Tom Mirenda

Location: Papaikou, Hawaii Presentation Topics:

• The Big Island Orchid Scene: Incredible gardens, plant people and astounding species grown in them on Hawaii Island (aka the Orchid Island!).
• Miniature Orchids: Sometimes less is MORE! an overview of the incredible diversity of charming and deserving species.
• Tom’s African Adventure: A month on the African Continent in the diverse regions of Mauritius, Kenya, South Africa and Gabon with unimaginable orchid wealth!
• The Mysteries of Orchid Pollination: Relates the various adaptations orchids have developed as pollination strategies, including food, brood site, pollen, and mating deceptions, pseudo-copulation, co-evolution with pollinators, and other methods of species isolation.
• Orchid Addiction! A Visit to Medellin Colombia: Chronicles the largest and most biodiverse Orchid show (outside of Asia) visits to local nurseries, and trips to see wild plants
• The Big Island Orchid Scene!: Deemed the ’Orchid Isle’ there may be no other place on earth where orchids grow so well….Images from Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens, some of the best orchid nurseries in the world and fantastic orchids growing happily outside in people’s gardens!
• The 2017 World Orchid Conference Guayaquil….and a week finding rare Ecuadorean species in the wild! Just back from this amazing trip….many images of rare plants, in situ, ex-situ and on display at the orchid Olympics 2017!!!
• Abbondanza: The Bountiful Orchids of Sicily : Chronicles a recent trip I sponsored for friends to see the surprisingly incredible orchids of this fascinating Mediterranean island paradise.
• Orchids and Polar Bears!: not mutually exclusive!: A visit to the arctic in July to Churchill in northern Manitoba (the Polar bear capital of the World, yields a bounty of incredible orchids and other short season spring ephemerals.
• A true Botanical Biodiversity hot-spot: the Fabulous Orchids (and other marvels) of southwestern Australia: This part of Australia has some of the most completely different orchids imaginable. All beautiful and all strange and unfamiliar as can be to us (North) Americans!
• A Costa Rican Orchid Fantasy: A recent orchid hunting trip with friends shows the incredible biodiversity of this beautiful and orchid rich country.
• Orchid Gardens: a 21st century conservation tool: Presented at the World Orchid conference in Johannesburg, this is the authors take on what proactive steps the orchid community can take to preserve orchid species through the looming climate disruptions.
• Adventure in Southern Africa: the World Orchid Conference and hunting wild creatures of the Cape Floral Kingdom: After the WOC, it was only natural to visit one of the most incredible botanical hotspots on the planet. Join me for a thrilling and unforgettable botanizing experience....some animals showed up too!
• Phalaenopsis species! Ecology informs Culture: Prepared for the IPA, this talk covers most of the Phalaenopsis species currently in cultivation and some of the nuances of their culture based on where they come from (not about Phalaenopsis hybrids!).
• An Introduction to The North American Orchid Conservation Center: A new and welcome conservation effort initiated by Smithsonian Scientists and staff to better understand preserve and cultivate North America’s rich array of orchid species..
• Orchid Innovations of the Taiwanese: I was recently invited to tour the orchid nurseries of Taiwan and this talk chronicles that amazing trip with its many beautiful surprises.
• Hardy Orchids for the Mid-Atlantic Gardener: A favorite talk for Master Gardeners, this highly relevant and popular presentation outlines the many garden-worthy orchids that can be grown in our area and their sources and affinities.
• Orchid Diversity: This overview of the orchid family is the best talk for beginners or groups uninitiated with orchids. It explores the diversity of color, form, pollination and survival strategy, habitat divergence, and evolutionary theory.
• Herding Catts: A Beautiful Walk through Difficult Phylogeny: A talk which overviews the most popular orchids, the cattleyas and their relatives. These have recently undergone a very confusing and unpopular revision by the taxonomists. This talk seeks to clear up some of the controversy. Requested for the Mid-America orchid congress.
• The Role of CITES Rescue Centers in conservation: This was a collaboration with USBG presented at the International Orchid Conservation Congress in Costa Rica and involved the controversy over the propagation of an endangered slipper orchid: Paphiopedilum vietnamense.
• Several others: Several presentations on more specific orchids groups, such as Masdevallia, bulbophyllum, paphiopedilum, miniature orchids, etc.

Providing plants for sale: No, but can bring plants from other Hawaiian vendors Remuneration: Travel expenses; Speakers Fee: Contingent; Other: May want to fundraise for Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden projects. Travel restrictions: Need at least 6 months’ notice. Online Presentations: Yes Other Information: Tom has been growing orchids professionally for over 3 decades. He has travelled the world to find both wild and cultivated orchids, contributes two columns monthly for the AOS ORCHIDS magazine and recently co-authored “The Book of Orchids” with collaborators from Kew. Tom curated the orchid collection at the Smithsonian for 17 years as their Orchid Collection Specialist, producing annual educational exhibits for millions of visitors. Currently he is a columnist for the American Orchid Society and a leader of the OGCN (Orchid Garden Conservation Network). Tom organizes orchid trips through his travel network “Trips with Tom” from his idyllic home in Hawaii.