The third and final photography exhibit for 2011 has been installed in the Gallery at Garden in the Woods. Titled People, Plants & Pollinators: Take Two, this exhibit features 11 images of native plants taken at Garden in the Woods over the past year by Edie Brennion (Development Department), Nelson DeBarros (Horticulture), Jessica Gerke (Conservation), Dan Jaffe (Horticulture), and Steven Ziglar (Communications).

This exhibit continues through October 30, 2011 and then will be available for loan to libraries and public indoor spaces throughout the greater Boston area. The Gallery at Garden in the Woods is located in the Education Building and is open Tuesday through Sunday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. A visit to the Gallery is included in regular admission to Garden in the Woods.

These five amateur photographers submitted images which were reviewed by members of the Society’s Visual Resources Committee. Eleven images were selected which best reflected the theme of the exhibit. All of the photographers are current employees of the Society except for Nelson DeBarros who served as an intern in the Horticulture Department during the 2010 season at Garden in the Woods. Many of the Society’s employees work to chronicle the changes in plant life, blooms, and berries in the Garden.

This is the third of three photography exhibits at Garden in the Woods in 2011. Once this show comes down at the end of October, it will be offered to libraries and other venues in the Boston market to acquaint the larger public with the beauty of native plant species and the pollinators that keep these plants alive. Interpretation is provided for each of the plants in the photographs to acquaint the public with both conservation and horticultural attributes and habitats.

This exhibit was made possible by a generous donation from the Litowitz Foundation and was curated by members of the Society’s Visual Resources Committee.

1. Empetrum nigrum (Image: Jessica Gerke)

Black crowberry

Native to New England (ME, NH, VT)

Perennial, shrub, evergreen, 1-3 feet.

Bloom color: pink, purple. Bloom time: MAY-JUL. Fruit color: black, purple.

Prefers sun; various soils, from dry to wet.

Easier to grow than its heather look-alikes.

Attracts birds, butterflies (larval and/or nectar host for Northern Blue, Arctic Blue).

2. Sarracenia purpurea ssp. purpurea

Purple pitcherplant (rare variety)

Native to New England (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT)

Perennial, herbaceous, evergreen, 0-1 feet.

Bloom color: pale yellow (with pale green leaves). Bloom time: MAY-JUL.

Prefers sun-part shade; acid, moist to wet soil: bogs, peatlands, peaty shores.

Pitcherplants are propagated by division or by seed. Bees are the main pollinators.

Classified as a carnivorous plant rather than insectivorous because consumption includes not only insects but also isopods, mites, spiders, and the occasional small frog (however, we believe this frog is being opportunistic for insects and not in danger of being digested). (Image: Steven Ziglar)

3. Hypericum ascyron (Image: Steven Ziglar)

Great St. John’s-wort

Native to New England (CT, MA, ME, NH, VT)

Perennial, herbaceous, deciduous, 2-6 feet.

Bloom color: yellow. Bloom time: JUN-AUG.

Prefers sun-part shade-shade; moist soils: rich woods, streambanks, wet meadows, thickets.

Flowers are pollinated primarily by bumblebees. The caterpillar of the gray hairstreak butterfly feeds on the developing capsules and seeds.

4. Lobelia cardinalis (Image: Steven Ziglar)

Red lobelia

Native to New England (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT)

Perennial, herbaceous, deciduous, 3-6 feet.

Bloom color: red. Bloom time: MAY-OCT. Fruit color: blue.

Prefers sun-part shade-shade; moist to wet, humus-rich soil.

Very showy red blooms, particularly attractive at the edge of a woodland garden.

Attracts hummingbirds, birds, butterflies.

5-7. Sanguinaria canadensis

Blood-root

Native to New England (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT)

Perennial, herbaceous, deciduous, 0-1 feet.

Bloom color: white. Bloom time: MAR-APR.

Prefers part shade-shade; moist to wet, well-drained, humus-rich soil.

The red juice from the underground stem was used by Native Americans as a dye for baskets, clothing, and war paint, as well as for insect repellent.

 5. The single blood-root leaf and flower each rise on a separate stem, and at first the leaf completely enwraps the flower bud. The clear, white, many-petaled blossom may open before the leaf has completely unwrapped, rising slightly above the leaf to a height of 6-10 inches. (Image: Dan Jaffe)

 6. This fragile spring flower develops and rises from the center of its curled leaf, opening in full sun, and closing at night. Like most members of the Poppy Family, it lasts for a relatively short time. (Image: Jessica Gerke)

 7. Blood-root spreads rapidly and make an excellent groundcover. Mulch plants with a thin layer of deciduous leaves during the winter. Effective as groundcover around the base of trees. Seeds dispersed by ants. (Dan Jaffe)

8. Anemone acutiloba (Image: Jessica Gerke)

Sharp-lobed hepatica

Native to New England (CT, MA, ME, NH, VT)

Perennial, herbaceous, evergreen, 0-1 feet.

Bloom color: white, pink, purple. Bloom time: MAR-APR.

Prefers shade; moist, humus-rich soil.

Will tolerate somewhat dry conditions but too much sun will damage leaf edges

9. Adiantum pedatum (Image: Edie Brennion)

Northern maidenhair fern

Native to New England (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT)

Perennial, fern, deciduous, 1-3 feet.

Not a flowering plant; reproduces by spores.

Prefers part shade-shade; rich, moist, well-drained soils, mostly acidic but can tolerate some lime.

Likes moist but not wet sites. Will not survive drying out. Keep evenly moist year-round.

Provides shelter for toads and lizards.

10. Liatris novae-angliae var. novae-angliae (Image: Steven Ziglar)

Northern blazing star

Native to New England (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI)

Perennial, herbaceous, deciduous, 3-5 feet.

Bloom color: purple. Bloom time: AUG-SEP.

Prefers sun; moist loam or sand: woodlands, sandplains, sandy sea beaches, limestone outcrops.

Attracts bees, butterflies.

Scientists working to protect this rare and endangered plant are currently studying the effects of carefully-controlled prescribed burns in areas where fire suppression has changed the composition of its habitat.

11. Lilium superbum (Image Nelson DeBarros)

Turk’s-cap lily

Native to New England (CT, MA, NH, RI)

Perennial, herbaceous, deciduous, 3-7 feet.

Bloom color: red, orange, yellow. Bloom time: JUL-SEP.

Prefers sun; moist, well-drained soils: forest openings and edges, thickets, swamp borders.

The flowers have a green star at their center which makes a good identifying mark for the plant, distinguishing it from the Tiger Lily, an Asian plant that sometimes escapes from gardens.

To make a donation of images to New England Wild Flower Society or to book this exhibit in your public library or other public venue, please contact Rachel Wolff Lander, Visual Resources Manager, rwlander@newenglandwild.org.