Adventures in the Polly Mobile 2: Volunteering at the Smithsonian Gardens' Greenhouse

Bulbophyllum unitubum, Orchidaceae

I had an amazing time at the APGA Plant Collections Symposium in November (I'm probably sounding like a broken record at this point, but anyway...), during which I was able to meet the wonderful people who work with the Smithsonian's orchid collections, Sarah Hadean and Tom Mirenda. They were kind enough to allow me to come out and volunteer with them as I was passing through D.C. and I was more than willing to do so!

I'm such a geek. I was so excited to be repotting orchids (pictured in the background) that I took a picture of the cart. Oh well.

I got up early to beat the insane Washington, D.C. traffic and was rewarded with a beautiful, golden morning. Everyone was so welcoming at the greenhouses and Tom was generous with his time and information. It was great to be there again, despite how brief the work was. It turns out the volunteer training for the upcoming orchid exhibition was today, so I ended up spending the afternoon doing that. It was worth it to see the volunteers and how the staff ran their training. It was also great to hear Tom present about orchids (check out the Embreea collaboration between the Digitization Team and the Orchids Team). He was very informative and entertaining, and reminded me so much of the passionate plant people I dearly miss in Raleigh.

(See the photo slideshow above for more details about the trip!)

Bulbophyllum medusae, Orchidaceae

Adventures in the Polly Mobile 2: Exploring Washington, D.C. (again)

Thanks to Couchsurfing and my wonderful host, Matt, I had a comfortable, warm place to rest up before I started my grinding explorations of D.C. On the docket first thing in the morning: riding the Metro to the Library of Congress.

Google Awesome and their really cool panoramas! This is the public entrance to the Library of Congress.

(As always, click above for more photos. I promise they aren't all of architecture. But, D.C. has some nice examples of it. But, I digress.)

As I was about to go into the Library, I noticed there was a protest about GMO labeling on the back steps of the Capitol building. I felt a surge of pride to see people exercising their right to protest.*

Muse of Botany in the Library of Congress

I fell in love with the Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress on my last visit to D.C. I took my time reading the quotes on the wall and reading more about the exhibits they had there. I highly recommend visiting the Library next time you're in D.C. I'm very proud that our country's forefathers, including my man Jefferson, had the foresight to found such an institution.

After my jaunt through history, I was back on the hunt for plants. The U.S. Botanic Garden is on the block next to the Capitol Building, which I think is wonderful (it is under the purview Architect of the Capitol, thus under Congress). I wandered through the National Garden, a collection of Mid-Atlantic plants outside that demonstrated the diversity and beauty of the native plants of the area. I ran into the wonderful curator of the USBG, Bill McLaughlin, whom I'd bonded with over the Hawaiian plants in the conservatory during my trip in November. I even met a beautiful golden patch of Solidago plumosa, my topic plant in my Rare Flora of North Carolina class (please, please, please check out my manifesto).

I made my way into the conservatory to see what had been changed out since I'd been in November. The economic plant hall was looking especially decorative for the Christmas season and the rare plants were still looking good. I was especially impressed with the Poinsettia display showcasing the historical cultivars that led to modern-day staples. Excellent signage.

Of course I spent a lot of time perusing the orchid room, reading tags and taking in all of the orchids, big and small. I spent my time taking photos of the Stanhopea on display. Many people walked by me asking questions and commenting on my obvious fixation with the plant. Really, it's really hard not to love the unique, pendulous, waxy, bizarre flowers of the genus. But I digress.

Stanhopea cultivar on display at the U.S. Botanic Garden.

After making my way through the excellent succulent and Hawaiian house, I headed over for a tasty lunch at roti, near George Washington University, and then to the Natural History Museum to take more time in the exhibits (check out the totem poles, guys!). Their photo exhibit honoring the 50 years of the Wilderness Act was incredibly moving. The photos that were chosen were truly stunning and really filled me with a sense of pride in our natural spaces in the U.S., but also frustration at how easy people can overlook such profound beauty.

I didn't get a chance to see the butterflies when I was there in November, so I made a point to get there this trip. I was lucky, since it was a Wednesday the museum was especially slow. I had to pay to get into the Butterfly Pavilion (but it's a small price to pay, considering access to almost 99 percent of the Smithsonian is free!), but I didn't have to wait in line and could spend as much time as I wanted with the beautiful, little creatures. I also hung out with the two young docents in the butterfly enclosure, looking for and identifying butterflies. It was a lot of fun, and I could only pull myself away after an hour with the butterflies. Sadly my camera was dying by this time in the day and the light was harsh, but I was able to capture some of the amazing diversity and behaviors they displayed.

It was a long day and by the end I was worn out, but incredibly satisfied with all I'd been able to experience. I am so very proud to live in a country where we are able to honor such scholastic pursuits, and open and freely share them with anyone who cares to look. What an amazing and priceless gift.

Butterfly hanging out with some yellow Cuphea (I think) in the Smithsonian Butterfly enclosure. This butterfly will spend its entire life in this enclosure, and none of its progeny will have any hope to make it out into the natural world. The Smithsonian is required to destroy all plants removed from the enclosure, according to APHIS sanitation rules. Still, this is an excellent exhibit!

(*I didn't quite agree that GMO labeling is a state issue; but I definitely think that products that contain GMO ingredients, including meats from animals fed with GMO feed, need to be labeled. That would be under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Agriculture though. Write your Congressman/woman. Consumers should demand information about what they are purchasing! ANYway.)