Protecting the environment is a scientific issue, and it s a moral issue. There is a desperate need to protect plants, she continues, pointing out that the Arboretum is dedicated to conserving endangered plant species from California and South Africa, and to serving as a community classroom and home to scientific research in the biological sciences. The Arboretum depends on support from grants, plant sales and volunteers. To launch the Orchid Festival, Lyons is working closely with Bill Moore, amateur orchid horticulturist and president of Friends of the UCI Arboretum. Orchids are enjoying a surge in popularity in recent years because of their exquisite beauty and remarkable toughness and complexity, says Moore, who gives lectures on the flower at the Arboretum.
Orchids are one of the largest plant families - numbering in the tens of thousands.
They grow throughout the world. They grow in tress. They re tough. They can survive getting blown by wind, torn up by animals, chewed up by birds. They are one of the most highly developed and complicated flowers on Earth.