Ideas worth spreading

275,000 views | Nirupa Rao • TEDxGateway

An illustrated kingdom of real, fantastical plants

Botanical artist Nirupa Rao captures the spirit and beauty of nature in watercolor. With a portfolio of enchanting, scientifically accurate illustrations, she aims to reignite our emotional connection to the environment -- and open our eyes to an entire kingdom hidden in plain sight.

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Botanical artist Nirupa Rao captures the spirit and beauty of nature in watercolor. With a portfolio of enchanting, scientifically accurate illustrations, she aims to reignite our emotional connection to the environment -- and open our eyes to an entire kingdom hidden in plain sight.

This talk was presented to a local audience at TEDxGateway, an independent event. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

Read more about TEDx.

Learn more about conservation and research in the Western Ghats.

Donate to educational programs in the Western Ghats.

About the speaker

Botanical artist

See speaker profile

Working at the intersection of art and science, Nirupa Rao seeks to bring alive the magic of the plant kingdom.

David Beerling | Oxford University Press, 2017 | Book

The Emerald Planet: How plants changed Earth's history

A key player in the field of paleobotany, Beerling looks at plants as being a "geological force of nature" in the course of Earth's history. The book follows the rough chronology of the plant kingdom's 540 million years on Earth, combining subjects as diverse as evolution, plant physiology, geology, climatology and forensic science to reveal the crucial role plants play in shaping current and future environments.

Colin Tudge | Penguin, 2006 | Book

The Secret Life of Trees: How They Live and Why They Matter

A delightful ode to the quirky ingenuity of these gentle giants, Tudge's book answers our most fundamental questions about trees: what they are, how they work and came to be, how they communicate and why they matter.

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