My table at the 2018 GNTOS Orchid Show & Sale (see slide show below) featured a display about the current orchid conservation project in Palau, coordinated by NAOCC, which is part of the Smithsonian. The beautiful photography of Benjamin Crain (of NAOCC) helped a great deal to draw the attention of visitors. This project was also the topic of my monthly conservation article.  

Along with the Palau display I also had “Orchid-gami” for sale, which is a particularly interesting project of NAOCC. It consists of a set of punch-out images which can be assembled to produce a very life-like paper orchid. All sales of orchid-gami sheets benefit NAOCC’s orchid conservation efforts.

A favorite attraction of our shows is the raffle table. A number of live orchids, plus some orchid-related items, are displayed, with a box next to each item. A visitor purchases a raffle ticket, fills out contact info, and places the ticket into the box of the item she would like to win. It’s always interesting to see which items attract the most attention. This year the orchid arrangement donated by Dr Delphinium (Richardson store) got the most entries. And it’s no wonder. They created a beautiful arrangement.

Raising funds for orchid conservation  is my main objective for participating in orchid shows. 100% of gross sales from limited edition prints, originals, orchid notecards, and other orchid items goes to support conservation. 

We had a successful show, and, as always, I loved having a chance to talk to people and have a “conservation conversation”.