The Blooming of Scilla

This essay, written in collaboration with Elena Antoniolli, describes the presence of Scilla siberica in three cemeteries or former cemetery sites undergoing transition in the Neukölln district of Berlin. Scilla siberica is a species associated with cemetery soils and their ecologies, having evolved in response to changes in the maintenance and use of these sites. In these soils, the work of ants aids seed dispersal, causing the flower forms blue carpets in shaded and semi-shaded areas, becoming a harbinger of spring for cemetery visitors.

The essay is published as part of Kontaminiertwerden #2, which can be downloaded here.