Tuesday, February 21, 2017
OSMT Meeting – Location: Cheekwood

7 pm Presentation: Alice Jensen “Orchids of Costa Rica” (Refreshments at 6:30 pm)

Location: Cheekwood Botanical Gardens – directions, 1200 Forrest Park Drive Nashville Tennessee 37205

In February we move from care, cultivation, and practical tips of orchids to their impact on their natural habitat.

We’re very excited to announce that our February speaker will be our own Alice Jensen! Alice has been a member of our OSMT since the 1960s and actively continues to expand her botanical knowledge and skills.

Alice Jensen is a “born” naturalist specifically interested in botany. Her parents introduced her to nature at an early age when they lived in the family apartment in Berlin. They traveled into natural areas on public land where her interest took root. Alice’s father was a teacher by profession with a hobby of photography, and Alice has kept many negatives and glass plates taken by him. This led her to her own interest in photography – she’s used 35mm and film for years, and is now adopting digital methods.

Alice started work at tender age of 17 as a volunteer at the Berlin Botanical Garden. She continued her education after the war by studying plant pathology for a profession. Alice came to the United States in 1959 and married Axel Jensen, Sr. He fully supported her interests in botany including building greenhouses, for orchids and other plants, for the floral industry.

Alice’s presentation will give an insight into how the botanical flora of Costa Rica especially orchids, fits into the landscape. The trip to Costa Rica was led by Thom Mirenda, the curator of the Smithsonian Institution Orchid Collection.

Please mark your calendar and plan to attend this exciting meeting.  All are welcome! Please bring a friend interested in orchids in general.