Something a little different this month….through the magic of technology, Michael Benedito will talk to us from Kew Gardens about the Orchid Collection he is assembling for the Botanical Gardens in his home of Madeira. In the photo you see some Stanhopeas being packed up in England to make the long and arduous trip to Madeira. If you look up Michael’s name on the internet, you can read more about his undertaking to save this renowned collection of orchids and see more of his photos. As usual, the meeting will take place in Room 5 (subject to availability), Royal Botanical Gardens, 680 Plains Road W., Burlington, ON. The formal meeting starts at 2 pm but you are invited to arrive any time after 1 pm to socialize and interact with vendors. Members and guests welcome.

Our annual orchid auction and holiday social will take the place of the usual meeting format on Sunday December 16, 2018. Members are asked to bring orchids and orchid-related items to be auctioned, finger foods to be enjoyed…and of course, cash to fund your auction wins! This is always a good opportunity to pick up something new for your collection, or possibly a gift for someone on your list. Note that there will be no “show and tell” table at this event. The auction takes place in room 5, Royal Botanical Gardens, 680 Plains Rd. W., Burlington, Ontario. It starts at 2 pm, but you are invited to arrive any time after 1 pm to socialize and interact with vendors. Members and guests welcome.

The speaker at our November meeting is Dr. Leslie Ee, and his topic is “The Legend of the Phalaenopsis Indigo”. Born in Borneo, not far from the home of Paphiopedilum sanderianums, Leslie was raised around orchids his entire life, having been taught by his mother and grandmother how to grow and flower them.  At present, he has over 500 plants; his favourites are Cattleya species, Paphiopedilum species, novelty Phalaenopsis and miniatures. Leslie is an AOS Associate Judge with the Toronto Judging Centre and President of the COC. He is committed to the sharing of orchid knowledge and conservation efforts of local orchids around the world. As usual, our meeting will be held in Room 5, Royal Botanical Gardens, 680 Plains Rd. W. Burlington, ON. The formal meeting starts at 2 pm but you are invited to arrive any time after 1 pm to socialize and interact with vendors. Members and guests welcome.

The topic of our October meeting is “Insects and some of the Diseases they cause” –always a subject of concern to orchid growers. Note that the meeting room is not our usual one. We’re in Rooms 3 and 4, just down the hall from the usual location, at Royal Botanical Gardens, 680 Plains Road W., Burlington. The formal meeting starts at 2 pm, but you are invited to arrive any time after 1 pm to socialize and interact with vendors. Members and guests welcome.

The topic of the September meeting is “Mormodes: 182 years of chaos” and the speaker is Gilberto Arrieche. Gilberto is a long time orchid grower and “self-confessed fan of Cattleyas and Catasetinae (especially Mormodes)”. Motivated by his love of these plants and the “over 180 years of confusion in species identification, Gilberto has done a very extensive research project on the genus Mormodes. In so doing, he has developed a multi-part presentation of the many species (more than 80 at last count) – even noting that a considerable number of flowers and plants have been incorrectly identified.  Gilberto has posted numerous pictures of Mormodes species online, several of these on the site www.orchidspecies.com . Among his many achievements, Gilberto has garnered a number of AOS awards for flower quality in his favourite plants.

The meeting will take place in Room 5, Royal Botanical Gardens, 680 Plains Road W., Burlington, ON. As usual, the formal meeting will start at 2 pm but you are invited to arrive any time after 1 pm to socialize and interact with vendors. Members and guests welcome.

The speaker for our August meeting is John Alexander. John is a photographer and orchid enthusiast, originally from New Brunswick and now living in Toronto. He has exhibited his orchid photographs at our Annual Show and participates as a vendor of prints, cards and orchid-related collectibles. Johns’s topic for this meeting is described as follows:  “Weird, wild and wonderful –carnivores and other unusual plants (and of course there will be orchids)”. The meeting takes place in Room 5, Royal Botanical Gardens, 680 Plains Road West, Burlington Ontario. The formal meeting starts at 2 pm, but you are invited to arrive any time after 1 pm to socialize and interact with vendors. Members and guests welcome.

The Annual OSRBG Picnic/BBQ  will be held at Nancy’s home in Dundas. Arrival is any time after noon.  Members and significant others are invited.  Address information is being sent to all members via Orchidata.  If other details are needed, please contact any member of the Executive. “Basics” (hamburgers and sausages) are being provided by the Society, but members are invited to bring salads, desserts etc. to supplement the menu. Plants or other orchid-related items for the raffle are  appreciated. Lawn chairs are also  a good idea!

All OSRBG members are invited to attend the Annual General Meeting on Sunday June 24, 2018 in Room 5, Royal Botanical Gardens, 680 Plains Road W., Burlington Ontario. The meeting starts at 2 pm but you are invited to arrive any time after 1 pm to socialize and interact with vendors. Following the business meeting, there will be more time for socializing over strawberry-themed treats. Contributions to the pot-luck are appreciated (finger food only, please). Also, if you have orchid plants to sell or trade, this is a good opportunity to do so.

Our speaker for the May 27th meeting is Jean Ikeson, an Orchid Judge and well-known member of our Society, who has spoken frequently at our meetings. Jean’s topic for this month’s presentation is “Oncidium fuscaturm and its colourful hybrids”. The meeting  will be held in Room 5 (subject to confirmation), Royal Botanical Gardens, 680 Plains Road W., Burlington Ontario. The formal meeting starts at 2 pm, but you are invited to arrive any time after 1 pm to socialize and interact with vendors. Members and guests welcome.