emily_hernandez
Colonial Ivy
While in Colonial Williamsburg, VA this weekend it was hard not to notice ivy on many buildings both old and new. A common misconception of this plant is that it is mainly an unwanted visitor causing damage to the structure of the buildings it chooses to live on. There is some truth in this seeing as some cases of intrusive ivy on older, less "advanced" brickwork cause damage by slowly entering the building through cracks in the foundation. However, an incredible ecological relationship between ivy and its chosen host was explained in an article by the Daily Mail UK. The headline, "Why Ivy creeping up the side of you home could actually protect the building thanks to 'thermal shield'" quite frankly says it all. When I saw the ivy on the side of this building, I started wondering what good it would do to leave it there and if the benefits outweighed the potential damage. Though this particular sighting wouldn't nearly benefit the building in the ways explained in the article, it is nonetheless connected to the same concept. Not only is ivy a great example of adapting to your environment, it also serves as an example of a thermodynamic interaction. Ivy covering buildings has been shown to increase temperatures in the building in the winter and decrease them when it is hotter outside (as told by the findings from a study done by Oxford University scientists). This is all through the plants ability to cover large areas of walls and therefore hold heat inside when it is cold and create shaded areas on the walls to keep heat out in warmer conditions. Basically, ivy is a natural insulator, protects from moisture that can cause cracks in brickwork, and even sometimes serves as a sort of natural filter of pollution. Though this patch of ivy was just getting started here in Williamsburg on a rather cloudy Sunday morning, the ecological interactions are soon to be hard at work. Article can be found here for further reference: www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1278430/Why-ivy-c...
Colonial Ivy
While in Colonial Williamsburg, VA this weekend it was hard not to notice ivy on many buildings both old and new. A common misconception of this plant is that it is mainly an unwanted visitor causing damage to the structure of the buildings it chooses to live on. There is some truth in this seeing as some cases of intrusive ivy on older, less "advanced" brickwork cause damage by slowly entering the building through cracks in the foundation. However, an incredible ecological relationship between ivy and its chosen host was explained in an article by the Daily Mail UK. The headline, "Why Ivy creeping up the side of you home could actually protect the building thanks to 'thermal shield'" quite frankly says it all. When I saw the ivy on the side of this building, I started wondering what good it would do to leave it there and if the benefits outweighed the potential damage. Though this particular sighting wouldn't nearly benefit the building in the ways explained in the article, it is nonetheless connected to the same concept. Not only is ivy a great example of adapting to your environment, it also serves as an example of a thermodynamic interaction. Ivy covering buildings has been shown to increase temperatures in the building in the winter and decrease them when it is hotter outside (as told by the findings from a study done by Oxford University scientists). This is all through the plants ability to cover large areas of walls and therefore hold heat inside when it is cold and create shaded areas on the walls to keep heat out in warmer conditions. Basically, ivy is a natural insulator, protects from moisture that can cause cracks in brickwork, and even sometimes serves as a sort of natural filter of pollution. Though this patch of ivy was just getting started here in Williamsburg on a rather cloudy Sunday morning, the ecological interactions are soon to be hard at work. Article can be found here for further reference: www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1278430/Why-ivy-c...