Back in Baltimore

So I returned to Baltimore sort of panicked when I noticed the dark stems of some of the Sedum album (see pic), but was reliably informed that this is probably not a pathogen.  More likely the darkness is natural fall color perhaps related to the plant's waxy cuticle.

last stop Phipps Conservatory, Pittsburgh

The Phipps Botany In Action outreach training weekend was informative and a great way to meet and compare notes with other women scientists.  I left feeling very impressed by the work everyone is doing and feeling much more hopeful than usual.
I was also pretty impressed with the plans for the Center for Sustainable Landscapes building at Phipps.  Click on the link or see below for the living building plans.

Bus stop by roofscapes

next stop, Philadelphia ASCE conference on low impact designs

The above text is a link to the conference that's sponsored by the American Society of Civil Engineers...
This is one of the best conferences to attend in order to get the most up-to-date info on the state of greenroof research.

catching up after touring the east coast megalopolis

First stop NYC, where there rain made a number of good stormwater pictures possible

irene

We squeaked by with no Irene damage, but it was a lot of rain.  150+L of runoff from each platform.  Sorry to report that the greenroofs didn't really help much (5-10L of storage) with this storm.  They may have done a little better if we didn't have a small stormright before the 5 inches arrived.

skink

these guys are all over the greenhouse.  I have only caught one on my platforms though.... They are really blue on the tail, but they don't like their pictures taken.