… Gabriela Rocha Alvarez is the plant recorder at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Gabriela started working at the Garden as a … Management scouting program that assisted Production staff in decision-making. She was hired to be the labeling coordinator, a job she did for a decade, where she established protocols and … and monitored the technical and financial aspects of the projects; she performed technical on-site verification, conducted interviews with scientists, researchers, farmers, suppliers, …
Type: Staff bio
… Cathy Thomas is the plant propagator for the Plant Production department. One of her responsibilities is … and camps. She is especially interested in the complex strategies that plants have developed to prevent the germination of their seeds until conditions are favorable for the seedlings' survival. In her work, she researches and tests different techniques to break these germination inhibitors present in the seeds of native plants grown for restoration …
Type: Staff bio
… as some of us in the Second City affectionately call it: Second Winter—can test our ability to feel connected to anything living, including each other and ourselves. When we are stuck inside, our mental … Flower Mandala Sun Catchers Loosely translated from Sanskrit to mean “circle,” a mandala is a symbol that represents wholeness and reminds us of the connectivity of all things in the …
Type: Blog
… species of moths in the state of Illinois—more than ten times the diversity of butterflies—it is a real adventure sampling the moth species inhabiting the McDonald Woods at the Chicago … woodland. Moths are removed from the traps and then photographed before being released back to the woodland. The metallic scales of the Virginia Ctenucha moth (C tenucha virginica ) are … the food chain. Entomologist Doug Tallamy tabulated the number of caterpillars that were used to support one nest of black-capped chickadees and found that they consumed between 6,000 and …
Type: Blog
… Tim Pollak is the Manager, Plant Production at the Garden, where he has worked since 2001. As part of his … the high-impact horticulture displays and unusual plants and flowers that the Garden displays to create excitement for plants. He has a bachelor of science degree in landscape horticulture, … Pollak writes for newspapers and other media and appears regularly on local TV news segments to discuss gardening topics. He is also a regular instructor for the Joseph Regenstein Jr. School …
Type: Staff bio
… has its roots in the ancient Greek myths. Flower legend says that the goddess Aphrodite (Venus to the Romans) was out hunting 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 … a lot of meaning into that name: Cyprus was the sacred island of Venus’s birth, pedilon is the word for slipper, and calceolus means little shoe. The lady’s slipper orchid is native …
Type: Blog
… Rigoberto Montoya is an assistant grower for the Plant Production department's indoor floriculture division. He is responsible for the day-to-day care of plants, and he comes up with innovative ways to grow the specialty crops for display. He also assists with the delivery of plants to the …
Type: Staff bio
… First student Divine isn’t at the Chicago Botanic Garden, she’s in her backyard, trying to use her iffy, only-works-when-it-wants-to telescope and peering into the future. Someday, she wants to be an astrophysicist and help put … in science to pursue careers in STEM—science, technology, engineering, and math. Divine, who is from the Chicago neighborhood of Ashburn, will be a freshman at Lindblom Math and Science …
Type: Blog
… How one humble scientist used his botanical superpowers to solve a real-world problem, successfully tackling agricultural sustainability and economic … for his work. He found personal satisfaction in scientific discovery and using his talents to make the world a better place for farmers and everyone. I believe if he were alive today, he … scientist who invented dozens of products for peanuts. What’s most important about his story is why he devoted so much time and ingenuity to peanuts and how he did so much more than make a …
Type: Blog
… who manage the Garden's amazing natural areas ). I work collaboratively with land managers to harness the Garden's research capacity to address priority management needs. Ultimately, our goal is to play a leading role in supporting the conservation, management, and restoration of native …
Type: Staff bio
