… Valentine’s Day has special meaning for us at the Chicago Botanic Garden. With that in mind, we’ve gathered a few stories about how … that, you know you should be glad, yeah, yeah, yeah. Granted, a little makeup can work wonders on date night. But the spider orchid, Brassia , takes things even further in order to attract an … (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
… Not all seeds can do that. It is possible that in nature, the coating protects the seeds on their journey from the mother plant through the hostile environment of a hungry animal’s gut and on to wherever that animal relieves itself. Another theory is that the coating prevents … and other fruit ripening in your kitchen, because it can attract fruit flies. Leave it there for three to five days, depending on the conditions. Natural “beasties” in the air (yeast) will …
Type: Blog
… best things about visiting (and working at!) the Chicago Botanic Garden: you get great ideas for your own garden. I put one of them to work in my new "all vegetable" front yard garden this … markers-to-be, scrub-brush lightly under running water, and let dry. (No need to overdo it on the pre-cleaning—the paint covers most everything.) On a fine spring day, apply two coats of chalkboard paint. I went for black, but you can have the …
Type: Blog
… Life on the prairie hasn’t been a breeze for the beautiful eastern prairie fringed orchid ( Platanthera leucophaea) . Once common across … the Midwest who began gathering leaf samples for genetic analysis and recording measurements on the health of certain populations. Some volunteers dedicated decades to this work, and many …
Type: Blog
… How does a college intern help advance science on pollinators of native prairie wildflowers and other plants? It starts with a summer filled … Christian Acevedo, a Garden intern from Miami Dade College through the Research Experiences for Undergraduates program. He did research for Budburst , a project by the Chicago Botanic … how plant species and ecosystems are responding to human impacts, such as climate change, on the environment. One of the projects is on nativars, or cultivated varieties of native plants. …
Type: Blog
… beetles, moths, and more. As part of National Moth Week , we wanted to highlight our work on a very special group of moths: the Sphingidae, or hawkmoths, which pollinate more than 106 … postdocs Tania Jogesh and Rick Overson, and fellow Garden scientist Jeremie Fant , Ph.D., on a National Science Foundation Dimensions of Biodiversity project entitled, “Landscapes of … leaves, buds, and flowers. How does scent play a role in attracting hawkmoths? Do moths use it for pollination? Or do they use it to find host plants to lay their eggs? Or maybe both? Hawkmoth …
Type: Blog
… On a walk through the Chicago Botanic Garden, you are likely to encounter dozens of woody … with the variety of oaks at the Garden. The horticulturist points out the deep purple leaves on the English oak tree ( Quercus robur ‘ Purpurascens’) in the meadow east of the English Walled … on the southeast corner of the Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Plant Conservation Science Center—for smaller landscapes. He describes Regal Prince as a hybrid oak that is columnar in shape. …
Type: Blog
… four new bonsai trees in the Semitropical Greenhouse in the Regenstein Center. Bonsai on display in the Semitropical Greenhouse The crape myrtle, two ficus species, and natal plum trees were on display in March, April, and May. It was the first time these trees were displayed in this … and some are broadleaf evergreens—this is a deciduous variety. Crape myrtles are most famous for their flowers, which grow as clusters of small blooms. Flowering typically takes place …
Type: Blog
… diseased parents or plants around them. Fungal infections are common because spores can travel on the wind or in water droplets and may land on seeds, sometimes penetrating the outer layers of the seed coat and remaining until germination. When the seed sprouts, the new soft tissue offers a welcome home for the fungus to grow. Bacterial pathogens sometimes will infect the embryo of the seed itself, …
Type: Blog
… Bright blooms never last long enough for me—but I’ve found an easy way to preserve the color and beauty of favorites. Lately, I’ve … just opened up. Use scissors to trim them down to just the blossom part. 2. Put a heavy book on a flat surface Lay a few sheets of newspaper or parchment paper on top of the book. Place the flowers on the paper, as flat as possible, leaving plenty of space …
Type: Blog
