"The Smithsonian's Horticulture Services Division and the U. S. Botanic Garden will open the 13th annual orchid exhibit, "Orchids: Take a Walk on the Wild Side," at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History on Jan. 27, 2007. The exhibit, which depicts a growing trend in ecotourism and research known as a "canopy walk," will feature more than 2,000... plants in 300 varieties. The exhibit will be on display until April 22, 2007. ... "Orchids: Take a Walk on the Wild Side" will invite visitors to follow in the footsteps of Smithsonian researchers. A six-foot-wide wooden walkway will take visitors from the rainforest floor up into a tree canopy... Along the walkway, visitors will learn about orchid ecology, pollination biology, symbioses, evolution and phylogeny. The exhibit will give visitors the illusion of actually climbing into the treetops and many of the exhibit's specimens will be displayed... as epiphytes...
"... we hope this year's exhibition will raise awareness of conservation and show visitors the importance of preserving a habitat as well as individual species of plants," said Smithsonian orchid collections manager Tom Mirenda. ... The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, located in Panama, and the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, located in Edgewater, Md., work around the world to examine the complex interactions between species and their habitats... In the early 1990s, STRI researchers were pioneers in tropical tree canopy research through their use of a crane to reach and explore this... environment. Using the information gathered, scientists learned more about the processes that affect the world's atmosphere and climate. Scientists at SERC have developed a method... to plant and retrieve tiny orchid seedlings in the field. This procedure helps them to identify the specific fungus each species feeds upon in order to germinate. By continuing this research, scientists hope to provide information to re-establish endangered orchids and their essential fungi in their natural environments." news release URL : http://media-newswire.com/release_1040187.html ************** Regards, VB _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
