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May 2-6 Events: Written in Bone, Smithsonian Garden Fest and More
Monday, May 2 Written in BoneFamily-friendly and hands-on. Forensic anthropology is not just for scientists! Meet at Natural History in the exhibition, "Written in Bone: Forensic Files of the 17th-Century Chesapeake," and learn to use human bones to solve mysteries. In no time at all, be an expert ...
May 02, 2011 |
By Michelle Strange
Going To The Park May Make Your Life Better
I may have grown up in the countryside, but I am more than content with my life as a city girl. That said, I find myself drawn to green spaces; for example, my vacations more often than not include trips to botanic gardens. And I like to walk to work when the weather's nice, taking advantage of Was...
April 22, 2011 |
By Sarah Zielinski
Back Away From the Carnivorous Plant!
You might think that a plant that eats things should be able to take care of itself, but the sad fact is that more than half of the carnivorous plant species evaluated by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) are listed as either vulnerable, endangered or critically endanger...
April 11, 2011 |
By Sarah Zielinski
The Smithsonian Museums and The National Zoo Are Open
All Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo are open.Don't miss out on all the events and happenings, all scheduled as planned. Tarantula feedings at the Natural History Museum. A special tour of the Kinsey Collections at American History. An Earth Day celebration at the American Art Museum.And he...
April 08, 2011 |
By Beth Py-Lieberman
A Flowering Plant, Set in Stone
Smithsonian readers may recognize the Liaoning province of China as the place where amazing fossils of bird-like dinosaurs have been found:In a pine forest in rural northeastern China, a rugged shale slope is packed with the remains of extinct creatures from 125 million years ago, when this part ...
April 08, 2011 |
By Sarah Zielinski
The List: Five Secret Gardens Around the Smithsonian
It seems that the weather is finally breaking and spring temperatures might be here to stay. So, the ATM blog team has come up with a list of the five best kept secret gardens and getaways around the Smithsonian Institution. Get the jump on summer and discover some great new places to take in the b...
April 06, 2011 |
By Arcynta Ali Childs
Tom Mirenda on Orchids
The Natural History Museum's orchid expert talks about the beloved flowers
April 2011 |
By Megan Gambino
Orchid Mimics Carrion to Attract Flies
Scientists studying a South African orchid determined, with the clever use of roadkill, that the flower attracts pollinators by mimicking the scent of carrion. Their report appears in the Annals of Botany.The Satyrium pumilum orchid grows in sandy, moist soil near streams in South Africa. Unlike mo...
March 16, 2011 |
By Sarah Zielinski
From A Smithsonian Gardener: Tips for Creating a Beautiful Valentine's Day Arrangement
Hey Valentine, did your honey send you a romantic bundle of red and pink rose buds this morning? Or maybe a secret admirer sent you 12 fragrant beauties. Either way, nothing says love more than the classic Valentine's Day gift: the bouquet of roses.We asked Melanie Pyle, a Smithsonian Gardens hort...
February 14, 2011 |
By Madeline Andre
The Secrets Behind Your Flowers
Chances are the bouquet you're about to buy came from Colombia. What's behind the blooms?
February 2011 |
By John McQuaid
"Orchids: A View from the East" Opens This Weekend at Natural History
For the last 17 years, the Smithsonian Gardens and the United States Botanic Garden have teamed up to host an annual orchid exhibition. And, each year, says Tom Mirenda, a museum specialist for the Smithsonian Orchid Collection, "We try to have a different aspect of orchidology that we feature."To ...
January 27, 2011 |
By Megan Gambino
The Surprisingly Exciting World of Mushroom Picking
In the forests of Oregon, foragers, farmers and chefs have their eyes stuck on the ground looking for one thing: wild mushrooms
January 27, 2011 |
By Rachael Brown
Deck the Halls: Smithsonian Holiday Decorations
The halls are decked in red and green, and there's a winter chill in the air. The folks at the Smithsonian Gardens have taken great pains to decorate the Smithsonian Institution for the holidays. They have grown thousands of poinsettias and wrapped a green garland up the wrought iron gates to the C...
December 23, 2010 |
By Jess Righthand
How to Keep the Needles on Your Christmas Tree
Putting up a live Christmas tree can be a lot of work. You have to make sure that the tree has plenty of water, sometimes having to crawl beneath the branches while trying not to dislodge any of the breakable ornaments. And then there's the clean-up. No matter what you do, the tree is going to shed...
December 23, 2010 |
By Sarah Zielinski
Wednesday Roundup: Happy Holidays!
Total Eclipse of the Moon—Early yesterday morning (or late Monday night for those on the west coast), an astronomical event took place that only happens once in a blue moon. Well, okay, it wasn't a blue moon, but it was a total lunar eclipse. This was the first lunar eclipse to fall on the winter ...
December 22, 2010 |
By Jess Righthand
Dryer Sheets as Bug Repellant?
It's a modern old-wives tale: put a Bounce dryer sheet in your pocket while gardening and it'll keep away the mosquitoes or gnats. This may seem a bit far-fetched to those of us who have never tried it, but researchers have now found that there could be some truth in it, when it comes to gnats, any...
December 20, 2010 |
By Sarah Zielinski
Ten Natural Products That Kill
I have to laugh anytime I see a product label claiming that something is "all natural," as if everything that is man-made is dangerous and all that is not is perfectly safe. Not that I'm claiming there are no synthetic evils, but there's plenty of deadly natural items out in the world. Let's start ...
November 09, 2010 |
By Sarah Zielinski
The Great Georgian Fruit Hunt
Sent to the Caucasus by the U.S. government, Malli Aradhya forages through orchards and markets in search of the perfect specimen
November 08, 2010 |
By Alastair Bland
Wednesday Roundup: Caterpillars, Videos, iPad Apps and More
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T69tXic7pxQ&feature=player_embeddedTime for Butterflies: As the first chill of fall sweeps the National Mall, folks at the Smithsonian Gardens are thinking about how best to take advantage of the seasonal change. As it turns out, fall is a great time to plan for t...
November 03, 2010 |
By Jess Righthand
