… ideas on what we hope to learn from this rare possibility. The plants have been named Java and Sumatra, in recognition of two of the major islands in the nation of Indonesia. … months ago; the young inflorescences emerged from the soil within 24 hours of each other, and until recently, they were within an inch of each other in height. On May 18, Java became—and remained—the taller of the two. A school field trip visits the two titan arums on May 23, …
Type: Blog
… when they think about bees, there are more than 4,000 native bee species in the United States and 500 species in Illinois alone. Like their honeybee counterparts, native bees are undergoing … I was also drawn to them because most of the vegetation around the sites is unmanaged and composed of similar species. All of the sites vary in the levels of green space and impervious surface (concrete/buildings) surrounding the sites. Sites near downtown are …
Type: Blog
… five midwestern horticulturists hike through the oak-hickory forests of the Missouri Ozarks? And why did we need a desiderata? The first question is easy—we were on the trail of specific wildflowers and woody plants to preserve and add to our collections. Collections trip horticulturists Michael Jesiolowski, Tom Weaver, …
Type: Blog
… Vanilla cookies, vanilla perfume, and everything vanilla swept through my nostrils at an Orchid Show scented display one year. The … as a vine (more precisely a hemiepiphyte) because terrestrial roots anchor it within the soil, and epiphytic roots anchor it to tree trunks. My last post, Vanilla inhabitants: The search for associated bacteria and fungi , showcased my ongoing experiment in Mexico. This included collecting roots from four …
Type: Blog
… up to look like a pollinator’s favorite food. The orchid’s flower has developed the color and shape of a large tropical spider. But it’s not trying to attract the spider—no, that would be … as potential food for its own larvae. Thus the wasp is fooled into landing on the flower—and picking up its pollen—while hunting. So cheeky! A hammer orchid ( Drakaea glyptodon ) … (Check out more on orchids fooling mating bees with this famous video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-h8I3cqpgnA .) Oncidium Sharry Baby ‘Sweet Fragrance’ has dancing skirts and …
Type: Blog
… to photographing flowers outside, photographing in the Greenhouses is much more challenging and darker than you think. With a limited depth of field, I chose to focus on the "face" I saw … but the light in the Chicago Botanic Garden's Greenhouses is being filtered through glass and other plant material; be aware that it is even darker on overcast days. Most people are … the flowers in the Greenhouses. However, a shorter lens—100mm or less—is easier to handhold, and has a better chance of capturing sharp images at a slower shutter speed. (Typically, you want …
Type: Blog
… Lynnaun Johnson wades over for a closer look. Habitat is shrinking for this reclusive orchid, and he is using a unique approach to better understand the species’ uncommon lifestyle. During … to reach the widely dispersed plants. Each time he located an orchid, he looked past the plant and took a sample from the bark of its host tree. “What I’m interested in primarily is … particular orchids,” said Johnson. “If you are going to place a ghost orchid out in nature and it can’t acquire nutrients or it doesn’t form the right associations with mycorrhizal fungi, …
Type: Blog
… our campers are eager to “dig into” their creations. For little ones, this project is easy and fun to do with a grown-up and provides opportunities to identify colors and start learning about plant parts. Older kids can use new kitchen tools (with adult …
Type: Blog
… at squares of color in the slant of the afternoon sun. The colors had to pop in daylight and for Orchids After Hours , an evening look at the Show with cocktails and light bites for purchase. We tried out color combinations one by one. The comments were … Nichols Hall, we settled on translucent squares of mostly leafy green, sunny yellow, sky blue, and warm magenta, reminiscent of a forest in spring. Light shines through the squares and …
Type: Blog
… Brian Clark is the manager of Plant Production, which includes nursery and greenhouse operations. He works with a talented team of growers to produce a complex and diverse range of plants for the Garden's programs, collections, and displays. Clark has been with the Garden since 1979, making him one of the Garden's longest …
Type: Staff bio
