the land as a place to take a relaxing nap and of a plant that I thought looked very cool! 

Seeing how Patricia talked about her quipu made it clear how essential it is to her life. In ancient times, the Incas used the quipu as an "aide memoire to recount stories, myths and poems from the Inca tradition" (Cartwright, par. 6). Patricia's ideas on attempting to make the quipu more normalized is a great way for individuals to be able to associate good/impactful memories with a visual indicator of the knot. Almost like a simplified version of a diary, the quipu is something that is able to be easily carried around and one can stay committed to doing. While Patricia's quipu included some synthetic fibers, she mentioned that it also used wool from Chile and other places. This presents how the weaving of a quipu can be done with little effort using materials that are bought from the store, or it can be turned more authentically through the use of organic wools that may be more of a journey to obtain. 

After sitting and listening to Cole and Patricia speak, the whole class seemed excited to walk around the garden with Alvaro Azácarraga leading the way. My favorite part of the garden Alvaro covered was towards the end when we arrived at the Ginkgo Tree. Alvaro explained that Ginkgo trees were dispersed worldwide as a symbol for peace after the war. Just like Alvaro mentioned, in historical images the Chinese "uses the ginkgo tree to represent the end of a politically unstable period in China's history and a movement towards peace" (Maier, par. 2). The main reason why the Ginkgo tree stood out to me personally is because it is the Kamon for the Japanese American Culture Club I am a part of called Nikkei Student Union on campus. The NSU Kamon, or family crest, contains two gingko leaves intersecting, which "symbolize resilience, and pay homage to the gingko trees that are found in both Japan and Little Tokyo in Los Angeles" (uclansu.com, par. 13). Being able to see plants in the garden that reflect on my involvement in other clubs on campus was heartwarming to see, and I believe that any student can find a part of the garden that resonates with them. 

ginkgo.jpg

Alvaro talking about the Ginkgo Tree above :D

What I loved about hearing Alvaro talk about his research in maize and corn is how he finds a similarity between the maize being brought to the United States and himself coming to the United States as an immigrant. The line between corn vs. maize if confusing and most websites state that they are basically the same and are "terms that reference the same cereal grain" but can have "substantially separate applications" (Gardening Channel, par. 1). Alvaro's research gives us a more in depth look at the specifics of corn and maize and I could tell that he finds great interest in his work and being able to utilize the space of the botanical garden seems like something Mildred E. Mathias would approve of. The fact that Alvaro is able to elaborate about corn for hours on end, shows that there is so much in the world that is skipped over and can be thought more deeply about. UCLA displays its appreciation for research by allowing all sorts of studies and individuals to come to campus to explore their thoughts and studies. Just like how I thought the botanical garden was exclusively a pretty place on campus to visit, now I am aware of the history and memory it holds and how it remains as a place of passion for individuals such as Alvaro. 

 

Works Cited

Cartwright, Mark. “Quipu.” World History Encyclopedia, World History Encyclopedia, 14 Apr. 2022, https://www.worldhistory.org/Quipu/.

“Corn vs. Maize, What's the Difference?” Gardening Channel, Gardening Channel, https://www.gardeningchannel.com/corn-vs-maize-explanation/#:~:text=Corn%20and%20maize%20are%20both,can%20have%20substantially%20separate%20applications.

“History of This Garden.” Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden, UCLA Life Sciences, https://www.botgard.ucla.edu/history/.

“History.” UCLA NSU, https://www.uclansu.com/history.

Maier, Karyn. “The Symbolic Meaning of the Ginkgo Tree.” Garden Guides, Leaf Group Ltd., 8 Mar. 2018, https://www.gardenguides.com/13428589-the-symbolic-meaning-of-the-ginkgo-tree.html.