… watercolor paintings of flowers and insects, embroidery patterns, and copper engravings, she is also credited with being the founder of German entomology. At age 13 she began studying the … from the 500 deutsche mark banknote Divorced in 1699, she traveled with her daughter Dorothea to the Dutch Colony of Surinam (now known as Suriname) that same year to continue her entomological work and art. Her spectacular artistic abilities and scientifically …
Type: Blog
… If you carve a pumpkin for Halloween or make a pumpkin pie from scratch, you’re going to have a lot of pumpkin seeds. You can put them to good use by turning them into “dice” and playing math games this fall. Baked pumpkin seeds … of dice you make will depend on the game you want to play, but for all games the basic idea is the same. Players will toss the seeds and the side that lands face up is the number they …
Type: Blog
… will see our butterflies flying, sunning themselves, or resting in the foliage. If you happen to come to the exhibition just after a rain shower, and the sun is shining, it’s your lucky day, because love is literally in the air. I remember one day in the …
Type: Blog
… The plant collections of the Chicago Botanic Garden have a new place to show off in a “theater” designed just for them in the Helen and Richard Thomas English Walled Garden . Plant theater is a traditional English presentation of exceptional plants, such as snowdrops and primroses, … the English Walled Garden. Plant theaters have long been popular in Great Britain as a way to organize and present pots of flowering annuals, perennials, and herbs. The “theater” typically …
Type: Blog
… Here are a few great ideas to get your taste buds going: Add a bit of mint to a basil pesto Grow thyme in unexpected flavors: orange, lime, lemon (all are growing in our … muddling technique Muddling 101 Here’s the first rule of muddling: Don’t overmuddle. Muddling is the process of gently—repeat, gently—bruising the leaves of herbs. As Kasey said, “If you hear …
Type: Blog
… Even when the kids have schoolwork, it’s still important for them to play outside. Outdoor activities encourage creativity and independent thinking. The good news is that outdoor play time has many benefits ; a growing body of research shows that nature play … relationships. Sharing discoveries—like water creatures from Garden lakes—is a great way to cement knowledge. Nature play abounds at the Chicago Botanic Garden, and can be found in many …
Type: Blog
… U.S. Navy veteran Anna Andersen is quick to tell you how the Chicago Botanic Garden’s impact on her life goes beyond the beauty of the plants to the nurturing she found in its Veteran Internship Program (VIP). “I am grateful for the VIP …
Type: Blog
… “Can a Venus fly trap bite off your finger?” Jose asked, on a virtual field trip to the Chicago Botanic Garden. With an overhead camera, I zoomed into the Venus fly trap to show him that the plant’s snapping mechanism is smaller than the tip of my finger and not nearly as strong. The fast-closing leaves have …
Type: Blog
… We discovered a fun way to encourage the Garden’s Camp CBG campers to try a salad. Many kids turn up their noses when they hear the word, but after painting with food, our campers are eager to “dig into” their creations. For little ones, this project is easy and fun to do with a grown-up and provides opportunities to identify colors and start …
Type: Blog
… supervisor, and grounds manager—before he became the director of horticulture in 1996. Johnson is an instructor at the Joseph Regenstein, Jr. School of the Chicago Botanic Garden. He writes a … for the Chicago Tribune and a weekly gardening tips column for the Daily Herald , and responds to other media request. He is a regular speaker at the American Public Garden Association's annual meetings. Johnson's …
Type: Staff bio
