Wild Ones: Illinois Prairie Chapter Program “Native Orchids”

In this presentation, Dr. Jan Gehring will introduce us to the wonderful world of orchids. She will begin by highlighting their global distribution and species diversity. This will be followed by a discussion of the characteristics of orchids, including habit, growth forms, vegetative traits, flowers, and seeds. The presentation will conclude by highlighting the species of orchids native to Central Illinois and their habitats.

Presenter Bio:

Dr. Jan Gehring grew up on a farm in East-Central Nebraska and began her education in a one-room schoolhouse. She received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Biology from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Her Master’s research was on the impacts of red cedar spread on native prairie vegetation . She went on to earn her Ph.D. at the University of Colorado in 1990 where her research was on sexual dimorphism in white campion (Silene latifolia). Following that, she completed a post-doc at Indiana University from 1993 to 1996. The majority of her career was spent in Peoria where she served as Assistant and Associate Professor of Biology at Bradley University from 1996 to 2020. At Bradley, she taught courses in evolution, ecology and plant science. In retirement Dr. Gehring loves traveling to natural areas where she can’t help botanizing everywhere she goes.