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  • … when you consider how many different species of turtles there are. There is a turtle species for just about every kind of wetland environment that exists, from sea turtles to bog turtles to … the mucus membranes and tiny capillaries of their throat and cloaca (the common opening for defecation and egg laying). They also use some fascinating chemistry, part of which involves … first real breath of air since descending to the bottom of the lakes in fall.     Hoop trap for aquatic turtles Several years ago, I initiated a turtle project with one of the summer …
    Type: Blog
  • … restoration in the tallgrass prairie. My post-doctoral research is focused on seed mix design for restoration from both a social and ecological perspective. Using social science methods, I am studying the factors that drive seed mix design for prairie restoration managers. Using ecological data collected though observation and …
    Type: Staff bio
  • … says about putting my plants outside: Be careful about sunburn. Sunburn isn’t a concern just for us humans. Plants can get scorched, too. Don’t put them in blazing sunlight. Porches with shade are prime locations for orchids and birds of paradise plants. The outdoors makes your plants happy. A lot of plants … swing in temperature that only the outdoors can provide, said Sherwood. If you have the space for it, and moderate sunlight, your indoor houseplants would love to feel the extended daylight. …
    Type: Blog
  • … attract their mates to their strategically chosen nesting location in the spring. In order for a nest to be successful, it must be located near water (their diet consists exclusively of … the nest pole and attacking the young. FOCR and the FPCC sought out the Garden as a partner for an installation site, in large part owing to the Garden’s strong conservation messaging and … few years, a migrating male will select the site and pair with a female. Osprey generally mate for life, though they’re together only during the breeding and rearing seasons.     L earn more …
    Type: Blog
  • … flower was all the rage. A language of flowers emerged. Books appeared that set the standard for flower meanings and guided the sender and the recipient in their floral dialogue. Victorians … volumes from his extensive personal library on floral design. Moretz taught the floral arts for 45 years, traveled the world in pursuit of the history and knowledge of flowers, and authored … rare—those are part of the library’s Rare Book Collection.  Librarians aren’t often at a loss for words, yet when I asked Lenhardt Library director Leora Siegel about the importance of the …
    Type: Blog
  • … Immature bald eagles, with their mottled black and white plumage, can easily be mistaken for ospreys. In summer, visitors can watch an osprey  (Pandion haliaetus) —with its 6-foot … fiercely defends their territory and brings food to his mate. The young remain in the nest for about two months, begging constantly for food. Then they take their first flights off the platform. Watching an osprey grab a meal can …
    Type: Blog
  • … horticulturists at the Chicago Botanic Garden transcend tradition on Valentine’s Day. Read on for thoughtful, unusual, and homemade floral gift ideas. Spouses can evoke their wedding day by … outdoor floriculturist at the Garden. Tim would use sweet peas, freesias, and delphinium for a nostalgic, sweetly scented gift. Tropical flowers from spots such as Hawaii and Florida can … on it. Flowering plants such as kalanchoe, African violets, cyclamen, and azaleas can bloom for weeks and serve double duty in the summer garden. Tim Pollak likes giving indoor blooming …
    Type: Blog
  • … home.” And Michael Young’s Night Birds, with their neon-lit feathers and abstract style, “aims for a sense of emotional connection—harmony, growth, energy—and simultaneously promotes unity … the people you came with...I love that you’ll be able to see yourself in it.” Woodford, known for murals and exhibitions, said the Pride & Promise tree is a first and “full of hope for the future that we really need right now. It’s also something that’s for Chicago. What’s more …
    Type: Blog
  • … and festive way to show friends and relatives that you care about them. It’s a great project for kids who need something to do. (It’s also a way to use up some of those 20-year-old spices … the crease to apply them to your picture.  It helps if you make the glue design for one spice at a time, and let each spice dry before putting a new one on. When each spice has dried, shake the card to remove excess, and apply glue for the next spice. This reduces blending. Cream of tartar dries white to make this snowman. …
    Type: Blog
  • … a biocontrol weevil. I am also interested in developing measures of success and best practices for  ex situ  plant conservation programs, from collecting genetically diverse seed accessions to … of restorations. A more recent area of focus involves adapting zoo conservation approaches for plants. In restoration ecology, much of my work has focused on defining seed transfer zones, … I am interested in improving predictive risk assessments and evaluation procedures for deliberately introduced plants, and led a team that developed the Chicago Botanic Garden's …
    Type: Staff bio