HOW FLOWERS MADE OUR WORLD: Author David Haskell in conversation with Alexis Madrigal
May 20, 2026 @ 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
$40 – $45
Join us for a very special evening with two-time Pulitzer Finalist David George Haskell in conversation with KQED radio host Alexis Madrigal as they explore the fascinating revelations in Haskell’s just released book How Flowers Made Our World: The Story of Nature’s Revolutionaries. In his book, acclaimed writer and biologist Haskell provides an astonishing new perspective on the history of life on this planet—with flowers setting a new course for Earth beginning some 200 million years ago—and reveals their foundational role in humanity’s future.
Ticket includes pre-talk admission to the UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley, a living-museum and one of the most plant-diverse places on the planet. The talk will take place in our historic outdoor amphitheater. A flower will be presented to each attendee.
Buy your copy of the book in advance from our online Garden Shop or at the event. David will be available to sign copies before the talk!
About author David George Haskell
About journalist Alexis Madrigal
Introductions by Shirley Watts of Natural Discourse
About the book:
“Flowers changed the course of Earth’s history, creating most modern habitats and catalyzing the evolution of humans. I wrote this book to share this extraordinary story, which I regard as the great untold tale of evolution. Even many biologists do not fully realize the revolutionary powers of flowers.” –David George Haskell
“David George Haskell’s great strength as a writer is that he is open to surprise. He regards the planet as a strange and beautiful place. How Flowers Made Our World is at once closely observed, richly reported, and mind-blowing.” –Elizabeth Kolbert, Pulitzer Prize-winning science writer and journalist
“A tender portrait of flowering plants as powerful agents of change. Flowers wield beauty as a world-making force, actively shaping the planet—and, by extension, us. This book is a joyful exhortation to floral reverence, and brims with curiosity, humor, and crystal-clear scientific delights. We are all more in sway of flowers than we think. Richly precise, How Flowers Made Our World is a celebration of the inventiveness of floral life.” –Zoë Schlanger, author of The Light Eaters, staff writer, The Atlantic
