… may not know about them. For one thing, there are several wild species of Rudbeckia growing in the region and several cultivars with bigger and/or fancier flowers that have been developed … The inflorescence of black-eyed Susans is a group of flowers held closely packed together in a head. The dark center of the head, when dissected, is composed of hundreds of tiny … this is hard to get your head around, since the entire heads of many tiny flowers are arranged in a way that looks like a single flower, but if you break a head apart and look closely with a …
Type: Blog
… sprout head? This DIY project connects young kids to plants and the magic of sprouting seeds. In camps and youth classes at the Chicago Botanic Garden, we encourage little ones to get their … is a soil amendment that can be purchased at a garden supply store. It expands when soaked in water and stays moist, so it is ideal for this project. You can substitute regular soil or … stocking. Make a face. You can draw a nose or form a protruding nose by pinching a small ball in the middle of the face and secure with a rubber band. Draw the eyes and mouth with a permanent …
Type: Blog
… various wildlife and, at the Garden, you can find examples of this everywhere. The milkweed in the Dixon Prairie is a favorite meal of the monarch butterfly. In the Bernice E. Lavin Plant Evaluation Garden, goldfinches feed on Agastache and other perennial seeds. …
Type: Blog
… can be used on hard-boiled or fancy blown-out eggs. Most of what you need is probably already in your own kitchen and pantry. The tools you’ll need to create your own egg dyes Step 1: … which helps to set the color. Below are the dozen dyes and “recipes” that we tried, listed in order of color intensity (after about 20 minutes of steeping). Beets = Purple 1 large beet … times. The longer you steep, the deeper the color—steeping eggs can even be left overnight in the refrigerator. Hardboil eggs or blow them out. Chopped and simmered fresh carrot tops …
Type: Blog
… Garden get creative this time of year, sharing harvests of fruit, nuts, herbs, and more in creative—and delicious—style. We asked our staff to share their handmade gift ideas, and their … to six eggs she gets every day and handing them out as precious gifts, perfectly presented in a green berry box softened with raffia. Not just for Easter: Plymouth Barred Rock hen eggs are … director of living plant documentation, gets the most out of the fruiting vines and brambles in his suburban yard, creating beautiful, jewel-toned vodkas (black currant, blackberry, Michigan …
Type: Blog
… boils down to just a few basic ingredients. So what’s really happening during the major steps in the brewing process? And what do all those colorful beer-making terms mean? Malted (germinated) barley is used as a base in beer and scotch. Photo via Finlay McWalter, Wikimedia Commons. GFDL A beautiful vine for the home garden is hops ( Humulus lupulus ), pictured here in flower. Pollinated and fruited in fall, these pale green hops “cones” supply the resins that …
Type: Blog
… Many years ago, I took a college class called “The Natural Environment in Winter.” It was January, and we met outdoors for about three hours—regardless of the … gym shoes, cotton socks, and gloves, but no hat or scarf. (Hey, I was a city kid.) The ink in my pen froze and I couldn’t take notes. We spent a lot of time standing still to observe … to a novice skier like me.) The helicopter drops him and other skiers on a steep mountainside in British Columbia, and they are on their own for hours. “It’s super fun,” said Johnson, who has …
Type: Blog
… diversity and distribution of fungi and the factors influencing these patterns. Thus, in addition to spearheading survey and inventory projects in China and Latin America and undertaking monographic studies of Laccaria – Hydnangium clade and … taxa, I have investigatied how fungi respond to anthropogenic stress and restoration efforts in the Chicago area, conservation practices in Costa Rica and China, and past geological events …
Type: Staff bio
… Simone Gore is an assistant grower for outdoor floriculture in the Plant Production department. Her job includes producing high-quality plants for the … seasonal displays, working with many of the annuals and tender perennials that are used in the annual displays, and caring for most of the vegetables that are planted at the Regenstein … grower for the Plant Production department since 2012. She became a full-time assistant grower in 2014. Previously, she worked for Intrinsic Perennial Gardens, Fiore Nursery and Supply …
Type: Staff bio
… of Florida. One very interesting thing about these beauties is that they roost communally in groups of 25 to 30 butterflies. In the Butterflies & Blooms exhibition, they tend to use the same branch night after night and can be seen in the morning all resting together. These friendly butterflies even eat together, bask together …
Type: Blog
