Author Sherry Anderson has a quote that sums up the value of volunteers quite well: “Volunteers don’t get paid, not because they’re worthless, but because they’re priceless.” </p> We in the Research & Conservation Department are consistently humbled</a> by all the support we receive from our volunteers. We will always express our appreciation because of how much they have contributed to our department over the years.</p> For more than 50 years the development of the Sam Mitchel Herbarium of Fungi</a> has largely been driven by volunteer contributions. This collection is unique among North American fungaria (e.g. fungal herbaria) in that it is the most comprehensive representations of Rocky Mountain macrofungi in the world. The fungarium’s founder, Dr. Duane H. (“Sam”) Mitchel, originally started the collection as a hobby. It was because his patients were important Denver Botanic Gardens benefactors that his interests found a home at the Gardens.</p> Whether we consider Sam a volunteer is subtext to all the people that he inspired, educated and mentored at the Gardens. These were the people that developed the Herbarium of Fungi into what it is today. From Shirley Chapman to Rosa-Lee and Bob Brace, a significant portion of the specimens in the fungal collections are there because of mycology volunteers. Emeritus Curator Vera Evenson was originally a volunteer for Sam, and later became the collections curator. Vera would go on to write the seminal guide to Colorado’s mushrooms, “Mushrooms of the Rocky Mountain Region.” Today, there are over 5,000 specimens in the Sam Mitchel Herbarium of Fungi collected by Vera, more than any other person’s contribution.</p> The Gardens’ volunteers have had an important influence on the history and culture of Colorado mycology. The Colorado Mycological Society started through the work of Sam and his volunteers. Many of these same volunteers were important participants in the original Aspen Mushroom Conferences of the 1970s where medical doctors were educated on mushroom identification and how to diagnose mushroom poisonings. These series of conferences are often credited for inspiring the Telluride Mushroom Festival.</p> Today, the Sam Mitchel Herbarium of Fungi receives a lot of interest from prospective volunteers, and we try hard to support this interest. This is because we understand the massive potential volunteers can have toward our department’s core motivation to “Investigate and explain biodiversity patterns and processes.” Colorado’s fascination with mycology has grown significantly over the years, and it’s humbling to think that this interest started with a small group of the Gardens’ volunteers, all inspired by their common love of mushrooms. </p>
Bugs—they're creepy, crawly, fuzzy, funny creatures that play an incredibly important role in keeping ecosystems healthy. Pollinators do the heavy lifting of carrying pollen so plants can reproduce, and many pollinators call Colorado home. We're all familiar with the chaotic creatures known as miller moths, but did you know we have over 1,000 species of moths in our state? Colorado also boasts over 900 species of native bees, as well as hundreds of species of butterflies, wasps, beetles and flies. Denver Botanic Gardens celebrates pollinators with Big Day of Bugs</a>, Friday, June 21, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. </strong>Join activities for all ages to learn more about pollinators and what you can do to keep them happy and healthy.</p> Stop by a Science Chat to learn about bugs and play a pollinator matching game.Learn how to use the iNaturalist app</a> to document bugs (and other living things!) for scientific research.</li> Take a tour with an experienced guide, see pollinators at work and learn what plants pollinators love.</li> Chat with community partners like Butterfly Pavilion, Xerces Society and the Pollinator Network to learn about their work supporting bugs in our state.</li> Watch special films about pollinators in the Sturm Family Auditorium.</li> Join a bug-inspired art activity with the School of Botanical Art and Illustration. </li> </ul> Pollinators are small but mighty. Join us in celebrating these incredible insects at Big Day of Bugs! </p>
It is time! The cacti have finally erupted into bloom despite our cool spring. Denver Botanic Gardens is home to one of the most impressive cold-hardy cacti collections in our region with colors ranging from sunny yellow to deep fuchsia and everything in between. We trial new varieties each year in various locations with the best micro-climates, continually pushing our Zone 5 boundaries. Often, we’re asked “Do these stay out all winter?” Yes! They are the cold-hardy collection and have evolved with cold winters in their native arid habitats.</p> The cactus family, or Cactaceae, (kak-tay-see-ay) is primarily endemic to the Americas, ranging from southern Canada to southern South America in distribution. One(!) of the 1800 species in the family is native to Africa, Sri Lanka and Madagascar. Most people intuitively know when they see a cactus but be careful – all cacti are succulents but not all succulents are cacti. Plants like agaves, aloes and succulent euphorbias are often confused for cacti. Plants in the cactus family are defined by their unique flower structure. Look for similarities in the cactus flowers you see today – many overlapping petals, hundreds</em> of pollen-producing stamens, and a goofy-looking stigma with many lobes. Can you spot the difference between a cactus and a succulent?</p> As you enter the Gardens, you will pass through Crossroads Garden and take a right into the meandering path of Roads Water-Smart Garden</strong>. As you pass through, notice several varieties of prickly pear, or Opuntia</em>, blending seamlessly with the drought-tolerant flowering perennials. Opuntia</em> is one of the most widespread members of the cactus family. Pads range from green to blue gray to dark purple depending on the species or hybrid selection. Prickly pear pads are often used as a culinary ingredient called nopal. The fruits are known for their amazing fuchsia color and sweet flavor.</li> As you head west toward Nexus Garden, be sure to stop and marvel at some of our non-hardy collection staged in container plantings around the entrance to Marnie’s Pavilion</strong>. Can you find any Aloe </em>or Euphorbia </em>in flower? Notice the differences! </li> Nexus Garden</strong> is a sunny, west-facing berm that flanks the greenhouse complex before you reach Monet Pool. Here, we highlight the amazing WALK IN BEAUTY™ series of Opuntia</em> developed by local plantsman Kelly Grummons. Through hybridizing and selecting from thousands of seedlings over 10 years, Kelly was able to develop a strain of uniquely hardy, almost spineless, and incredibly floriferous plants. Also in Nexus Garden, there is a robust collection of claret cups, or Echinocereus</em>. The species Echinocereus triglochidiatus</em> is the state cactus of Colorado – occurring on dry slopes throughout the Southwest down into Mexico. They are also called hedgehog, haystack or strawberry cactus. You’ll notice some hybrids in this garden where the flowers range from orange to yellow to salmon to red. Flowering a few weeks after the claret cups is a hot pink species from New Mexico, Echinocereus fendleri</em>, with dark-colored flesh and spines and a deep fuchsia flower.</li> Another favorite cold-hardy cactus in this garden is the Cylindropuntia whipplei </em>‘Snow Leopard’ cholla. This variety is known for its heavy, dense growth that is covered in snow white spines all year round. The sun rises behind these creating an otherworldly glow in the mornings.</li> </ul> </li> As you pull yourself away from the raucous display in Nexus Garden, head around Monet Pool to Dryland Mesa</strong>. Here, you’ll want to meander through the path on top of the “mesa” past many interesting varieties of prickly pear, cholla and claret cup down to the southwest facing crevice section. You’ll notice some unique species of cactus tucked in along the way, like Echinocactus texensis</em>, which is almost flat with fishhook spines – lovingly called the horse crippler cactus. At the southeast end look for the tiny, hot pink flowered Escobaria vivipara</em>, which occurs across much of the foothills and plains of Colorado. Another favorite is the giant cylindrical cactus, Echinocereus triglochidiatus</em> “White Sands Strain”.</li> From here, loop back around the western slope of Dryland Mesa where you’ll find a wide variety of cold hardy species growing along the super sunny edge. Head left into the Laura Smith Porter Plains Garden </strong>to see naturalistic plantings of Opuntia</em> rambling through the grassland, just like you’d find in much of eastern Colorado. </li> From the Plains Garden, make your way toward the Rock Alpine Garden</strong> where you can see green pitaya, or Echinocereus viridiflorus</em>, in troughs. Be sure to peek into the Cactus and Succulent House to see some amazing varieties of cacti that are not quite as cold hardy.</li> </ul> Though they are not for touching, our cold hardy cacti are an incredibly charismatic group of plants that can add year-round interest and provide vital habitat to any garden – not to mention show-stopping flowers. Be sure to plant this group in a super sunny location, with very well-drained soil. </p> This article and photos are contributed by Horticulturist Laura Swain</strong>.</em></p>
While walking along a trail in Denver, I appreciated that I had access to nature while within city limits. I noticed large cottonwoods with birds chirping in the branches and delicate pollinators buzzing near milkweed. However, I also realized just how much mowed grass there is in urban green spaces. While this mowed grass offers some benefits such as providing recreation space and mitigating runoff, much of the grass in urban spaces is not utilized to its full potential.</p> This realization led me to develop my graduate research project. I am currently a master’s student at CU Denver, while also being housed within the Research & Conservation Department at Denver Botanic Gardens. I am fortunate to be able to draw upon resources and knowledge of both entities because of this partnership. My aim is to learn more about plants that could eventually replace the mowed grass in urban green spaces. </p>
Shrublands exist all around us, thriving in almost any environmental condition, from the desiccating sunshine of the endless sagebrush steppe to the deep, private shade of moist forests. These diverse and inspiring ecosystems serve as perfect models for our gardens. Beyond their inherent beauty, they provide nurturing habitats and demonstrate resilience in the face of a changing climate. Since 2017, Manager of Horticulture Research Michael Guidi and I have been traveling the world, striving to experience, interpret and photograph the wild shrublands in all their glory.Our new book, "Shrouded In Light: Naturalistic Planting Inspired by Wild Shrublands"</a> is an invitation to work, live and play with shrubs by celebrating the shrublands that fill our world. We profile dozens of shrublands, shrub forms and shrub community types that exist across a wide spectrum of habitats and growing conditions. We also delve deeply into the philosophies, aesthetics and design strategies that gardening with these awesome creatures unveils.</p> "Shrouded In Light" champions inspiration over instruction, offering more than 250 captivating photographs and illustrations to create an immersive experience of shrublands. We collaborated with dozens of photographers, land managers, biologists, horticulture professionals and artists from around the world (including many of our colleagues from the Gardens) to bring this vision to fruition.</p> The book is out now, as a collaboration between Denver Botanic Gardens and Filbert Press. Get your own copy at the Shop at the Gardens</a>!</p>
