… These exhibitions highlight parts of the collection that visitors might not otherwise see, and the exhibitions are among the Garden’s best-loved secrets! Stacy Stoldt, public services … Amsterdam. This volume was on loan from the Owen H. Wangensteen Historical Library of Biology and Medicine, Bio-Medical Libraries, University of Minnesota. An illustrated panel by Maria Sibylla Merian Maria Sibylla Merian (1647–1717) was a fascinating woman, artist, and naturalist. While she was known for her watercolor paintings of flowers and insects, …
Type: Blog
… Ever seen a plant lure and “swallow” an insect? You already know Dionaea muscipula by its common name: Venus flytrap. We added the wetlands-loving venus flytrap and other carnivorous plants in mini bogs that we created on the Green Roof Garden at the Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Plant Conservation Science Center. How do carnivorous plants get their nutrients? …
Type: Blog
… Ever see a tree or even a weed and wonder what kind of plant it is? We’d love for you to stumble across the answer—right in front of you. Inspired by a movement by French botanists, my 5-year-old daughter and I decided to become street botanists for the day. We would identify plants in the neighborhood and write their names in chalk on the sidewalk. In the past year or so, botanists and other plant …
Type: Blog
… “The wonder of the world, the beauty and the power, the shapes of things, their colours, lights and shades—these I saw. Look ye also while life lasts.” —Anonymous lines found on an old … in time for a spring ephemeral. In that narrow window that exists between thawing ground and the leafing out of the tree canopy, spring ephemerals—those woodland wildflowers that emerge, …
Type: Blog
… the Chicago Botanic Garden? Find out with our mystery photo challenge! Guess these objects and where to find them with our close-up snapshots. Click on the picture to reveal the answer to … clue below. Clue: Right past here, you’ll find six unique rooms filled with flowers, herbs, and more. A nostalgic sense of romance and beauty washes all around. Within, you’ll find a sleepy stone beast, an aged cistern, and …
Type: Blog
… Leaves are intriguing—with all their shapes, colors, textures, and their incredible ability to harness the energy of the sun. But when you come to realize that … Imagine driving into a parking garage. At first, we might get the impression that the floor and ceiling are too close together, and we might have the feeling that the roof of the car is … America . The details of the publication can be found at Charlie’s website charleyeiseman.com/leafminers. …
Type: Blog
… Inspired by the amazing diversity and utility of plants, my research uses phylogenomic, collections-based, and experimental field approaches to explore the evolution and genetic diversity of underutilized crops and their wild relatives, pollination, biogeography, …
Type: Staff bio
… Tom Soulsby is the senior horticulturist for the Rose Garden, Heritage Garden, and Linden Allée. He is responsible for curating and maintaining a collection of more than 5,000 roses in one of the largest public rose collections in the country. Described as compelling and inspiring, his artful seasonal Heritage Garden annual designs maintain an inherent boldness …
Type: Staff bio
… Long-ago legend says that cranes can live for 1,000 years…and that folding 1,000 paper cranes, one for each year, can make a wish come true. So it is that the crane is the symbol of longevity and good fortune. Fast forward to the turn of the twenty-first century, when Ray Wilke, a devoted … cranes as a take-away gift for children who visited the garden’s Shoin House. Each winter, Ray and wife Ginny folded cranes…and each spring/summer Ray handed them out, one by one, to the …
Type: Blog
… unknown, even to longtime visitors. As an assistant ecologist, I’m in the Reserve a lot, and often by myself. I’m always puzzled that so few people have discovered it. Here are just a few reasons to visit: The color purple—and more The fall colors are amazing—purple asters, yellow goldenrods, reddish-purple nannyberry. … with blue-green stems. Follow the winding paths through the Reserve’s aquatic, prairie, and woodland habitats. The drama of birds for even non-birders It’s fascinating to watch the …
Type: Blog
