… about and get engaged with nature. The hands-on component is key. After a teacher signs up for a field trip, we deliver kits of materials for every student. Students pick up the kits at the school. Every virtual program includes a live plant or seeds that we plant together. Thanks to a generous donor, we offer this program free of charge for all schools that serve a population where 50 percent or more students are …
Type: Blog
… so it’s a super fun addition to our butterfly family. You’re sure to see some on your next visit to Butterflies & Blooms. Zebra longwings rest together on their favorite branch. A trio of …
Type: Blog
… look at your own yard. Is it time to plant a tree or shrub? If so, what kind might be right for your yard, and what fall color would be a smart addition for your home, your yard, and your neighborhood? Often, the talk turns to red. But a visit to the Garden during October reveals the diversity of colors in nature's crayon box—yellow, …
Type: Plant Info
… splendens. Native to the mountains of western Mexico, this plant is extinct in the wild. Visit our What’s in Bloom highlight page each week—twice a week during the summer bloom … season—to learn more about the different plants in bloom. Then, come out to see them in person for their fragrance and the humidity of the warmer greenhouse climates. …
Type: Blog
… relished the time being in parks and found it captivating when I’d get the rare opportunity to visit our local forest preserves. These short trips outside city limits spurred my interest in …
Type: Staff bio
… In both ginkgoes and hollies, the male and female flowers, although small, look different. For Illinois rose, the male and female flowers look alike. It is very difficult to know if you … Male plants will not have any rose hips. Interestingly, the bees that pollinate Illinois roses visit the stamens of both female and male flowers to collect pollen but linger longer on male flowers with viable pollen and visit female flowers briefly—just enough time to brush pollen against the flower’s stigma to …
Type: Blog
… day to celebrate all U.S. presidents past and present. It also seems to be just the right day for me to share the highlights of my visit to the White House with you. Smack dab in the middle of last fall’s Cubs playoff series … for the White House, I was…well, I was there in that hardworking garden. I’d been invited to visit the vegetable garden at the White House and tour the grounds. I repeat, I was at the White …
Type: Blog
… to bloom in the last few years. What makes it a rare event? A. It takes seven to ten years for a single corpse flower to gather enough energy to begin its bloom cycle. The Garden began … Q. How do you know when the bud is going to bloom? A. There are three main clues we look for when determining the peak bloom. First, as the arum “powers up” its bloom cycle, it grows … is imminent. It's really not an exact science, but these clues give us a general time frame for the bloom. Q: How long does the plant bloom? A. The plant generally blooms for 24 to 36 …
Type: Page
… water animals cross trails, roads, and waterways to seek food or habitats that are necessary for their survival, and the seeds of plants can travel by wind or other means to establish in new … neighborhood or at one of the Forest Preserves of Cook County. These green pathways are vital for plants and wildlife, and the Garden and the Forest Preserves work to protect those habitats … can take you a full 22 miles south through the Forest Preserves. For a shorter excursion, visit the Garden’s McDonald Woods . These woods have always been here, but species such as …
Type: Blog
… important agricultural pollinators, but many of our native bees are vastly more imperiled. For example, the rusty patched bumblebee , native to the Upper Midwest, was just listed this … losses and asking what they can do to help support bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. For a start, it’s more beneficial to pollinators to plant species that are native to your region, … haven’t been treated with systemic pesticides. If possible, make your entire yard pesticide-free. Learn more about pollinators: There are some great resources on the web—including those …
Type: Blog
