Scenic pre-WW I mansion in Zemst, with a garden overrun by non-native trees-of-heaven (Ailanthus altissima)

Roamed through Flanders’ villages today in a search for scenic film locations! Stars of the show: our non-native plant invaders that are – secretly ànd out in the open – taking over our urban nature.

The tree-of-heaven is spreading vigorously through Zemst, with seedlings popping up between bricks and mortar. 

I got invited by Flanders’ biggest science museum, Technopolis, to walk their broad audience of science enthusiasts through our research, to enthuse them about science. And let that be exactly the kind of opportunities that I like: opening the eyes of children, teenagers and adults to the world of plants on their doorstep is high on my list of goals.

It is not all non-native what loves the city: this wall-rue (Asplenium ruta-muraria) loves the tough live on the rocks.

So I’ll be guiding the film crew along some of my favourite stories in the urban plant realm, trusting they can capture the magic and spark some interest in the unique ecosystem that is the urban world.