… boxes hint at the spirit of America’s first botanist and the oldest surviving botanic garden in the country. Nestled inside each box are thought-provoking items, including pieces of a tulip … such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, is now a 45-acre National Historic Landmark in Philadelphia. “It’s an amazing place,” said Owen. “It’s just beautiful. There are still hundreds of gorgeous [original] trees.” In 2010, after a fierce storm felled several trees on the grounds, Bartram’s Garden devised a …
Type: Blog
… The world could use a little more beauty right now. Why not help create some in nature? Try your hand at ephemeral nature art. It’s simple and relaxing, and something the whole family can do. Ephemeral art uses found materials and is created and left in the environment. It is temporary and evolving. The materials can include anything you find … no predetermined outcome. It is about taking time to notice the inherent beauty and symmetry in the materials rather than any one image—a pile of stacked stones, a river made from colored …
Type: Blog
… from science class, as the chemical that makes leaves green. But ask why leaves turn color in the fall, and we get vague quickly. Colder temperatures? Shorter days? True, but there’s more to the story. American smoke tree (Cotinus obovatus) turns a brilliant yellow late in the season— after it has gone through burgundy and bright red. A summer leaf, full of chlorophyll, looks green. But once chlorophyll production stops in fall, the colors overwhelmed by green are revealed: yellow, orange, or brown, the colors of …
Type: Blog
… Female Butterfly At Butterflies & Blooms on Monday, I saw something I had never seen before in my five years as a butterfly wrangler at the Chicago Botanic Garden. I noticed that a leopard … by the lacewing, which sat on the tip of my finger. Then it took flight and was free in the blink of an eye. Luckily, one of our volunteers snapped some beautiful photos. Later, it … has been on display to visitors. I have been feeding it by hand, using a piece of foam dipped in fruit juice and Gatorade, which the butterfly seems to love. Here is a little information …
Type: Blog
… and manages it today. The roots of the Chicago Botanic Garden run deep. Ground was broken in 1965 and the Garden opened in 1972, but its underpinnings can be traced to 1890, when the Chicago Horticultural Society was … to this day by connecting people with beauty and plant collections from around the world in its botanic garden, educating the public about food growing and ecosystems, and studying our …
Type: Blog
… a rose is best.” But what is it about dahlias that has attracted so many fans and admirers? In our effort to describe the joys of dahlia gardening, members of the Central States Dahlia … ‘Harvey Koop’ Size does matter. Of the 70,000 varieties developed, dahlia blooms range in size from the miniatures, just 12 inches tall with 2-inch blooms, to the huge “dinnerplates,” … glossy-leaved plants that grow up to 6 feet tall and bloom with flowers 10 to 12 inches in diameter. As one member said: “I love giant flowers! The ‘dinnerplates’ are showstoppers!” …
Type: Blog
… In late October 2012 when I was driving down a country road in rural northwest Illinois, I spotted some bright sky-blue asters blooming near the corner of a woodlot. I was traveling between nature preserves in this area of the state collecting seeds for the Dixon National Tallgrass Prairie Seed Bank , …
Type: Blog
… by combining the energy and stimulation of red with the cheerfulness of yellow. Over the years in the Regenstein Fruit & Vegetable Garden, we've seen the way people have reacted to the autumn … Chicago Botanic Garden have reminded us how people have reacted to winter squash and pumpkins in past years when they were on display. There was pure joy as our visitors encountered the great … the giant pumpkins are just one example of the diverse Cucurbita garden art that we once grew in the Fruit & Vegetable Garden. While they seem to be called “squash,” “pumpkin,” and “gourd” …
Type: Blog
… roots at the Orchid Show can be quite disconcerting—what are those big white things dangling in the air, you wonder, and how do they work? Let’s look at those roots from a different angle, … about 70 percent are epiphytes—plants that grow on trees, with above-ground rather than in-ground roots. Known as aerial roots, they act as anchors and supports as they wrap around … are an orchid’s lifeline, absorbing water and nutrients from the air and from the leaf litter in the tree niche it inhabits. Orchid Roots Are Adventitious That is, an orchid’s roots can grow …
Type: Blog
… In 2017, I spent a lot of time in the Regenstein Center, around the Lenhardt Library's librarian’s suite, Skyping in the Library’s rare book room, training at the circulation desk, and maybe even having lunch in the break room. I’m Alicia Esquivel, and I worked at the Chicago Botanic Garden’s Lenhardt …
Type: Blog
