Around Pollinators

Around Pollinators raises a reflection on the fundamental role of native biotopes in generating resilience in the face of the serious threat of climate change.

With this purpose in mind, Lucía Loren proposes the creation of a garden of native plants that seeks to attract and feed local populations of fauna, improving their habitats, air quality and biodiversity. The selection of these native plants has been made based on the three zones in the region: coastal, piedmont and mountain, with the collaboration of William H. Sullivan, Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning Student at the University of Maryland College Park.

Assembled in these parterres of native plants, sculptural devices made with artisanal construction techniques of wood and ceramics are distributed, forming the necessary habitats to incentivize biotic pollinators to settle. Pollination is critical in the ecosystem to ensure food and the survival of all species, and in the urban area in particular, these benefits are essential to improve the environmental health of city dwellers.

This project is a continuation of Around Nature, a garden project designed by Spanish Artist Juanli Carrion and commissioned by the Cultural Office of the Embassy of Spain on the occasion of the 5th Centennial of the first trip around the world by Ferdinand Magellan and Juan Sebastian Elcano.

About Lucía Loren

Lucía Loren is a Spanish artist, university professor, and activist whose work focuses on contemporary art based on the socio-environmental reflection between human relationships and landscapes, through collaborative practices, social intervention processes, integrating these experiences in inclusive educational contexts.

Her artistic activity, under the binomial art-ecology, has been presented in several natural environments in Spain, the US, Italy, Andorra, Poland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Argentina, Sahara… In all these interventions, her main intention is to highlight interactions between humans and landscapes that have reached a respectful relationship. On many occasions, her processes become an open space where local inhabitants can participate, generating an experience and knowledge exchange among rural populations.

Her art works have been showcased in contemporary art centers such as CDAN, MUSAC, IVAM, CAB, ACVIC, Sala Tecla, Matadero, La Casa Encendida, Círculo de Bellas Artes, Estampa, Museo Contemporáneo Esteban Vicente, La Panera, Montehermoso Cultural Center, Galería Estampa, Palacio de Quintanar, Ap Gallery, in Spain; Provincial Museum of Fine Arts in Tucumán, Botanical Garden of Bogotá, Instituto Cervantes in Krakow and Larache, the Cultural Centers of Spain in Peru, Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Museum of Water in Ecuador.

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Garden map

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Map of Around Pollinators Coastal plain C Piedmon t P Mountain M REGIONS Naturalized or other M/P P/M Butterfly Solitary bees Birds Bee water and cooling STRUCTURES 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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Mountain Azalea

Seed Mix: 6

Rhododendron canescens

The mountain azalea is common to the coastal plains and piedmont regions of the American Southeast. Thus, its common name may be a little misleading.

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Maple-Leaved Arrowwood

Seed Mix: 6

Viburnum acerifolium

The Maple-Leaved Arrowwood, or Viburnum, is a low-growing shrub (1-3M) in the Honeysuckle family. It grows in marshes, streambanks, swamps, and other moist places, with its flowers attracting butterflies, bees and songbirds.

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Cosmos Flower

Seed Mix: 6

Cosmos bipinnatus

The Cosmos Flower is not native to the East Coast of the United States. Instead, it is native to Central America and has since been naturalized to many eastern parts of North America through human travel and selection as a popular home garden flower.

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Swamp Rose

Seed Mix: 6

Rosa palustris

The rose is the flower of Washington, D.C. While this native variety may not be showy like the roses seen in stores, its stems can grow up to 8 feet tall, with its blooms visited by many pollinators.

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Black-Eyed Susan

Seed Mix: None

Rudbeckia hirta

The Black Eyed Susan is endemic to most of the continental United States. A member of the Asteraceae family, it is related to Echnicaes, Sunflowers, and the Cosmos flower. This is one of the largest families of flowering plants and supports an abundance of insect life.

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Scarlet Beebalm

Seed Mix: 6

Monarda didyma

Beebalm is a member of the Lamiaceae (mint) family. This family of flowering plants is prized for their aroma and widely used as culinary herbs. Among them are basil, mint, rosemary, sage, marjoram, oregano, thyme, and lavender. Poultices of this plant can be made into a topical treatment to soothe the sting of bees, thus lending it the name “Bee Balm”.

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Ninebark & Gold Ninebark (variety)

Seed Mix: None

Physocarpus opulifolius

Native to the Northeast United States, the Ninebark has been cultivated in many varieties. Valued for its hardiness and drought tolerance, it is used for soil stabilization and erosion control. Its peeling and shaggy bark often form the shape of the number nine, thus giving the plant its name.

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Lowbush & Highbush Blueberries

Seed Mix: 5

Vaccinium angustifolium & Vaccinium corymbosum

These plants are very important to wildlife: their berries are relished by songbirds, game birds, bears, and small mammals; the twigs and foliage are eaten by deer and rabbits. Because of their food value and spectacular red fall foliage, these shrubs are excellent for naturalized landscaping.

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Maypop & Yellow Passionflower

Seed Mix: None

Passiflora incarnata & Passiflora lutea

The Passionflower is indeed native to D.C. and Maryland. The Maypop is commonly seen in gardens being prized for its purple flowers. When planted in pairs, the Maypop’s fruit production is improved and can produce fruits the size of hens’ eggs.

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Pumpkin (jack o'lantern)

Seed Mix: None

Cucurbita pepo var pepo

The Pumpkin, like the Cosmos flower, is not native to the eastern United States. It is a cultigen, a species of plant bred and cultivated for specific characteristics, and was brought to the coast from the arid western states where its ancestors grew wild. A food source for Indigenous people of the continent, pumpkin seeds traveled well and therefore found their way across the continent.

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Groundsel tree, Sea Myrtle

Seed Mix: 1

Baccharis halimifolia

This fragrant shrub is from the largest genus in the Asteraceae family. Some are abundant with flowers, rich in nectar and fragrance, and are therefore prized by beekeepers for honey production. The Baccharis Halmifolia, a coastal plant tolerant of salty sprays from the ocean, is a popular plant for hedging in coastal regions.

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Red Chokeberry

Seed Mix: 2

Photinia pyrifolia (Aronia arbutifolia)

The Red Chokeberry is a shrub in the Rosaceae Family, making it related to plums, roses, and the cherry tree. The fruits of the Chokeberry persist into winter and are a source of food for birds in winter, although not a primary one. The berries are edible to humans, but are very bitter and can cause a choking sensation, thus the name.

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Staghorn Sumac

Seed Mix: 3

Rhus hirta (R. typhina)

The Staghorn Sumac is an ornamental tree reaching up to 10M (30 feet). Endemic to the Northeastern United States, the tree can be found in the Piedmont of Virginia and Maryland. Being of the Anacardiaceae family, the Staghorn Sumac is related to the Cashew, Poison Ivy, Mango, and Lacquer tree, from which the prized Japanese Lacquerware (urushi) is produced.

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Coast Leucothoe

Seed Mix: 5

Leucothoe axillaris

The Coast Leucothoe or Coast Doghobble is a low-growing shrub native to the coastal regions of the American South East. Its auburn leaves come into full color in the fall creating appealing visuals. In late April to June, its white bell-shaped flowers, clustered in drooping spikes under the leaves, are a source of nectar for bees, butterflies, and many ground-dwelling insects employing the protection of the leaves above.

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Mountain Laurel

Seed Mix: 5

Kalmia latifolia

The Mountain Laurel is not a laurel at all. It is in the Ericaceae family and is more closely related to cranberry, blueberry, huckleberry, and rhododendron. This misleading name comes from its rich broad green leaves similar to that of the laurel. Indigenous people of the Americas would make spoons from its dense wood, thus lending Spoonwood to be another name for this plant.

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7 Species of Clover

Seed Mix: 5

Melilotus officinalis – Trifolium pratense, Medium – Trifolium incarnatum – Trifolium repens, Ladino – Trifolium alexandrium – Trifolium hybridum – Trifolium repens, Dutch

Clovers belong to the bean (Fabaceae) family. Unique in the plant kingdom, these plants add nitrogen to the soil (nitrogen fixing). With this, they are an important plant in agriculture as farmers look to heal their soil after planting crops that require a lot of nutrients. Clovers are an important food source for many species of bees.

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Gayfeather / Spiked Blazing Star

Seed Mix: 4

Liatris spicata

The Spiked Blazing Star is a showy marsh / wetland plant of the coastal and Piedmont regions of the East Coast. Its tall stalks and purple spears of flowers make it a popular flower in many rain and pollinator gardens. Pollinators from birds, butterflies, and even hummingbirds readily consume the nectar of this flower.

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