The Flowers of Vashnoi

by Lois McMaster Bujold

“How were you to know?” Ekaterin consoled the scientist. “Anyway, the purpose of the first test plot is to find problems; it’s certainly working for that.”

“Even if it only becomes a park, it might be a park people could walk in without protection, maybe camp in without dosimeters. We need our open spaces. Our green-and-red-brown spaces.”