… “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
… Spring is seed season—and a good time to think about gifting seeds to gardeners, friends, and green-thumbed moms (think Mother’s Day). Musing about how to share … cotta as the balls dry. This recipe yields about 24 seed balls. About Your Seed Choice Less is more. You only want a few seeds to sprout from each seed ball. Too many seeds mean too many …
Type: Blog
… While checking the perimeter fence around McDonald Woods to see if there was any damage to the fence after a windy day, I discovered a large red oak that had lost its foothold in the … not a serious threat to people and will only give you a pinch if you handle them roughly. It is not uncommon to find the large brown stag beetles around buildings near woodlands at night, …
Type: Blog
… away on the Chicago Botanic Garden’s southeast side, just north of Dundee Road, the Reserve is relatively unknown, even to longtime visitors. As an assistant ecologist, I’m in the Reserve a lot, and often by myself. I’m always puzzled that so few people have discovered it. Here are just a few reasons to visit: The color purple—and more The fall colors are amazing—purple asters, yellow goldenrods, …
Type: Blog
… Garden in 2017, brings together citizens, research scientists, educators, and horticulturists to study "phenology," or the life-cycle events of plants. Wildflower phenology events , for … fruiting. Deciduous trees , on the other hand, are more complex, with stages from first buds to leaf drop. Budburst builds on the basic human drive to notice this kind of changing nature … pollinators react to cultivated varieties of native plants. Budburst's Fall into Phenology is not limited to just leaf color and seed; it is about observing plants in the fall. This will …
Type: Blog
… season, we unveiled our cookbook, Cooking in Season with Windy City Harvest . This cookbook is a collection of our favorite seasonal recipes and features the fresh produce grown and … staff, and local chefs. Windy City Harvest Youth Farm participants Our program has been lucky to develop wonderful partnerships with local chefs and restaurants. Many of these chefs, … is an essential component of the Windy City Harvest program. Program participants learn how to cook with produce grown on the farms, sometimes using fruits and vegetables that may be …
Type: Blog
… only of cabbages, but also of lettuce and corn and tomatoes and too many other crops to list. And that, in a nutshell, is why it continues to be important to plant heirloom varieties. Vintage Varieties, Still in Vogue Stunning color …
Type: Blog
… What’s not to love about a Shrek-like 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 … marker A plate or tray Rubber bands, pipe cleaners, or other items (optional) *Vermiculite is a soil amendment that can be purchased at a garden supply store. It expands when soaked in …
Type: Blog
