At our January meeting, learn about the (NAOCC) North American Orchid Conservation Centre’s research with mycorrhizal fungi relationships, propagation techniques, and pollinators that are safeguarding the native orchid populations (both ex-situ and in-situ) of Canada and the US. The talk will be delivered via Zoom by Melissa K. McCormick,
Dr. McCormick is the Director of the NAOCC and a Senior Ecologist with (SERC) the Smithsonian Environmental Research Centre. She joined SERC in 1999, first as a postdoctoral researcher, then a research scientist, and now as a senior ecologist. Her main research focus is on associations between plants and mycorrhizal fungi, with a strong focus on orchids. In 2011, with Dennis Whigham, she co-founded NAOCC at the Smithsonian. The goal of NAOCC is to safeguard the native orchids of the US and Canada, through propagation, preservation, and education. She has authored over 60 peer reviewed scientific publications about orchids, their mycorrhizal fungi, their pollinators, and other drivers of plant distribution.
The meeting will be a hybrid meeting. We will have the usual Show Table, raffle and refreshments with a break to chat with our “Ask Me Anything” experts. Members, please bring your plants to the show table by 1:40 pm to allow time for judging. If you are feeling unwell, please join us via Zoom.
The photo shows Melissa McCormick with Platanthera psycodes in 2023.
