… pesticides (including DDT), and the creation of osprey nesting platforms, the fish-eating bird is breeding again in local forest preserves. The osprey looks somewhat like an adult bald eagle, … counties. This year, the Chicago Botanic Garden installed an osprey nesting platform, and is waiting to see if a pair will find it to their liking. According to officials of the Cook … off the platform. Watching an osprey grab a meal can be fascinating. The bird appears as if it is going to plunge head-first into the water, but then it straightens its head and grasps the …
Type: Blog
… I appreciate any cultivar name that invokes thoughts of my favorite holiday: Halloween. It is fun to stumble upon some Gaillardia ‘Goblin’ , Hemerocallis ‘Bela Lugosi’ , or Alchemilla … The straight species, S. lateriflorum , was also among the seven, so you can see that this is one of the best asters for your garden. The foliage of ‘Lady in Black’ is an almost black-purple color, enhanced in autumn by numerous sprays of teeny white daisies …
Type: Blog
… All species have long, arching branches that cascade outward but with pruning, the shape is variable. Beautyberry should be planted in rich soil and pruned in early spring but otherwise … and coneflowers With familiar daisy-like flowers that will bloom through all of fall, it is no wonder that species of Rudbeckia are a fall favorite. Petal colors can range from shades of … via Wikimedia Commons Imperata cylindrica ‘Rubra’ Japanese blood grass Japanese blood grass is another low-maintenance ornamental grass. Usually smaller in stature than switchgrass, it …
Type: Blog
… supervisor of plant health care, said an insulating blanket of snow on the ground helps. Snow is a good insulator for plants that are exposed to extreme cold temperatures, so any plants that … their trunk more so than other trees, making them more likely to develop frost cracks. There is not much you can do if frost cracks happen except to watch the tree through spring to see if … the tree will survive this injury. Other ways a polar vortex might affect plants negatively is in flower bud survival. Forsythia shrubs could see damage to any branches that were above the …
Type: Blog
… at workplaces, in government, in science, etc. Unfortunately, the number of women in science is still pretty dismal. Despite earning about half the doctorates in science, only 21 percent of … we recognize that our ongoing commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility is some of the most important work we do. On International Women’s Day, we pay tribute to women in science at the Garden, past and present: Left to right: Krissa Skogen, Ph.D., is studying hawkmoth pollination with Victoria Luizzi (Amherst College student, NSF REU student, …
Type: Blog
… determined that Spike had run out of the energy it needed to continue its bloom cycle. Spike is powered by energy from the sun, stored in its beach-ball-sized corm—a tuber-like underground … giant flower structure that a titan can send up in its first decade or so of life (Spike is about 12 years old). OVERHEARD: “I WISH MY BIOLOGY TEACHER WAS HERE.” As this week’s expected … texture,” Herendeen said. “The color inside varies from one plant to another in nature. It is dark maroon, the color of rotting meat, which is meant to attract the flies and beetles that …
Type: Blog
… From the 2015 archives: It is our pleasure to introduce another titan arum (in bloom!), which we have joyfully named Alice … the Amorphophallus. Given the history below, it’s a name to remember! Alice the Amorphophallus is caught blooming on webcam at 12:22:39 a.m. today—the Semitropical Greenhouse may smell a bit … titanum presented itself, we called it Spike, since the flower structure, or inflorescence, is also known as a flower spike. But the true name of Spike (and Alice) is a title that can make …
Type: Blog
… and teachers by offering some simple ideas for studying plants. A no-brainer botany project is testing germination of radish seeds in different conditions. Radish seeds are easy to acquire, … normal conditions. Testing germination does not take weeks, doesn't require a lot of room, and is easy to measure—just count the seeds that sprout! To set up a seed germination experiment, use … same way in every respect except for one thing: the condition you are testing. That condition is your "independent variable," which may also be called the "experimental variable." No matter …
Type: Blog
… a few obstacles, but discovered some positive surprises along the way. Windy City Harvest is part of the Chicago Botanic Garden’s urban agriculture program that strives to bring food, … about the situation. It really does take my mind off of it and makes me forget that COVID-19 is even a thing.” “Being at the Farm has been really calming, especially during COVID-19. It … It’s been lots of fun and it feels like a second family." Ordinarily, youth farmers work on-site and attend in-person workshops, five days a week for eight weeks. This year, because of the …
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… the Chicago Botanic Garden’s plant breeder. So let’s go seek out the elusive wild phlox. Phlox is predominantly a North American genus (one species sneaks into Siberia) best known for its … × procumbens ‘Pink Profusion’ PPAF Phlox ‘Violet Pinwheels’ PPAF You may ask,“And where is the plant exploration in this story?” I’m getting there! Most of the phlox species simply … on road edges where the occasional mower or bulldozer damage clears out the competitors. It is that or scramble up steep cliffs and talus slopes, or venture out on to harsh alkaline flats, …
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