2018 Mid-America Orchid Conference
This year’s West Shore Orchid Society show was also host to the Mid-America Orchid Congress. Orchid expert Tom Mirenda of the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden was a main attraction. The show, held in Strongsville,Ohio, just south of Cleveland, drew a sizeable crowd of orchid enthusiasts who came to see and buy orchids, and to hear the speakers. The Mid-America Orchid Congress is gigantic, covering an area of 16 states from the Canadian border all the way down to Florida.
For the second year in a row I have had the opportunity to participate the West Shore Orchid Society’s show in three distinct ways. First, I had a booth to promote orchid conservation, my principal reason for attending shows. Second, there was also the chance to enter my orchid prints as a display of original orchid art, and I was extremely pleased to be awarded the blue ribbon. And third, I had a table of orchid-related items which I sell and donate 100% of the gross proceeds to the conservation organizations shown to the right. Included in my sales items are sets of “orchid-gami” created by the Smithsonian North American Orchid Conservation Center. I also sell note cards featuring my watercolors, coffee mugs with my watercolor images on them, bookmarks and other items.