In this episode we meet Dr. Anna Asatryan, a Senior Researcher at the National Academy of Sciences in Armenia focused on the documentation and conservation of Armenia’s rich native flora, including Rhododendron caucasicum. We learn how Dr. Asatryan became involved in the eco-tourism industry and fell in love with Rhododendron as she conducted her primary work documenting the Important Plant Areas of Armenia. Her efforts to fill the data gap on Rhododendron have inspired residents of Armenia’s small and cozy mountain villages to see their native species with different eyes, and we discover that something as un-assuming as sharing an illustrated postcard has the power to stimulate daily acts of conservation, reminding us that we are all one organism, one ecosystem. Following the wise words of Mother Teresa,

“Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.”