Chapters in Missouri

Orchids in Missouri

Presented by John Oliver

Many people are surprised to learn that orchids are native to Missouri. Not only that, as many as 40 species have been reported from our state. While John won’t try to cover all of them, he’ll show us many, including some of the most charismatic and beautiful, a few that are often not recognized by passers-by as orchids, and give you tips for how and in what kinds of locations and conditions you might find them yourself.

John Oliver is a long-time member of the Missouri Native Plant Society and the Webster Groves Nature Study Society, and serves on the Board of NatureCite. He served as president of MONPS statewide, president of its St. Louis Chapter, and currently leads the field trips of the WGNSS botany group. It has been his good fortune to have known, listened to, and botanized with some of the most talented botanists in Missouri. Any information you gather from John is attributable to them.

Winter Speaker Series

Event Details

The night sky and the stars are things of beauty. But that beauty goes much deeper than superficial appearance. 

Earth spends half of its existence under the night sky. This has a profound impact on life and its cycles. During this time, nature does a lot of important work —from cloaking the movements of migrating birds to enabling nocturnal insect pollinators. 

This presentation will explore the beauty of the stars through nightscape images and offer a brief glimpse at some intimate connections between nature and the night sky.

The presenter for this program is Dan Zarlenga:

When many photographers are putting their cameras away, Dan is usually getting his out!  Dan has been in love with the stars and the night sky all his life.  After spending years looking at the sky with telescopes, he took up photography in 2009.  It seemed only natural to bring the two interests together.  He especially enjoys the challenge of blending terrestrial and celestial subjects in the same image.

Dan likes to explore several forms of photography but has a special leaning towards landscapes and astro-landscapes.  He also likes to mix photography with another of his passions . . . hiking and occasionally backpacking.  Dan has served as MDC Media Specialist in St. Louis region since 2008.

His photography has appeared in multiple calendars and magazines, and is featured in several exhibits.

This program is in partnership with Wild Ones St Charles Area Chapter, a nonprofit organization designed to promote the understanding of native plants, their benefits, and what they can provide for the environment both in private as well as public areas of landscaping.

Native Plants: Ephemerals - Late Winter and Early Spring in the Garden

Are you looking to add more wildlife and seasonal interest to your garden? Interested in feeding early emerging pollinators? Craving color in the dead of late winter? Join us for an evening celebrating the ephemeral.

Ephemerals emerge in late winter and early spring and go dormant before the dog days of summer - a lot like traditional spring bulbs like tulips, narcissus, and hyacinth. Learn about the different types of native ephemerals, how to site them in your landscape, and how best to manage them once in the ground.

he presenter for this program is Erin Goss:

Erin is an Accounts Manager of Poynter Landscape Architecture and Construction. 

She has previously worked for Shaw Nature Reserve, Wallflower Design, and Greenscape Gardens. A landscape designer and horticulturist, she seeks to share the wonder of plants with people by encouraging multi-use approaches to gardening through water management, permaculture, community herbalism, and ecologically-minded practices.