Smithsonian orchid specialist to address Palomar Orchid Society

LAKE SAN MARCOS – Thomas Mirenda, Orchid Collection Specialist with the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC, will speak to the Palomar Orchid Society (POS) membership at its’ next monthly meeting on January 4, at The Lodge (Pavilion) in Lake San Marcos at 6:30 p.m. Visitors are welcome.

Mirenda has been associated with the Smithsonian for the past 16 years, and previously worked with the New York Botanical Garden and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. He also works with the Greentree Estate in Long Island, NY, one of the largest private orchid collections in the world.

For the past 11 years, Mirenda has contributed two columns each month for ORCHIDS magazine, the bulletin of the American Orchid Society (AOS). He will speak on “The Mysteries of Orchid Pollination” focusing on the incredibly diverse pollination strategies developed by orchids, including adaptations relating to food, geo-location, pollinators, mating deceptions, pseudo-copulation, and other methods of species isolation.

Orchids will be available for viewing and purchase, as well as through the Palomar Orchid Society monthly raffle. Additional information is available at the POS website, www.palomarorchid.org.