… group of plants that produce lovely-smelling flowers, waiting for their impressive pollinators to show up. And when they did, I snapped some of my very first photos of these beauties: hawkmoths, better known as the five-spotted hawkmoth, or to the scientific community as Manduca quinquemaculata . A five-spotted hawkmoth ( Manduca … seemingly, the less one knows; old questions are answered and new ones are developed. This is what pushes scientists, and science, forward. The evolution of a research idea In 2008, I …
Type: Blog
… In other seasons, people tend to breeze right by conifers in favor of, say, roses that scent summer evenings or crabapple trees … the plants that shine. Recently, we ran a blog about cultivating awe on winter walks, on how to shift your energy and attention outward instead of inward for emotional well-being. One easy way to do that at the Chicago Botanic Garden or anywhere you walk is to seek out the company of evergreens. That includes most conifers, which are plants that …
Type: Blog
… It’s been another fantastic season at Butterflies & Blooms at the Chicago Botanic Garden. This is my second year working at Butterflies & Blooms, and I think it’s looking better than ever. The … big, hairy atlas moth cocoons, and I was a little concerned about whether they would have time to emerge before we have to shut our doors for the season. When I came into the pupae chamber a few days after they …
Type: Blog
… at!) the Chicago Botanic Garden: you get great ideas for your own garden. I put one of them to work in my new "all vegetable" front yard garden this weekend. Horticulture program specialist … gather up the paint stirrers and get out the chalkboard paint! The photos are testament to how easy it is: assemble a pile of paintable wooden markers-to-be, scrub-brush lightly under running water, …
Type: Blog
… demographic, and pollination studies on a threatened thistle ( Cirsium pitcheri ) that is being negatively impacted by a biocontrol weevil. I am also interested in developing measures … for ex situ plant conservation programs, from collecting genetically diverse seed accessions to minimizing genetic change during storage and increasing likelihood of success of restorations. … participated in a national assessment of native seed needs and the capacity of the industry to provide seed with the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine. A final area …
Type: Staff bio
… bloom in August, they immediately thought, “puppet.” An unusual thought, unless you happen to be Ross…or his mom, Debi Gerbasi…or artist Jessica Plummer. These three started making puppets … project. Slowly, the basement of Debi’s house turned into a creative factory, with floor-to-ceiling plastic walls around the sanders, saws, and drills. (A separate, dust-free area houses … sewing room.) Jessica took the creative lead for shaping the titan puppet, which is made of foam. Paper templates came first; next came foam that could be heated, bent, sanded, …
Type: Blog
… It’s easy to find fun outdoors—with sticks, chirpy crickets, magic circles, and more. “Hands in earth, … baking—these are what humans DO.” For fun, interesting, and education-based ideas, we turned to a fun, interesting, and education-based crowd: the 190 teachers, home educators, day-care … used to do this all the time, and now she’s a wildlife biologist.” 1. Pick up a Stick How cool is this? In 2008, the stick was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame! It’s in great …
Type: Blog
… It’s now early fall and that means it’s time for Colchicum ! Colchicum is a group of flowers also known as autumn crocuses, though they’re not related to the true crocus. Seventeen species and varieties of Colchicum grow in the Graham Bulb Garden. Flower colors range from white to magenta-violet, and include doubles and bicolors. Colchicum cilicum Colchicum blooms are a …
Type: Blog
… It’s finally starting to feel like spring in Chicago, which means it’s time to get those home gardens up and running. In the Horticultural Therapy Department, we’re in the process of setting up our off-site gardens at facilities all over the greater Chicago area. These gardens come in all shapes … Enabling Garden. To start your own home horticultural therapy garden, the first thing you need is a good container. At the Buehler Enabling Garden, as well as off-site gardens, horticultural …
Type: Blog
… Betsy ( Trillium cuneatum ) Yellow wakerobin ( Trillium luteum ) The Chicago Botanic Garden is collaborating with the Huntsville Botanical Garden in Alabama on a Trillium conservation … Timber Press, Portland, Oregon, 1997. The rhizomes were grown out in the nursery, and in two to three years, the Trillium plants will be replanted in areas to be determined throughout the Garden. Currently, the Chicago Botanic Garden has eight species …
Type: Blog
