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Nina Foster

Nina Foster (she/her) is a post-baccalaureate fellow in the Plant Humanities at Dumbarton Oaks. She received her undergraduate degree in English with a minor in integrative biology at Harvard University. Her interests lie at the intersection of plants, wildlife, and people under changing climatic conditions.

 

Sugar maple (Acer saccharum) in The North American Sylva by François André Michaux. Illustration by Henri-Joseph Redouté, 1819.

Tradition in Turmoil: Sugar Maple and Climate Change

With harvests dependent on the spring freeze-thaw cycle, the maple industry is seeking ways to mitigate damage wrought by a changing climate.
Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) in bloom. Flowers can be pale blue, pink, purple, or white.

Rosemary: The Herb of Ritual and Remembrance

From ancient Egypt to today, the scent of rosemary has promised comfort, joy, and even immortality.
A cluster of Azolla filiculoides plants.

Azolla filiculoides: Balancing Environmental Promise and Peril

One of the world’s tiniest fern species, Azolla filiculoides may be one of our greatest tools for lowering agricultural pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
Monotropa uniflora in bloom by Nichole Ouellette

Ghost of the Forest: Monotropa uniflora

Look for this other-worldly plant in moist, shaded areas of mature forests throughout much of North America, East Asia, and northern South America.