Chinese Garden in Zurich

 By Richard B. Primack 

 

“Gardening is civil and social, but it wants the vigor and freedom of the forest and the outlaw.”  

-Henry David Thoreau in A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers. 

 

In 1994 the Chinese city of Kunming presented the Swiss city of Zurich with an exquisite Chinese garden in appreciation for past help with developing its infrastructure.   

 

The garden includes many water features and plantings of evergreen plants, such as this bamboo.

This bridge to an island symbolizes travel between different worlds, such as the imperfect world to the world of perfection.

The garden includes open galleries where works of art are displayed

William Brewster: Birder of Concord

By Richard B. Primack 

 

One early spring morning in 1858, upon hearing a Purple Finch singing, Thoreau noted in his journal: “How their note rings over the roofs of the village! You wonder that even the sleepers are not awakened by it to inquire who is there, and yet probably not another than myself observes their coming.” 

 

Thoreau carried out detailed observations of spring bird arrival times in Concord from 1851-1854.  These observations were continued by later ornithologists, including William Brewster for 1886 and 1900-1919, on up to current years. These combined records allow researchers to use Concord as a living laboratory to investigate how climate change is altering bird populations in one place.  

 

A portrait of Brewster.

Brewster (1851-1919) was a pioneer in birding methods, research and conservation, and was a leader of an active birding group in the Boston area and a founder of the American Ornithological Union.   

 

A copy of Brewster’s journal in which he recorded his daily observations of birds.

 

During his lifetime, Brewster changed from shooting birds to observing them with field glasses.

A special exhibit about Brewster was recently presented by the Concord Museum.  

https://concordmuseum.org/alive-with-birds/