Sarasota County Extension Master Gardeners will host a special screening of “Wild Orchid Man: Journey to Machu Picchu” on Jan. 3, at the UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County office at Twin Lakes Park.
Join former Selby Gardens botanist and orchid expert Stig Dalström and filmmaker Darryl Saffer for a film screening and a discussion of their adventures exploring for orchids in the mountainous terrain that is home to the fabled ruins of Machu Picchu. Learn about the rigors of orchid hunting, and get answers to your questions about orchids in Florida.
Registration is free for active Sarasota County Extension Master Gardeners, and $10 for their guests or members of the general public. Proceeds from the screening benefit the Master Gardeners Chapter of the Friends of Sarasota County Parks, which supports educational outreach programs in Sarasota County. Advanced registration is required.
In “Journey to Machu Picchu,” Stig and Darryl trek to the Andes Mountains that cradle the abandoned citadel of Machu Picchu. There, they see firsthand the land’s amazing biodiversity, investigate efforts underway to restore critical forest habitat at the base of the mountains, and, of course, continue their search for elusive orchids.
Along with this trip to the Andes, the “Wild Orchid Man” series includes orchid-hunting trips to the Amazon and Arctic, and through the Florida swamps in search of the ghost orchid.
The event is set for 10 a.m. to noon Jan. 3 in the UF/IFAS Extension community room at Twin Lakes Park, 6700 Clark Road, Sarasota.
For more information and to register, please visit sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/sarasota, call 941-861-5000, or email sarasota@ifas.ufl.edu.