The CENTRAL IOWA ORCHID SOCIETY

           Presents the

Frank is a biologist who has been studying the ecology, biology and taxonomy of the genus Phragmipedium throughout natural populations for the past 25 years. His journey with Phragmipedium started in the 1980s when one of his ecology professors introduced him to orchids, which led him to buy a plant of Phrag. longifolium. After many years of trying to get a sense of which Phragmipedium species were which, and why he was killing so many plants, Frank decided to take the matter into his own hands. His 25-year sojourn to the jungles of Mexico, Guatemala, Panama, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, Guyana and Brazil studying the genus Phragmipedium, the taxonomy, ecology and culture has given him unique access to the source material. Along the way, he has met some of the most well-known names and personalities in the Phragmipedium community. He has been to some of the most famous, and infamous, orchid nurseries in South America at critical times in the history of the genus and asked them to retell their stories. Frank has had the unique opportunity of going straight to the source and examining plants and flowers through extensive field research. He currently works in the financial services industry and resides, along with his family and his orchids, in New York (email frankrc@optonline.net

Frank's topics will be "Phragmipedium Culture; What Can Mother Nature Teach Us?" and "The Phragmipedium of Brazil; A Journey to a Strange World".

Eric has been growing orchids for over 30 years under the greenhouse name of River Valley Orchids and specializes in South American Species with a focus on Brassia, Maxillaria and Phragmipedium. He has spoken internationally and across the United States. Eric has had culture chapters published by Guido Braem in his book on Paphiopedilum and in his book on Phragmipedium. He also has a feature article on Maxillaria in Orchid Digest and several of his Maxillaria photos published in Eric Christenson's book on Maxillaria. Eric has received over 100 awards from the American Orchid Society and has four orchids named after him including two species from Ecuador. He is the current president of the Miami Valley Orchid Society and the president of the Mid America Orchid Congress. Eric also serves as one of the award photographers for the Cincinnati Judging Center. Eric's real job is as a registered landscape architect serving as the planning manager for Five Rivers MetroParks in Dayton, Ohio.

Eric's topics will be "Expanding Your Orchid Collection - Yes You Can Know What You Are Gonna Get" and "A few Favorite South American Genera".