… lepiota, was the mushroom du jour. Three of the cases involved this toxic mushroom that is commonly found in yards after summer rains. It looks lovely, and it usually won’t kill you, … vomiting and/or diarrhea, often severe, starting one to three hours after ingestion. This is the most commonly eaten toxic mushroom in the United States. It might seem like a bumper crop … lawn mower’s mushroom, is also nonedible. (Photo with permission Michael Kuo, mushroomexpert.com .) Not all mushrooms growing in lawns are toxic. But the only way to tell is to know what …
Type: Blog
… One of my signature projects at the Chicago Botanic Garden is designing and building the hypertufa troughs for the Heritage Garden spring display. While our … winters growing the unique and beautiful plants that we feature in the troughs, another team is hard at work making the troughs. Hypertufa is a simulated stone container that is durable in all weather conditions, but lighter-weight than …
Type: Blog
… To feed, or not to feed, that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of empty bird … There are positive and negative things about feeding birds. On the negative side, there is the way feeders concentrate many birds in a small area, making it easier for diseases to … populations of some species. More chickadees may survive a severe winter if food is provided than if they are totally on their own. (There is the question of whether it is truly …
Type: Blog
… For many bonsai tree species, early spring is the best time for repotting. As the days get longer and the temperatures slowly increase, the … up into the tree branches. As this happens, the dormant buds begin to swell. This swelling is the first sign that the tree is beginning to break dormancy. Over the next few weeks, the amount of energy from the roots to …
Type: Blog
… just as much as the tree and the pot have a relationship. The tree-to-pot relationship is aesthetic and functional too,” said Chris Baker, curator of bonsai at the Chicago Botanic … important considerations. In the art of bonsai, the relationship between tree and container is equally important. It’s all about the discipline of pairing, according to Baker. All images … below, courtesy of Chris Baker. A crabapple tree in the Garden’s bonsai collection. “This is a deciduous tree so it has a glazed pot. The color works well with the white and pink blooms.” …
Type: Blog
… The very cosmopolitan painted lady (Vanesa cardui) Cosmopolitan— In this case, a cosmopolitan is not a mixed drink or a well-traveled individual—although this term is related to being in many geographic locations. "Cosmopolitan" describes a butterfly species that is found worldwide. The painted lady is considered cosmopolitan; it is found on every continent …
Type: Blog
… Fragrance is one of the benefits of a garden that is often overlooked. Lots of thought is given to plants’ textures, colors, seasonality, sizes—all … Lonicera flava honeysuckle is a fragrant and hardy variety. Photo via southeasternflora.com. Tuberose, Polianthes tuberosa , is a nonhardy (for us) bulb from northern Mexico with an …
Type: Blog
… Compared 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 … Freeman It may be bright outside, 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 … can push the ISO and still get images I find pleasing. It's best to do this before you are on-site, so you will be able to review the images on a large screen and know what will be acceptable …
Type: Blog
… orchid roots. A traditional winter drink in the cafés and restaurants of Turkey, salep is made from the tuberous roots of orchids—specifically, terrestrial orchids in the genus Orchis . Dried and powdered, the resulting flour is combined in a drink mix with other ingredients, much as hot chocolate or chai spices would be: … cinnamon, and vanillin (the main flavor component in vanilla) are added. A warm cup of salep is perfect on a wintry day. The instructions are hot-chocolate simple, too: mix 1½ tablespoons of …
Type: Blog
… the changes in projected species distributions between now and 2080. The goal of the research is to help BLM to make informed management decisions regarding rare plants. The research takes … southwestern North America. In this exceptional genus, dwarf bear-poppy ( Arctomecon humilis ) is the rarest — and perhaps most remarkable — species, due to its profusion of delicate white flowers and unique habitat. In many ways, the dwarf bear-poppy is a poster child for rare plant conservation. It is restricted to a small area in southwestern …
Type: Blog
