The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Escape into color
Immersion in orchids leaves winter and pandemic worries behind at Cleveland Botanical Garden
Step into the Cleveland Botanical Garden and leave winter behind.
Immerse yourself in the almost-dizzying color and variety of 3,000 orchids showcased in “Orchids Forever,” displayed until April 11 at the Garden. The University Circle landmark building, which is just as striking from outside as indoors, is underscored by a pair of glasshouse biodomes with sharply different climates.
Its lush rainforest biodome, complete with a trickling waterfall and birds and creatures from the tropics, shows off orchid species native to Africa, Asia, Australia and Central America. The humidity within emphasizes the escape element as it caresses winter-weary skin. Inhale deeply to discover the floral scented orchids have accompanied you.
“Being surrounded by orchids is a delightful and mood-lifting experience,” said Jill Koski, president and CEO of parent organization Holden Forests & Gardens. “It’s one that’s perhaps more welcome now than ever before.”
Four biodiversity hotspots are identified within the biomes, each showcasing orchids found only in each hotspot. QR codes, which can be scanned by smartphone, reveal more indepth information than that which can be found on signs around the exhibit.
One area, the MesoAmerica hotspot, might be familiar to well-traveled show goers because it shows countries in Central America, along with Caribbean islands and parts of Mexico.
It reveals that El Salvador has the most endangered rainforest, with more than 18 football fields of forest lost to logging in recent years.
My own 2018 visit to Panama and Costa Rica resulted in sightings of many of the more than 900 orchids endemic to that region. Read that story at bit.ly/costarico2018.
Members of the Cleveland Orchestra were recruited to devise the Spotify playlist that’s the musical backdrop for those coming to absorb the beauty of orchids at the 15th annual orchid show at the Botanical Garden.
A one-way route through Eppig Gallery and Clark Hall introduces visitors to 112 million years of orchid proliferation revealing that more than 30,000 species have been identified on every continent besides Antarctica. Many are surprised to learn that 46 orchid species can be found in Ohio.
All orchids have in common the need for a fungus to grow and survive.
Social distancing is achieved for the exhibit by a marked route through the displays and the reservation of timed tickets. Face masks are required throughout the building.
Look closely in Clark Hall at the blooms in test tubes and digital projections of those under microscopes to glimpse how orchids have adapted their shapes and scents and hybridized to attract pollinators and adjust to the varying climates and conditions around them.
The blooms will be labeled so you can know their names and choose your favorites. Find, if you can, the orchid type called “Sherry Baby” and lean in close to discover it smells like chocolate. When you’ve finished with the show, stop into the Garden’s gift shop to buy an orchid or two to take home and browse among merchandise ranging from jewelry to birthday cards, clothing to gardening needs.
Want to decorate your surroundings with the beauty of orchids? Check out the paintings of orchids on silk displayed around the Garden Cafe. They’re the work of Cleveland Heights artist Gunter Schwegler and many are for sale.
Although the daily release of butterflies has been halted for the time being, those wanting to know more about the creatures that make the rainforest home should visit the Botanical Garden Fridays through Sundays when, at 1 and 2 p.m., staff members will show off a panther chameleon, radiated tortoises, an eastern box turtle, African bullfrog or smokey jungle frog and Madagascar hissing roaches.
The newest additions to the amphibian case in the Costa Rica glasshouse are 10 bumblebee dart frogs.