Losing Paradise? Endangered Plants Here and Around the World

The second stop of the international tour is the Chicago Botanic Garden's Joutras Gallery. The forty-four botanical illustrations were curated by jurors from the Smithsonian and the Center for Plant Conservation. The exhibit is sponsored by the American Society of Botanical Artists and will travel next to the New York Botanic Garden, then the Smithsonian's American Museum of Natural History, then an international venue still being confirmed.

My son Ian drove us down to the grand opening last October at the Missouri Botanic Garden. I hadn't been there since before he was born and I remember it feeling much larger than the 70-something acres it comprises. The Japanese Garden, with its Godzilla-sized koi, is much the same, even lovelier. And stunning Dale Chihuly glassworks were everywhere!

I'm still pinching myself that I was accepted into this amazing exhibit. There is even a full-color catalogue of the work available through the ASBA! I was back at the CBG last weekend just drinking in the talent and dedication and visionary appeal of the exhibit's fine artworks in all media.

Draw Orchids - wikiHow

Draw Orchids - wikiHow

Orchids in danger again...

Saturday our veteran team of rare plant monitors went out to hunt the dangerous purple-fringed orchid (dangerous because I've broken several bones, on two occasions, on the search!). We located two new plants at one site, two others we had located previous years, and were feeling quite pleased with ourselves and optimistic about our next foray. After a wonderful lunch of Thai food in a cute restaurant not too far away, we ventured over to our second location. Again, two plants re-located, and two new babies : ). But the bad - I mean REALLY bad - news is that they were all awash in a sea of reed canary grass. And if we can't get rid of all the RCG there, the orchids in that area are doomed. : (

This is so characteristic of the efforts to save our precious endangered species - letting the invasives get even a tiny toehold in our natural areas can spell doom for the plants and animals we love and want to preserve!

Orchids and vanilla grass!

This weekend we finished up our Cypripedium candidum monitoring. It's amazing how well they do with a prescribed burn! There were many in this tiny railroad prairie, full of conservative species such as yellow star grass, hoary puccoon, vanilla grass  and blue-eyed grass. The spring weather was also more temperate and rainy, so perhaps that has some effect on the orchids. But the burn set back the brush, restored nutrients to the soil, and reduced the number of weed seeds. Next year, who knows?

Speaking of weed seeds, we saw a flock of goldfinches yesterday at Volo Bog, eating the seedheads of the abundant dandelions! I wish I had a flock of goldfinches in my yard, manicuring away at my dandelions! : ) We also saw way, way too much reed canary grass there in the bog. There are at least a dozen endangered and threatened species in a very small area, all vulnerable to takeover by this invasive alien plant! I alerted the state ecologist; hopefully that will help matters?