Anna Scripps Whitcomb- A Benevolent Woman

Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory

I am volunteering at the Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory this winter and I love it! Belle Isle is a place I have visited a lot since moving to the metro Detroit area almost 30 years ago. It amazes me that people who have lived here all their lives have never been there. I love the aquarium, too, but as you know, plants are my passion. Soooo, I'm going to share some orchid photos today and tell you about the woman who gave them to the conservatory.

Anna Scripps Whitcomb (Photo Grosse Pointe Historical Society)

 Anna Virginia Scripps was born in 1866 to James and Harriet Scripps. Mr. Scripps was the founder of the Detroit News and was also involved in the founding of the Detroit Museum of Art, later to become the Detroit Institute of Art.  Anna Scripps married Edgar Bancroft Whitcomb in 1891 and had two children, Harriet and James. Mrs. Whitcomb had a large collection of orchids which upon her death in 1953 were bequeathed to the Belle Isle Conservatory. 
The Belle Isle Conservatory was opened August 18, 1904 and was designed by the famous architect Albert Kahn. The wooden structure was rebuilt from 1952-1954, replacing the wood with aluminum. In 1955, the conservatory was renamed the Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory in honor of her donations. I have included a lot of pictures, so I hope you will not be bored. These pictures were not all taken this winter, but quite a few of them have been. Since the island is now run as a Michigan state park, some of these orchids may be in the city greenhouse, unable to be accessed for the the conservatory, but there are still many beautiful orchids.  Since they have been there since the early 1950s, many have lost their name tags. I like to know the names of plants, but in this case, it isn't possible. They are just gorgeous flowers. 
The fountain below was gifted to the conservatory by the Temperance League and many of the orchids are displayed around it. 

The fountain and pool around which many of the orchids are displayed

Oncidium orchid

Cymbidium orchid

Angraecum veitchii orchid (Photo by Jeremy Kemp)

A spray of orchids over the pool

Another view of the pool with orchids

For more pictures of the conservatory go to my Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory Pinterest board here.

Vanda orchid

A cart full of orchids and other plants

Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory palm house

If there are any of her descendants still in the Detroit area, I hope they still go there knowing their relative made the conservatory a much more colorful place. We appreciate it and enjoy the flowers immensely! Thank-you, Mrs. Whitcomb!

A Welcome Relief from Winter

Blc. Paradise Jewel Flare

I have been staying with my Mom this week in mid-Michigan. Yesterday we watched as her rural road fill up with blowing snow. The wind an snow was crazy! As the day wore on, my hopes of going to Lansing, which is over an hour away, were slowly being crushed under a mountain of snow. 

I woke up this morning thinking I was going to be snowed in here all day. And then, I heard the snow plow and you've never seen anyone get ready so fast. I was beyond excited! 

As I walked into the Michigan State Plant and Soil Science Conservatory the warmth and intoxicating scent of orchids was just what I needed. I'm sure every other person that walked through that door had the same feelings. It has been an extremely hard, long winter here in Michigan. 

I hope the following pictures uplift you and make your winter blues a little more bearable. It sure lifted my spirits! Enjoy! 

Miltonopsis 'Andrea West'

Denlindleyi

Blc. Toshie Aoki 'Pizzaz

Dendrobium Comet King 'Akatsuka'

Paphiopedilum Fanaticum

Judged display

Sales table/big trouble!

Odm Michael Newman x Joes Drum

Cirr Elizabeth Ann 'Buckleberry'

Paphiopedilum Avalon Love Stone

Chiloschista sweelimii

The orchid above has a flower that is only about 1/4" across. I loved it! 

Rhyncholaeliocattleya Ishpeming

Phrag. (Nicholle Tower x Hanne Popow)

Rhymcholaeliocattleya Ports of Paradise

'Emerald Isle'

Of course, this orchid was one of my favorites. It is green!

Brs. Rex 'Sakata' x longissima 'Starfighter'

Isn't this an amazing orchid? What a blossom spike!

Here is a closer pic of it.

Aliceara matthias

Paphiopedilum Madison River

As I was taking a picture of this amazing blossom, a little boy walked up with his grandpa. He asked if an insect would go down in there. He kept repeating himself, looking for an answer his grandpa didn't have. "Does an insect go down in that, grandpa? Why?" I love when children show an interest in plants. Orchids are a great way to get boys especially, interested in plants. They have crazy shapes and wierd pollinators. One of the displays had a lego theme. There were a couple of little boys taking pictures of that display.  I also saw a lot of college age kids there. It so heartening to see young people showing an interest in plants.

Paphiopedilum Liemianum

I love the hairy edges on these petals. Why are they there? I should have asked. 

Bnfd. Gilded Tower

Paphiopedilum sanderianum

Look at the length of the petals on this orchid! Amazing! And the picture below looks like a person with a hat and a hand on their hip. Do you see it? 

The "hairs" on this one looks like a spider. 

Paphiopedilum fairrieanum

Dendrobium Angel Moon

I so needed this day today. It was so fun and educational. I sat through three classes. One was about buying an orchid, the next about re-potting orchids, and the last one about Phalaenopsis care. Taking classes from people who grow many orchids in their own homes is THE way to learn about orchids. "Straight from the horse's mouth" as they say. I really love all houseplants and learning all I can about them. No one ever knows it all, and certainly not me!