Utrecht Science Park summer café dedicated to 900 million years of plant evolution

On a sunny day in July, the Utrecht Science Park Summer Café took place at the Botanical Gardens, the largest academic botanical garden in the Netherlands. This edition focused on the evolution of plants.

After a warm welcome by Fenna Hanraets and Jan Henk van der Velden, attendees were given an insight into the latest research and developments within the Botanical Gardens. The audience was taken into the story behind the plant world and the creation of a special new addition to the gardens: the Evolution Garden.

This new garden offers visitors a green time travel of no less than 900 million years. From the first simple Green algae to the more complex Flower Plants, the Evolution Garden shows how plants developed over the centuries and what role they played in the evolution of life on Earth. Visitors learned how and when certain plants originated and what their significance has been for the ecosystem.

The meeting not only offered inspiration and knowledge, but was also an opportunity to meet and strengthen the mutual connection within the Utrecht Science Park. The organisation looks back on a successful Summer Café, made possible in part by the hospitality of the Botanical Gardens and the commitment of the speakers and tour guides.