MNPS Field Trip: Native Orchids of the Western Coastal Plain (Saturday)

Co-sponsoring Organization: Anne Arundel Master Gardeners and Maryland Native Plant Society

Leader: Dr. Dennis Whigham and Judy Fulton

Location: Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater, MD

Come see and learn about the beautiful, interesting native orchids growing on Maryland’s Western Coastal Plain. Despite the unusual weather patterns this spring, we hope to find several species in bloom, including showy orchid (Galearis spectabilis). Orchid expert Dr. Dennis Whigham will be our guide to these sometimes-elusive plants at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center.

The ecology of plants has been Dennis' primary interest, and his research has resulted in journeys through forests, fields and wetlands around the world. Explorations have lead to studies of woodland herbs – including orchids, vines, wetland species, and invasive species, and studies of forests in the tropics, temperate and boreal zones. In recent years, studies of interactions between orchids and fungi have lead in new and exciting directions. His current passion is to establish the North American Orchid Conservation Center (NAOCC), an initiative of the Smithsonian and the United States Botanic Garden. NAOCC will be based on continentally focused public-private collaborations that will result in the conservation of the genetic diversity of native orchids, initially in the U.S. and Canada.

ONLINE REGISTRATION IS  REQUIRED. Limited to 8 people. Registration through April 30 for members only.  Directions will be included in registration confirmation.

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