What a pleasant surprise to find so many people in Ohio interested in orchid conservation. While visiting family in Cleveland, I had the opportunity to attend the West Shore Orchid Show for the first time.  They very graciously offered me a table where I could meet visitors, talk to them about conservation, and offer them a chance to enter a drawing to benefit Rainforest Trust. 

2017 West Shore Orchid Show, Strongsville, Ohio

Quite a few of the visitors I met are dedicated naturalists and hikers, and they had stories to tell about finding native orchid species in this area, and how much pleasure this gives them. Of course I had to tell them about the research on North American orchids being done by the Smithsonian. It was also the first time people from Ohio got introduced to the Smithsonian orchidgami project.

Here is a slideshow with a few highlights.