[Zoom] Orchids: Around the World, and at Home

This web conference is organized by the Illinois Orchid Society. The conference is open to the public. Register by March 5th, 2021. Free admission.

Orchids make their home on nearly every continent in the word. In this spirit, the Illinois Orchid Society has gathered experts from across the oceans to lead viewers on a journey from the Andes mountains of South America, to the bright skies of Hawaii’s Big Island, deep into the collection of the Smithsonian Institution, and the jungle of Papua New Guinea.

Since the time of President Eisenhower, the hobbyists and professionals of the Illinois Orchid Society have gathered to share their passion and expertise, and further the appreciation of orchids through exhibitions for the public. Now, for the first time, this has been brought into the viewer’s home.

Featured Keynote Presentations:
Lou Jost
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm
The program begins with Lou Jost, an Ecuadorian researcher who has brought descriptions of numerous new orchid species to the scientific community during his expeditions in the Andes mountains of Ecuador and Peru. High up in these cloud forests live the objects of his work: delicate plants that cling to rocks and trees, and nestle in the litter near the forest floor, waiting to be discovered. Lou Jost takes us on a journey through the intricate family tree of Andean orchids, and the forces that threaten them.

Jurahame Leyva
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
The second feature is Jurahame Leyva of the Hawai’ian nursery Orchid Fix who will guide us through how orchids are cultivated for sale on the Big Island as he leads us through the nursery. These same principles of care can be applied to growing and flowering orchids in the home.

GabrielJohnson
3:30 pm – 4:00 pm
The Smithsonian Institution is America’s premier repository of knowledge on the natural world. Gabriel Johnson invites the audience into the archives of specimens to see how these orchids have been preserved for scientific study, and what researchers can learn from the living record

Wolfgang Bandisch
4:00 pm – 5:00pm
In the southwestern Pacific Ocean, north of Australia, sits the massive island of New Guinea. As diverse biologically as it is culturally, the island boasts over 800 native languages, and over 2,000 species of orchids. Wolfgang Bandisch has explored the island studying these orchids for many years and invites us to experience these discoveries ourselves.

This web conference is open to the public and offered free of charge, as part of the outreach effort of the Illinois Orchid Society. Please consider becoming a member of the Illinois Orchid Society, where we welcome growers of ALL experience levels.

You must register here before March 5th: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMrd--orDsjEtXBlere0uJc8Xksk4JcUBFJ?fbclid