These locations of abundant flowers were pinpointed on a map of the area that included the UM campus and surroundings. Select for a larger view. To my surprise, few bees foraged for nectar or pollen on campus, even though they could have saved time and energy by foraging close to home. If there were flowers on campus, the bees surely would have told me. Instead, bees flew away from campus to forage in homeowners' gardens and along streets in Coral Gables, South Miami, and out into unincorporated Dade County.
Bees check every nook and cranny of the nearby campus landscape, but there are few flowers.
Dr. William Kline, director of the National Tropical Botanical Garden, recently explained to me that gardens reflect norms and customs of a culture. The ways people interact with one another and their perspective on nature are both reflected in their gardens. The purposes of gardens are reflected in the structure of them. The University has no gardens. President Foote, in his inaugural address on the UM green in 1981, promised a campus of natural beauty.