You talk to your plants, but you dare not reveal this strange aspect of your private life because you fear that people could judge you? Like me, you can now make a coming out and expose your conversations with your plants with pride, since it seems that talking to them has beneficial effects on their growth.

Scientific studies have shown that green neighborhoods are experiencing a crime reduction and an increased sense of respect. This is especially true when citizens participate in greening their environment. They gain a greater sense of belonging to their neighborhood, create more durable relationships with their neighbors and feel responsible for the trees and the flowers they’ve been planting. When humans unite to improve their environment they can perform miracles such as transforming an ugly and dirty lane into a beautiful garden!

We are currently experiencing a particularly cold winter in Eastern North America. While the thermometer indicates –24 °C, I thought it would be rather nice to write a column on cacti. So, I decided to present you a few perennial cactuses that could be planted in your garden next summer. Indestructible cactus, perfectly well adapted to cold climates! On the introduction picture you can see an Opuntia fragilis ‘Feldberg’ flower (photo : Dornenwolf).

We are currently witnessing a disturbing phenomenon since it seems that every year some living species disappear from the surface of our planet. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), a little more than 800 plant and animal species have become extinct in the wild since 1500. In fact, it is very difficult to precisely define this number, since we now only know a fraction of all species living on this planet. Indeed, thousands of new species are discovered every year!

On the introductory picture, you can see a baby olinguito (Bassaricyon neblina). This species closely related to the raccoon was discovered in South America in 2013 (photo: Juan Rendon).