… Boyce Tankersley, director of Living Plant Documentation, takes us on a tour of what’s blooming in the display gardens on the first day of fall. Sweeps of perennials on Evening Island, the cascading mums on the Visitor Center bridge, and masses of mums in the Crescent Garden are found in the boundaries of our formal garden areas. Our show doesn’t end there, however. Find gorgeous …
Type: Blog
… at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Gabriela started working at the Garden as a volunteer, working in the Production and Plant Documentation Departments. During that time, she learned everything … a schedule for the Integrated Pest Management scouting program that assisted Production staff in decision-making. She was hired to be the labeling coordinator, a job she did for a decade, … -now close to 10,000 labels a year. During that time, she labeled and tagged unique taxa in the Garden and Greenhouses and assisted with plant inventories. Gabriela managed projects …
Type: Staff bio
… work on a project studying the impact of climate change on the distribution of rare plants in the western United States. The grant, funded through the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), examines the changes in projected species distributions between now and 2080. The goal of the research is to help BLM … rare plants. The research takes them to many exciting destinations searching for rare plants in the west. The dwarf bear-poppy The genus Arctomecon (also known as bear-poppy), contains …
Type: Blog
… In 2017, torrential rains fell over much of our region, particularly in Lake and McHenry counties, as well as southeastern Wisconsin. Here at the Chicago Botanic Garden, high water levels in the Skokie River forced us to close on July 13 and 14—the first time in the Garden’s history …
Type: Blog
… at the Chicago Botanic Garden, only one can compete with the flowers: the brides. Beautiful in their gowns, stepping delicately into the Krasberg Rose Garden or walking down toward the … they trail bridesmaids and tuxedoed men and happy families. As they pass, we onlookers stop in our tracks, smile goofily, gawk unabashedly…and let our thoughts turn to romance. Over the … the Garden has been the site of many a romantic story for both staff and visitors. With summer in full swing—and romance in the air—here are a few more of our favorites. 2013: It Takes a Flash …
Type: Blog
… Competition is heating up in the western United States. Invasive and native plants are racing to claim available land and … to reverse. Cheatgrass, which is an aggressive, invasive plant with a dense root system, is in the lead and spreading quickly across the west. Native plants are falling in its wake—especially when it comes to their delicate seedlings that lead to new generations. …
Type: Blog
… Attention orchid fans: our vanilla orchid is blooming in the Tropical Greenhouse at the Chicago Botanic Garden. It’s a rare occurrence in the wild—and in a greenhouse. Wade Wheatley, assistant horticulturist, seized the moment to hand-pollinate the …
Type: Blog
… Several years ago, while walking the nature trail in McDonald Woods, I stopped, having heard a high-pitched squeaking emanating from the sedges and … a romantic interlude or territorial dispute between two of the smallest carnivorous mammals in our woodland: shrews. Actually, shrews are technically known as insectivorous mammals. … CC BY 2.0 ], via Wikimedia Commons The short-tailed shrew averages about 4.8 inches (122 mm) in length, with the tail being about a quarter of the length of the body and head combined. It is …
Type: Blog
… is sowing seeds for the annual displays on the Garden's grounds and for plants used in classes and camps. She is especially interested in the complex strategies that plants have developed to prevent the germination of their seeds until conditions are favorable for the seedlings' survival. In her work, she researches and tests different techniques to break these germination inhibitors …
Type: Staff bio
… the Chicago Botanic Garden’s plant collection is the more than 70 species of Amorphophallus . In particular, Amorphophallus titanum , also called the titan arum or corpse flower, has gained … bloom time—a hybrid of week-old gym socks and a rotting mouse that you just can’t seem to find in your kitchen. The Garden began collecting titan arums, or corpse flowers, in 2003. There’s a worldwide conservation effort to preserve the species, as it is considered …
Type: Blog
