… crack clay pots.) Mint needs at least four hours of sunlight per day, so pick a sunny spot. It is tolerant of most soils and weather conditions—just be sure it gets some water every week to … julep, but it’s also perfect for any mint sauce or jelly. Banana mint  (Mentha arvensis)  is part of the spearmint family, but grown mostly for its incredible smell. It still maintains a … What you need: ½ cup mint of your choice (washed leaves; lightly chopped pieces packed down) 1 cup water 1 cup sugar Directions: Rinse and drain mint leaves. Bring water to boil in a small …
Type: Blog
… framework. Asian plants enrich our tables as well. The list of culinary vegetables from Asia is exhaustive. Wheat and barley originated in western Asia, and rice in the east. Fruits include … domesticated apples trace back to central Asian species. One of the Garden’s core values is the belief that beautiful gardens and natural environments are fundamentally important to the … from genetic resources. The ethical collection and propagation of plants from other places is a form of what’s termed ex situ conservation that many public gardens, including the Chicago …
Type: Blog
… Pondering the Prairie Series A weevil is a type of beetle. It typically has an elongated head that appears as a snout. In fact, its other name is snout beetle. Weevils, or snout beetles, make up what many believe to be the largest family of … weevils in a blog that features prairie plants? The relationship between plants and insects is a very close one. Insects can be very beneficial to plants, as pollinators, or very …
Type: Blog
… As an active leader in international research collaborations, the Chicago Botanic Garden is participating in an initiative to set the stage for new partnerships. Patrick Herendeen, Ph.D. … from both countries together to explore research techniques and opportunities. (Systematics is the branch of biology that aims to understand the diversity of life and relationships among … Ph.D. , chief scientist at the Garden, also attended and spoke at the workshop. “There is an ongoing and increased interest in collaboration,” he said. “Chinese science is very …
Type: Blog
… Sunshine is the latest corpse flower at the Chicago Botanic Garden to bloom. A member of the Aroid plant … ( Arisaema triphyllum ) Skunk cabbage ( Symplocarpus foetidus ) Photo by Jacob Burns Not only is it widespread, the members are also adapted to a number of environments from hot, humid … forests; temperate and tropical wetlands; Mediterranean climates; and deserts. The Araceae is one of the larger plant families, containing 117 different genera. The Garden features 27 of …
Type: Blog
… and made recommendations for improvement to the Biodiversity Heritage Library  (BHL). BHL is a group of natural history and botanical libraries that work together to digitize books and … Alicia Esquivel, Pamela McClanahan, Marissa Kings, and Katie Mika My particular project is to define how much biodiversity literature is in the public domain and how much of it still needs to be added to BHL. This content analysis …
Type: Blog
… love fresh grapefruit—and birds. So we decided to keep the rind and make a bird feeder. This is a fun, easy project. The grapefruit sections have been cut and eaten; the rind is ready to become our bird feeder. To make a grapefruit bird feeder, you will need the … Hold the grapefruit up by all three strings and adjust the length of the strands so the fruit is not tipping. When it is balanced, knot the strings together about 4 or 5 inches from the top. …
Type: Blog
… No rain, then too much rain, then...this is a challenging year for gardening. For those who garden in northeastern Illinois, Here are some … the soil. One of the most important things a gardener can do to address both of these extremes is to routinely add organic matter to planting beds. This helps condition and loosen the soil so …   When it comes time to water again, water deeply, not frequently. Large shade trees require 1 inch of water per week during the growing season. This is equivalent to approximately 750 …
Type: Blog
… I am sure that most of you know what I am referring to when I say “leap year.” Although this is not a leap year, I am suggesting that we unofficially call 2015 “Lep Year”—“lep” being short … the butterflies have gotten the lion’s share of PR. In particular, the monarch butterfly is on nearly everyone’s radar, due to its precarious situation with dwindling wintering grounds … species outnumber the butterflies by more than ten to one in North America ! In fact, there is a moth species that is also dependent on milkweeds—the milkweed tussock moth ( Euchaetes egle …
Type: Blog
… the first record in Illinois of a nonnative leaf cutter bee, Megachile apicalis . This finding is part of Gruver’s graduate research, which aims to understand the effects of urbanization on … Gruver hypothesizes that Megachile apicalis thrives in urban environments, like Chicago, and is spreading across North America, because it is active for much of the summer growing season and can take advantage of abundant nonnative …
Type: Research
