Sunset

Starting in September, "The Diary of The Botanic Gardens at Kona Kai" will have a new author.

I have had a wonderful 3.5+ years here at The Botanic Gardens at Kona Kai Resort helping Joe, Ronnie, and the rest of the Kona Kai staff realize their dream of an ethnobotanic teaching garden here in the Florida Keys, where visitors can come and learn about the incredible importance of plants in their lives.

Looking back, it's amazing to see what we've accomplished. I remember some of our first projects: building a comprehensive BG-Base database for KKBG's plant collections, creating 500+ records labels and 140+ display labels for the plants, and developing the first iteration of our "Ethnobotanic Tour," which we now call our "Transforming Your Understanding of Plants Tour." The Tour has been taken by over 1,200 people from all around the world since I began leading it in March 2011. After working on establishing these foundations for the Gardens, I moved on to develop kkbg.org, the Gardens' virtual mobile-friendly botanic garden "app", with Joe while at the same time working with Ronnie on expanding our educational outreach to the local community by making The Fairchild Challenge (a very successful South Florida environmental education program developed at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Gardens) available to Upper Keys teachers and students as "The Upper Keys Fairchild Challenge," which involved over 900 students (53% of all local elementary and middle school students) last year.  Since Day One, I have worked closely with our Grounds Manager, Veronika, when it came to learning more about the characteristics and needs of the plants here on the property, conducting tree trimming, discussing plant selection, and planting our precious new specimens. I also had plenty of interaction with the other staff here, too, even if it wasn't as frequent or intensive as my work with Joe, Ronnie, and Veronika. Tracey and Denise coordinated reservations for my tours, and I always saw Ileana, Maria, and Charlie around the Gardens taking care of the accommodations or their garden beds. We have also recently been blessed with another great addition to the team, Karen, who is helping Veronika out in the Gardens, and it seems like she will fit in wonderfully.

As you can see, even though I have been the "face" of the Gardens for the past few years, I've had incredible support from the rest of the staff here, without whom the Gardens' work would not have been, or continue to be, possible. On a personal as well as professional level, I have learned from each of them, and know I am a better person for it. One of my favorite parts of working at Kona Kai is that the staff here do not see each other exclusively as co-workers or colleagues, but friends and family, which I believe is no small contributing factor in what makes Kona Kai so magical; you feel like you're coming home from the moment you arrive on the property, especially as a returning guest.

Although I am departing, it is not because I see the mission and vision of the Gardens to be unimportant, as I hope you've been able to realize from all of my previous 75 blogs, which I have written from the heart. Indeed, I still consider it one of the most noble and urgent causes in today's world. What I have felt is a calling within the deepest parts of my spirit that I can no longer ignore, and unfortunately I cannot answer it while at the same time having a full-time job. In 2007, a strange unprompted curiosity came over me about contemplative monastic life, which I knew nothing about at the time. In order to learn more about it, I visited a Trappist monastery in Massachusetts while at Connecticut College, after which I knew I needed to return at some point for a longer visit and also explore other monastic orders, which I was planning on doing after finishing my internship at Holden Arboretum in 2011. One of my favorite quotes is "If you want to hear God laugh, tell Him your plans," and as I was making plans for monastery visits, I came across the advertisement for my current position here at The Botanic Gardens at Kona Kai Resort. I could not believe there was a position being offered at that particular moment in time that suited my ethnobotanical interests / education and my botanic gardens work experience so well, so I figured this might be where I was meant to be for the foreseeable future. I applied for the position and have been here since. Even though I see the work being done here as extremely important and I really couldn't have asked for a better job for several reasons, the pull towards monastic life has not ceased to leave me, and has become more and more intense, especially over the past year, during which I made two visits to the same monastery I visited in 2007. After my last visit in June, I've had a deep sense of peaceful conviction that it is time for me to make the necessary visits to the monasteries to discern whether or not life as a monk is my next vocation.

I have no doubt the "sunset" of my time here will quickly make way for a beautiful sunrise; I am confident the Gardens' work will continue to thrive, supported by all the staff I mentioned earlier, Kona Kai guests, the local community, and one other notable addition (to be introduced in the next posting) who will take my place as Associate Director of the Gardens at the beginning of September.

What follows is a slideshow I put together covering the Gardens' main themes and undertakings over the past three and a half years. Be sure to watch it in full screen mode (click on the button on the bottom-right-hand corner of the video) on a laptop or desktop (if you watch it on a mobile device, you won't get any of the sound that goes along with the video and you probably won't be able to read any of the text), and adjust the quality to one of the HD options by clicking on the "gear" button on the bottom-right of the screen after you've begun playing the video in full-screen mode. Here's to many more "fruitful" years to come for The Botanic Gardens at Kona Kai Resort!

Rick Hederstrom
Associate Director

One Year Anniversary of the Ethnobotanic Tour at Kona Kai

On March 21st of this year, we celebrated both the one-year anniversary of the Gardens and of the first integral ethnobotanic tour I created for Garden visitors, which will hopefully expand to include several more. Because of this milestone, I took time to reflect upon the Tour over the past year and the many visitors I have had the pleasure of spending time with, talking about the ethnobotany of plants in our collections and the general importance of plants in our lives. One theme that really stood out to me is how frequently I would hear something like, "You know, my significant other dragged me along to go on this tour, but I really, really enjoyed this - it wasn't what I expected it to be and I didn't think I'd be learning so much." Some of the most enthusiastic reviews of the Tour have come from those with no real interest in plants or knowledge of them, but these are the people who often think that since they aren't "plant people," this tour isn't for them. I thought, "I've got to try and find a way to convey this is something you'll be really glad you took the time to do, even (and especially) if it's something you don't think you'd enjoy doing." In that spirit, I have written the following note, which we have also decided to post on our websites (Facebook, kkresort.com, and kkbg.org) to get the word out. While it is tailored to visitors who are staying overnight in the Gardens in one of our rooms, it is certainly applicable to visitors who come to the Gardens just for the Tour. Staying for a few days/nights in the Gardens does, however, greatly enhance the experience, as you are able to spend more time contemplating the plants you have learned so much about and also benefit from other ways to learn more about the collections, such as the informative display labels and interactive smartphone "app." Enjoy the rest of the post and I hope to see you soon here at the Gardens!

Photo courtesy of Mike Hentz of the Key West Citizen newspaper.

So you’ve finally made it to Kona Kai for a long-anticipated vacation. Flip-flops and sunglasses are in the “ON” position and you’re ready to unwind. Perhaps you are planning on spending your vacation doing as many fun and interesting things at as many places as possible, or spending almost all your time here at Kona Kai, focusing on some serious relaxation.

You might recall Tracey or Denise mentioning something during your check-in about doing a tour of our Botanic Gardens with a guy named Rick who is some sort of ethnocalabalofrotanist (a.k.a. ethnobotanist). This was probably too much for your mind to handle at the moment, as you were probably busy thinking about what kind of delicious seafood you’re going to order; how soon you’ll be able to hop into one of our hammocks; or where you’ll be able to find piña colada ingredients and a good bottle of wine.

With all of the great things to do here during your vacation, it’s easy for a “garden tour” to fall by the wayside. However, whether you’re looking to do as much, or as little, as possible during your vacation, I highly recommend giving my tour a try. In over a year, I can honestly say I have had no one indicate to me through words or body language that they regretted taking the time to join me for a tour. I can, however, recall several times in which I have had guests tell me that my tour was the highlight of their vacation activities. Even if it doesn’t end up being THE highlight for you, I’m sure it will end up being something you won’t soon forget.

I want to clarify something when it comes to the “garden tour” here at Kona Kai - it is not a “garden tour.” You’re probably thinking AutoCorrect must have accidentally replaced “confuse” with “clarify” in the previous sentence, but allow me to explain. Yes, the tour does take place in a botanic garden, but the tour involves much more than what most people think of when they hear “garden tour” (i.e. me taking you down all the paths and telling you the names of our plants). While I will certainly mention the names of the plants we talk about, my tour experience involves much more.

My aim during this ethnobotanic tour is to enlighten you, in as entertaining and interactive a fashion as possible, about the crucial and indispensable roles plants have played and will continue to play in our survival and well-being, as well as open your eyes to the hidden wonders of plants to be found throughout our gardens. I guarantee you will learn more things than you’ll be able to remember and that these things will cause you to see plants and your relationship with them in a profound new way. If you’ve had a day or two to walk the grounds before taking the tour, you’ll walk it again and not only see the gardens, but experience them in a completely new and different way. What was once just a collection of passive, nameless green objects sometimes pretty to look at, becomes a space inhabited by living, breathing organisms that have names, stories to tell, fascinating complexity, beauty beyond the apparent and significant value to our daily lives.

So, I challenge you: give my tour a try. Come with an open mind and 90 minutes of your time set aside because, although I'm happy to give an abbreviated tour, I’ve toured enough visitors to know you’ll probably want to stay for the whole thing.

Rick Hederstrom

Associate Director

A Tour Through Our Gardens, But Not A Garden Tour

Over the past several months, among other things, I've been spending time honing the tour of our Gardens that we offer to guests and the public three times each week.  I described in an earlier post about how I was encouraged by the enthusiastic responses from those who agreed to a tour.  I'm very happy to say that responses and feedback from tour participants continue to be extremely positive.  No doubt one of the major reasons for this is because I've especially been working on my technique when it comes to pointing out bromeliad flowers, so that it's pretty much flawless by now.  Here's a rare look at the technique in action during a tour, though a photo doesn't do it justice:

Now you might say, "Rick, no offense meant to you at all because I know just how ridiculously awesome you are (aw shucks : P ) but people on the tour might just be saying that they loved it, especially if they're talking directly to you...I mean they're not just going to tell you straight up that it was boring."  Good point, friend.  I acknowledge that feedback given directly to me may or may not be genuine, but after almost every tour Tracey and Denise, who work at the front desk, are able to corroborate.  Now even if you might be skeptical about that, the most objective evidence of enjoyment I can offer is that I will sometimes reach the hour and a half we have allotted for the tour without covering everything, so I'll inform them of the time and ask if they'd like to keep going, and unless they have activities scheduled, the answer has always been an enthusiastic "yes."  Keep in mind, too, that this is precious vacation time and I am competing with some pretty impressive offerings, such as relaxing on the beach, cooling off in the pool, swimming with dolphins, going snorkeling/diving/fishing, yodeling on the pier (or is that just me?), etc.  The fact that these folks end up being happy to spend more than an hour and a half of that precious time with me on our tour is quite wonderful to see and a concrete affirmation that people are really getting a lot out of it.  Both the front desk and I have collected quotes from our tour participants, so you can get an idea of what people are saying:

"I've stayed at Kona Kai in the past and the Gardens and Tour are why we'll be staying here in the future."
"Well beyond any of our expectations."
"I'll never look at plants the same way again."
"My wife had to drag me along but now I'm really glad she did."
"This was a major highlight of our vacation."

If I had any negative feedback, I would present it, but honestly I don't.  And while the original tour focused almost exclusively on ethnobotany and economic botany, it has evolved to incorporate a number of other areas including history of the Keys and the Resort property, botany at microscopic levels, chemistry, ecology, spirituality, ethics, conservation, biodiversity and global environmental issues.  After the tour, we not only hope that participants will leave with a dramatically new perspective on plants, but also how intricately and actively connected they are with the rest of the world, humans in particular.  That being said, this is much more than what one might call a "garden" tour and I think I've found a better name for it that is much more intriguing and descriptive: a "plants-and-people-but-also-much-more-including-history-chemistry-ethics-conservation-connection-spirituality-biodiversity-environmental-issues-etc.,-and-you'll-learn-so-much-and-be-really-glad-you-took-the-time-because-it-is-ridiculously-mind-blowingly-amazing" tour.....well, maybe I'll see if I can cut out a word or two.


Rick Hederstrom
Associate Director

Tour de Plants

One of my favorite parts of working at Kona Kai is giving tours to our guests.  Since guests must request to join the tour (we won't force you), there must be some initial interest, but as the tour progresses I observe a noticeable increase in guests' enthusiasm and interest.  They want to know more about each plant and find it fascinating how useful and potentially useful plants have been and continue to be.  Guests have been very responsive not only to ethnobotanical information but also purely botanical observations, which is great to see.  For example, I might point out that in some species, there are male and female plants, whereas in others, both male and female reproductive parts are on the same plant.  Sometimes our guests have simply not looked thoroughly enough and I can show them interesting things in unusual places, such as elegant Zamia (coontie) cones, which are often hidden underneath their foliage.  After a recent tour, one of the participants told me that during the time he had already spent at Kona Kai, he had walked the property looking at the plants but had not really "seen" at all.  He thanked me for the experience the tour gave him, which he said added much deeper levels to his experience of our property and changed the way he perceived plants and the natural world as a whole.  Kona Kai is an excellent place for realizations and revelations like this to occur because many guests are able to distance themselves from much of the "noise" of the outside world and, whether they know it or not, become more in-tune with the nature that surrounds them here.  It feels as though your body, mind and soul are all resonating in perfect harmony with your surroundings at the end of a week of deep relaxation and decompression here.  You find yourself noticing things you hadn't noticed before about our natural world, such as the fact that each breath we take is made possible by plants.  The more you experience nature in this way, the more you are impacted profoundly and feel that deep, resonant connection with something much bigger than yourself, something that you realize lives and dies to support and sustain us in so many ways.

Rick Hederstrom

Associate Director