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TULIP
MANIA
LEIDEN
News
Day of the Tulip
April 1, 2022 is declared "Day of the Tulip" by European City of Science and Tulip Manie Leiden had a number of activities on the calendar for that day. Listen here to the conversation between Lucien Geelhoed, intendant of Leiden European City of Science 2022, and Leonie Kaptein, initiator of Tulip Mania Leiden on radio Weetlust. After the broadcast, Lucien received a specially made heritage card of Leiden.
Lucien Geelhoud of Leiden 2022 receives the Leiden heritage card from project leader Tulpenmanie, Leonie Kaptein
The Heritage card Leiden shows iconic buildings, such as the University, the Pieterskerk, the Burcht, Gravensteen. www.erfgoedkaarten.nl
In the afternoon there was an interesting high tea at Kasteel Oud-Poelgeest, where, in addition to delicious biscuits, tulip tea was served and tulip pilsner could be tasted. Leonie Kaptein of DNA in Beeld and initiator of Tulip Mania Leiden gave a lecture about tulips and DNA. After the presentation everyone went outside to see the tulip tree at Boerhave and the giant tulip bulb from the Giant Tulip Bulbs art project. These works of art are made by artists from the bulb region.
Leonie Kaptein gives a presentation at Oud-Poelgeest castle about DNA, the tulip and the background of the Tulipe Mania Leiden project
The high-tea was a success! Tulip tea was served.
Art made by the Giant Tulip Bulbs collective.
Science and Earth Day
On April 23, Earth and Science Day was organized at the Hortus. The theme was "the earth is a mirror for life above the ground". The Tulip Mania team was present to explain the project, and there were various activities to do, such as a game where you can read DNA in 3D, and folding tulips. The artwork "The Gekskap" by artist Regula Maria Müller could also be visited. It's connection to the tulip mania of the 17th century could be explored. The fully blooming Master Peace tulips in the planters of the Tulip Manie project right at the entrance of the Hortus attracted many visitors.
Leonie Kaptein explains how the tulip genome was sequenced using the minION technique.
These beautiful tulips could be folded at the Tulip Mania stand.
Visitors exploring the Tulip Mania project
The planter experiment is a crowd pleaser!
DNA Day
April 25, 2022 was DNA Day!
Every year on April 25, DNA day is organized worldwide. DNA Day commemorates the successful sequencing of the entire human genome in 2003 and the discovery of DNA's double helix configuration by Watson and Crick in 1953. The purpose of DNA Day is to provide students, educators, and other interested parties the opportunity to learn about the latest advances in DNA research and discover the impact it has on their own lives.
Tulip Mania Leiden organized a number of activities together with BplusC and Hogeschool Leiden.
In the morning Arjen Speksnijder, professor of metagenomics Leiden University of Applied Sciences and Naturalis gave a presentation at BplusC Nieuwstraat. Arjen talked about how DNA techniques are applied to identify plants and animals and how DNA technology is used to detect and monitor hidden biodiversity. He also spoke about bird strikes, food integrity, smuggling of protected species, as well as water, soil and air quality.
Arjen Speksnijder gives a lecture on metagenomics
Arjen Speksnijder explains different techniques with equipment he brought along.
Subsequently, Ken Kraaijeveld of LCAB (Leiden Center of Applied BioSciences) took the visitors on a DNA walk through Leiden. He told stories about DNA based on nature in the city. The end point of the walk was in the Hortus Botanicus, where Leonie Kaptein took over from Ken and informed everyone about the tub project with the blooming Tulipa Masterpeace tulips. She then took the interested parties to the courtyard where the artwork by Regula Maria Müller is located and explained the origin and creation of "de Gekskap".
Ken Kraaijeveld tells about DNA around us.
Leonie Kaptein explains the artwork "de Gekskap" by Regula Maria Muller.
Historical tulips with their names are embroidered on the inside of the Gekskap.
"Jaar van de Tuin" in conversation with
Carla Teune en Leonie Kaptein
In this broadcast of the Jaar van de Tuin, former hortulana Carla Teune explains where tulips come from, how to plant them and what you can do with wilted tulips. Initiator of Tulpen Mania Leiden, Leonie Kaptein, explains what the Tulip Mania project entails and how you can win a soil analysis of your garden!
"Jaar van de Tuin" in conversation with organic tulip farmer John Huiberts
In this broadcast of "het Jaar van de Tuin, organic tulip grower John Huiberts, the grower of the Tulipa Masterpeace bulbs used for the Tulip Mania project, explains why he decided 8 years ago to switch from traditional tulip cultivation to organic tulip cultivation, which in short means no use of chemical pesticides or fertilizers. John also tells about the effect of organic cultivation on biodiversity and what else you can do with an organic tulip besides looking at it with admiration.
The interview with John starts at 20:30 min on the broadcast
Midsummer night @ Hortus
On June 21, Tulip Mania was also present at the well-attended midsummer night in the Hortus Botanicus. Since October 2021 there is an experiment running with12 planters in which tulips grow in different types of soil (see planter project). In the past months, visitors have been able to observe the differences in growth between the planters. The tulips are now finished growing, but Tulip Mania has carefully recorded the course of growth and flowering. Preliminary findings were presented during the midsummer night. Results of the metagenomics soil research, in which the micro-organisms in the soil are mapped, are expected this fall. During the event, visitors could also participate in tulips origami at the Tulip Mania booth.
The poster of Tulip Manie shows a photo collage, in which the course of growth and flowering in the various planters is recorded in photos.
Leonie Kaptein informs interested parties about the goal of Tulip mania Leiden.
There was a lot of interest in the project and the tulip origami was also a success!
Workshop @ ARS
As part of the exhibition theme "Plant", Tulpenmanie Leiden gave a workshop on August 16 at the artists association ARS (Ars Aemula Naturae) on the Pieterskerkgracht in Leiden. The tulip can often be found in art in all kinds of manifestations. Tulip origami art was chosen for this accessible workshop. After folding the tulips, you could make them bloom by blowing. This workshop was part of the Tulip Mania project that aims to draw attention to the importance of biodiversity in the soil. The richer the soil life, the richer the plant life above it. The participants in the workshop were informed about tulips, biodiversity and the latest DNA news to map the soil life in Leiden.
In the courtyard of ARS, student Isa Wormsbecher from the Leiden Center of Applied Bioscience helps fold the tulips.
The Tulpenmanie Leiden team fltr: Charlotte Zwetsloot, Kitty Kwappenberg, Leonie Kaptein and Isa Wormsbecher.
Citzizen Science Day
On Saturday 6 August, 'Citizen Science' was the theme day of the European City of Science Leiden 2022, an event where visitors could participate in various scientific experiments themselves. Various citizen science projects were presented in the Houtkamp park in Leiderdorp and Tulip Mania Leiden was also presenting its project. The Tulip Mania team had organized a number of activities around the theme of biodiversity, including a ring game in which visitors could throw a ring in a biodiverse 'rich' and 'poor' area. Subsequently, the different plants within the rings were identified. The aim of the activity was to draw attention to the importance of biodiversity in the soil. The richer the soil life, the richer the plant life above it. There was also a lot of enthusiasm for tulip origami.
Citizen Science Day in park de Houtkamp, Leiderdorp
Participants at the Tulpenmanie booth
The plants inside the ring of this biodiverse 'rich' area were identified and compared to the plants within a ring in a biodiverse 'poor' area.
Citizen Science Winners
In the spring of 2022, several participants in the citizen science project presented a photo of the blossoming Masterpeace Tulipa tulips with among them a white tulip! At the end of the flowering season, samples were taken around the tulip bulbs in the winners' gardens.
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Photo of one of the winning gardens in the citizen science project.