… Grounds supervisor. Melecio supervises four regular employees and 43 seasonal employees, and is responsible for general grounds maintenance, major event support (set up and tear down), and the landscape waste program. He is an expert equipment operator and trains staff and volunteers in safety and equipment …
Type: Staff bio
… Winter is no stranger to Chicago and can sometimes feel like a less-than-pleasant guest. But as the days … herbs like mint, parsley, or lavender. Make your own wrapping paper: Wrapping paper that is glossy or shiny, or has foil in it usually cannot be recycled. Try decorating sheets of … and get inspiration for more on December 15 at our free Gifts from the Garden drop-in. It is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Burnstein Hall of the Regenstein Center. …
Type: Blog
… of its native habitat nominated the gladiolus for trial at the Garden: first, it is a winter-growing bulb in South Africa, which translates to summer growth in North America. Second, this plant thrives in moist soils in grassy areas—it was perfect for the site we chose in the Bulb Garden. Based on its initial success in our plant trial program, other … soils (but do not tolerate flooded soils). The beautiful, red-flowered Gladiolus saundersii is also native to the Drakensbergs, but from a higher, colder, and snowier habitat. And a third …
Type: Blog
… Flower Mandala Sun Catchers Loosely translated from Sanskrit to mean “circle,” a mandala is a symbol that represents wholeness and reminds us of the connectivity of all things in the … Mandalas can be found across cultures and religions, from Asia to the Americas. The design is usually patterned levels around a central image, growing from the inside out. Using this … of support systems in their lives: their family, friends, and neighborhood. For children, this is an excellent opportunity to conceptualize the many levels of community around them and how …
Type: Blog
… know the extent that urban areas impact native bees. My research at the Chicago Botanic Garden is investigating how urban areas may affect native bees in Chicago. Chicago is an ideal city to study the impact of urbanization on native bees because the intensity of … that attract and capture the bees. Secondly, we use a butterfly net to capture bees at the site throughout the day. When we are finished sampling, the bees are taken back to the lab at the …
Type: Blog
… When it comes to controlling invasive plants, a little faith can’t hurt. This is particularly true for garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata). We have been struggling to get … observations circulating in the Chicago region regarding a possible disease that apparently is having a significant negative effect on garlic mustard (see woodsandprairie.blogspot.com ). Observers have reported an almost complete absence of garlic mustard in areas that are …
Type: Blog
… in science to pursue careers in STEM—science, technology, engineering, and math. Divine, who is from the Chicago neighborhood of Ashburn, will be a freshman at Lindblom Math and Science Academy next year. Another participant, Alexis, who is from Little Village, begins his freshman year at Northside College Preparatory High School in … recommended that she apply to the program, which seemed a perfect fit—her interest in science is rooted in the books she read as a child. Divine has always loved reading and would sometimes …
Type: Blog
… air and from the leaf litter in the tree niche it inhabits. Orchid Roots Are Adventitious That is, an orchid’s roots can grow along the stem of the plant, not just out of the bottom of it. The … removed from the mother plant along with their own set of adventitious roots. The White Stuff Is Velamen An aerial root should look fleshy and green; the white coating that covers it is called the velamen. Thin and rather papery, but spongy and protective, it’s a one-way water …
Type: Blog
… graduate program run by Northwestern University and the Chicago Botanic Garden. Flower timing is critical for many reasons. For the earliest of the spring bloomers, earlier flowering provides … spring blooms known as ephemerals, these early foragers would go hungry because nothing else is in bloom. In return for pollen and nectar, bees and other pollinators move pollen from flower … us a better understanding for how certain plant species will respond to climate change, which is signaling many plant species to flower earlier than in the past. Samantha Danguilan is a …
Type: Blog
… the Garden's research capacity to address priority management needs. Ultimately, our goal is to play a leading role in supporting the conservation, management, and restoration of native … agricultural ecosystems and to train the next generation of scientists. Much of my research is carried out with students as part of the Garden’s graduate program in Plant Biology and … opportunities to learn how to care for and understand natural areas. Our natural areas team is working to make natural history data on Mary Mix McDonald Woods available - the following …
Type: Staff bio
