… not go unnoticed. Its lacey white flowers and unique biological attributes sparked a passion in scientists and volunteers across the Midwest who began gathering leaf samples for genetic … of actual plants, pressing them onto archival paper with their field notes and placing them in long-term storage facilities called herbaria, for future reference. As it turns out, some of … populations that no longer exist. Now, all of that data is coming together for the first time in a research study by graduate student Claire Ellwanger. The master’s degree candidate—in the …
Type: Blog
… female. Most dragonflies have very different-looking males and females. This one was in the Native Plant Garden. Photo ©Carol Freeman. Some of the dragonflies migrate south toward … most abundant dragonfly I’ve seen is the eastern pondhawk, with blue dasher dragonflies coming in a close second. I’m also seeing quite a few damselflies, which are generally smaller and more … male. Hanging out on the waterlilies. Photo ©Carol Freeman. Dragonflies and damselflies, both in the order Odonata, can spend several years as aquatic nymphs before they emerge into the …
Type: Blog
… of the Chicago Botanic Garden and Kasey Bersett Eaves, owner of Vivant Gardening Services in Chicago, teamed up to create delicious mixers for cocktails. You can easily make these … cocktails at home. What makes a cocktail botanical? Mainly, herbs. Just about any herb in your garden can be used to flavor drinks. Herbs + fresh fruit = a delicious base for all sorts of beverages. Grab what’s in season in your garden and experiment. Below you will find recipes to make different herbal …
Type: Blog
… who suffer from hay fever. Graminoids such as grasses, sedges, and rushes are well represented in prairies. Grasses—the most dominant graminoid in prairies— have evolved to thrive with grazing animals. In most plants, the growth of the plant occurs at its branch tips. When the tip is removed by a …
Type: Blog
… of mint —this year, I’m growing peppermint, catnip, banana mint, and pineapple mint. Rich in nutrients, mint is both delicious and medicinal, known for easing both digestion and … Mint can also relieve a runny nose by clearing congestion. A perennial herb that thrives in both sun and shade, mint is a vigorous grower and should always be grown in its own pot—plant it in a raised bed or in the ground at your peril. If you do so, it will …
Type: Blog
… beautiful flower, commonly called the lady’s slipper orchid. The first story has its roots in the ancient Greek myths. Flower legend says that the goddess Aphrodite (Venus to the Romans) … with the handsome mortal Adonis, when a powerful storm forced them to seek shelter together in a cave. Love ensued. Post-storm, the lovers ran off—Venus, minus one slipper. A mortal human … calceolus , was given it by none other than Linnaeus himself (Carl von Linné), who listed it in Species Plantarum in 1753. The great botanist packed a lot of meaning into that name: Cyprus …
Type: Blog
… stroll. Find the places where the two of you can hear the music across the water, take in a different view, and have a bench all to yourselves. Our top ten hideaways at the Garden: Stop and smell the roses. In between the entrance to the Krasberg Rose Garden and the Linden Allée is a tiny terrace, tucked behind a hedge. The chairs there are perfect for taking in the scent of the thousands of roses in summer bloom. Where light dances on water. In summer, …
Type: Blog
… In 2018, the Chicago Botanic Garden hosted celebrated designer Bunny Williams of Bunny Williams … plant a container, all of the plants are very small. But a month later when they’ve grown in, they’re at their full profusion. They look quite different. You have to think in advance about plants growing to varying heights. For instance, I always like to have something …
Type: Blog
… Just like magic, a ghost orchid ( Dendrophylax lindenii) appears overhead in a Florida swamp. Its pale roots extend like gloved fingers across the bark of a pond apple … approach to better understand the species’ uncommon lifestyle. During March 2016 fieldwork in the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, Johnson went deeper every day—even when it meant … looked past the plant and took a sample from the bark of its host tree. “What I’m interested in primarily is identifying the fungi within the habitat of these particular orchids,” said …
Type: Blog
… of all parents when deciding on their child’s first preschool experience. No. 1: Children in nature preschools learn by doing and with hands-on activities. You must be hands-on when you learn in nature. You cannot be a passive learner; you must engage. Most nature preschools do not put a … Instead, they opt for a balanced curriculum that seeks to develop the “whole child”—i.e., cognitive, physical, social, emotional, and creative development. Growing and planting …
Type: Blog
