Botanical Exotica



I love orchids. I almost always have an orchid plant in my home. They are absolutely beautiful, often colorful and always calming.

When I found out about the Botanical Exotica exhibit at The Conservatory at Volunteer Park this summer I couldn't wait to check it out. And I'm glad I didn't wait too long because the exhibit was supposed to run through September, but, according to The Conservatory’s website, it “has been removed early by the artist in preparation for moving to a new exhibit in Michigan.” They regret any inconvenience for those who may have missed seeing it. I, too, regret if you missed seeing it, but hope the pictures below will help you understand the essence of this fabulous exhibit.

Master glass artist Jason Gamrath created gigantic orchids and other rare and exotic botanicals that were displayed throughout The Conservatory alongside live plants. I walked through the exhibit a few times and each time I noticed more exotic, larger-than-life blooms.

I am not exaggerating when I say they were HUGE! In the collage above, I tried to show the scale. The photo on the bottom left is a real orchid and the large one on the right is one of Gamrath’s glass creations. I was only shooting with my iPhone so it was hard to truly capture the scale. I found these pics that do a better job of showing the enormity, I think.

Here are some of my favorite orchids from the exhibit...

  

And a few of those rare and exotic botanicals I mentioned...