In This Month’s Newsletter: Notes from the President page 1 April 2015 Northeast Wisconsin Orchid Show Neenah WI page 2 Chicago and ILIowa shows pages 3 & 4 March Meeting Joel Wilcox page 5 EIOS is now on Facebook! President: Lois Dusdieker (319) 626-2236 E-mail: [email protected] Vice President: Jim Quaintance (319) 624-2758 E-mail: [email protected] Secretary: Mike Hampton (319) 377-0106 E-mail: [email protected] Treasurer: Cathy Wilcox (319) 354-5879 Email: [email protected] AOS Representative: Laynez Ackermann (319) 656-2063 Email: [email protected] Mid-America Representative: Nile Dusdieker (319) 626-2236 E-mail: [email protected] Newsletter Editor: Mike Hampton (319) 377-0106 E-mail: [email protected] Web Page Editor: Jim Quaintance (319) 624-2758 E-mail: [email protected] A small group of people with a big love of growing orchids. The Spike EASTERN IOWA ORCHID SOCIETY Meeting directions — page 6 EIOS display at ILLowa Show in Bettendorf IA President’s Message for April Special thanks to Joel Wilcox for his presentation at our March meeting on the ‘art’ of photographing orchids. His talk should entice us to bring our cameras along and photograph orchids wherever we find them. With digital pictures ‘you not like ‘em? Send to the recycle bin!’ Our April 7th meeting will be an educational practicum – Classifying and Evaluating the Quality of Orchid Blooms! We will be working in teams on 2 separate missions. First, we will learn to classify orchids according to the 108 Mid America Orchid Congress categories – ie – large white phalaenopsis – class 44. Working in small groups, we will catalog a variety of orchids and memorabilia. It is not always as easy as it looks. We will learn how to determine the base color of phalaenopsis and the difference between simple and complex paphiopedilum hybrids. Next, our small groups will learn to judge selected blooming orchids according to established judging criteria. Whether or not one is interested in submitting plants for AOS judging, knowing how to recognize quality flowers will help in collecting better plants. An AOS (Continued on page 6) Calendar of Events Orchid Society Meetings are the first Tuesday of the month during the school year. Meetings start with social at 6:30 and the meeting at 7:00 Noelridge Greenhouse Easter Showcase Display and sale 11 to 5 4/4-5/15 EIOS MEETING – First Presbyterian Church – Classifying and Evaluating the Quality of Orchid Blooms! 4/7/15 EIOS MEETING – First Presbyterian Church – How to get your plants to bloom when you want! David Bird 5/5/15 Noelridge Greenhouse Mothers Day Showcase Display and sale 5/10/15 Kansas City Orchid Show, 2015. Our club has been invited! 5/2-3/15 Page 2 THE SPIKE Northeast Wisconsin Orchid Show Neenah Wisconsin Andy braved the Arctic North (which actually was rather warm) for the Northeast Wisconsin Orchid Show on March 7-8, 2015. The theme of the event was "Orchids and All That Jazz," and he set up a 50 square-foot display complete with banjo, saxophone, sheet music, and musical notes (arranged in a loose interpretation of "On Iowa"). The display won Best of Class for society displays and garnered two special awards for Best Phalaenopsis of Show (Dusdiekers' Phal. Liu's Fantasy) and Best Cattleya of Show (Dusdiekers' Epidendrum stamfordianum). There were also quite a few first place ribbons awarded. The Dusdiekers' Phalaenopsis Kaoda Twinkle also received an HCC/AOS award during the AOS judging and now goes by the name of 'Dusty's Midnight.' Dusdiekers’ Phal Kaoda Twinkle ‘Dusty’s midnight ‘ HCC/AOS Doc Bannister’s Phal. Doc’s Spot (first place) Page 3 THE SPIKE March Madness: Eastern Iowa Orchid Society wins it ALL! March is indeed the most hectic month for regional orchid shows - not only on the plants that have to stay ‘fresh’ with all the transport - but also on the ‘transporters’ that travel and setup the displays. Andy Coghill-Behrends won first place and Best of Class for our EIOS display at the Neenah, Wisconsin show March 7-8th. Andy did this all by himself (see pictures on previous page). Dorothy and Micheal Hampton, Bill Page, and Nile and Lois Dusdieker took over 70 plants to the Chicago Botanical Garden, Illinois Orchid Show the next weekend and setup a huge display ‘in the round’ right in the center of the exhibition area. The Show Trophy for the best display was our result. People attending the show really liked the ability to get up close (and sometimes too personal) with the flowers. Then March 20th several members of the society converged on Wallace’s Garden Center to assemble our Show Trophy winning display at the Illowa Orchid Society Show (picture on front page). Thanks to Jim Quaintance, Andy Coghill-Behrends, Ann and Larry Morris, Dorothy and Micheal Hampton, and the Dusdiekers for their help. Some of the plants were a bit worn but the held up for the weekend. We closed the season of regional shows (8) with SIX Show Trophies and One Best of Class! Congrats to all who participated and provided plants, transportation, helped with setup, good fellowship, and always good food! Eastern Iowa Orchid Society awarded Show Trophy Display At the Illinois Orchid Show - Chicago Botanical Gardens Page 4 March Madness Show Pictures Paph Hunkpapa ‘Penn Valley’ - Andy’s First place Illinois (left). Hampton’s Phal. Surf Song Illinois (below) Andy and Dorothy at Illowa Setup at Wallace’s Greenhouse in Bettendorf (below left) Dorothy’s Jewel Box ‘Orange’ above Jfk Appleblossom First Place Ribbon at Illowa - Andy’s plant (below) Worker ‘Bees’ at Illowa Show setup, Bettendorf Doc Bannister’s Phals Sogo Yukidian at center of Illinois Display (above left) Dusdieker GastroPhais Micro Burst, First Place at Illowa Show (left) Page 5 The ‘Art’ of Photographing Orchids presented by Joel Wilcox The program for our March meeting was presented by Joel Wilcox, Cathy’s husband . He has been an avid photographer for many years and seems to enjoy the transition to digital pictures. With film, in the past, every shot cost $.75 even if it was not good. Now with digital photos one can bracket the exposure and adjust the settings to get just the appearance desired. More specifically, Joel talked about components of a good photograph. First, the subject: picking a flower and determining the setting and direction from which to take the photo. Next, the lighting: various forms of artificial light offer different effects. Joel really likes to use natural light and showed some shots when the ambient light has warm yellow and red hues such as at dusk or dawn. Finally, the background: whether solid color or natural backgrounds, the contrast with the subject can make or break the picture’s effect. Joel spent time talking about depth of field and showed nice examples of interesting but non distracting backgrounds that actually accentuate the presentation of the orchid. The Wilcox family attended the Illowa show and I hope Joel got some new ‘shots’ for his collection. Many thanks for the wonderful presentation. These are all pictures of the same flower of Phal. Kaoda Twinkle ‘Dusty’s Midnight’ HCC/AOS which was awarded at the Neenah Show. Taken by Nile D The official award photo will probably have a black backdrop but with this deep purple color I think lighter is better. Pic left is with soft flash. The pictures below are all taken outside with sun on the plant and flowers - center and left; and with ambient light but in the shade, below right. Note that the light still penetrates through from the back and demonstrates the inconsistency of the pigment as opposed to the flash which reflects the solid color. Back Page More Neenah Left Dusdiekers’ Epi Stamfordianum (first place , BOC, Best Cat of the Show Right top Dusdiekers’ Phal Liu’s Fantasy (first place, BOC, Best Phal Right bottom Hamptons’ Phal. Surf Song (first Place) Andy’s Paph Lunacy (First Place) Membership dues for 2015 are now DUE. They are $20 for one $30 for family. Bring to meeting or All Neenah pictures mail to: by Andy C-B Cathy Wilcox 119 Taft Speedway (Continued from page 1) judge will also look at the plants so we can compare our results. These exercises are for fun only – so no pressure – and we even have a few ribbons to give out! Bring some of your ‘best’ flowers to look at! At our recent meeting, numerous members expressed an interest in getting new EIOS apparel. Our previous supplier in Iowa City is no longer in business but the Coralville branch has the phalaenopsis logo on file. As before, we will offer short sleeved T shirts, long sleeved T Shirts, and sweat shirts in a variety of colors. Hats and ‘hoodies’ are an option but require more work with embroidery. We do need a minimum of 24 items to get our price break. I will have the information at the meeting and will put on our Google Group email as well. Noelridge Park Greenhouse Showcases are coming up. We will have a small display and sell blooming orchids as a fundraiser for our fall show April 4 & 5 and on Mother’s Day May 10 th. Volunteers to help with some shifts would be appreciated. Please email me at [email protected]. In May we will be holding elections for EIOS officers. We have some excellent volunteers already but certainly welcome further nominees. A preliminary slate will be presented at the April meeting. See you April 7th for a fun and challenging meeting. Lois Dusdieker Hosts for Upcoming Meetings April Dorothy Hampton and Lois Dusdieker If you would like to volunteer to help with refreshments, please e-mail Lois Dusdieker ([email protected]). Directions to First Presbyterian Church in Iowa City From East on I-80 take exit 249 on Herbert Hoover Hwy turn left and go about 5 minutes on Rochester and turn left on Mount Vernon Dr. As soon as you turn left the church parking lot is on your left. From West on I-80, take exit 246 turn right to Dodge St, turn left to Scott Blvd, turn right on First Ave, and stay on until you meet Rochester Ave, turn left , go few minutes, turn right on Mount Vernon Dr. As soon as you turn right the church parking lot is on your left. The meeting is in the Youth Room, as soon as you enter the building turn left & turn right.
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