A sunny spring day brought me to the botanical garden in Meise, close to Brussels. An amazing garden with picturesque views behind every corner.

Spring in the botanical garden, with the castle of Bouchout in the background

A friend of mine makes it a point to stroll through the botanical garden of each place he visits; a philosophy I can definitely get behind. Botanical gardens not only are the ideal place to stroll, they also give a fantastic sample of biodiversity – of that particular place and well beyond.

The greenhouses of the botanical garden in Meise, hosting hundreds of (sub)tropical species from across the world

Moreover, they provide a continuous reminder for the importance of botany; the study, and description of plant species and their diversity. This knowledge provides the critical base for all the research we are doing: you can’t study the effects of global change on biodiversity if you cannot identify that diversity first. And for that, our botanists and botanical gardens are of critical importance.

So while it was only a short visit – no time to photograph all beautiful nature there was to see – it was a great reminder of its importance. Next time you visit one yourself, please keep this in mind while you take in its beauty.