Tucked away behind thick "woods" and at the end of a curvy lane, the Wheeler Orchid Greenhouse doesn't get the publicity it deserves. It's located in Christy Woods and serves as Ball State University's own little "Garden of Eden."
And as if the flowers weren't beautiful enough, curator Cheryl LeBlanc adds to the experience. Her knowledge is endless and her enthusiasm infectious. A visitor could come in clueless and leave able to identify the lip, nose and pollen of any orchid and eager to share the newly found treasure.
As the curator for almost 16 years, LeBlanc has maintained the greenhouse almost single-handedly, with the help of a few students. After considering botany as a career, her interest changed from identifying plants to studying the plant community in its habitat. While she cares for plants outside of their natural habitats, she tends to each different orchid in its own special way to ensure it keeps good health.
Though Christy Woods has two greenhouses, LeBlanc is undeniably happy specializing in the orchids. Her love for the flower first began at age 9 when she found the Lady Slippers orchid in her home state of Massachusetts. From then on, she continually worked in greenhouses throughout high school and college. While the orchids themselves are her passion, she most enjoys interacting with the visitors, teaching them about the flowers and spreading her love to other people.
Her knowledge is easily recognized through a simple conversation with her and her excitement is even clearer. And, even to an orchid amateur, it's no mystery why.
Orchids, as I learned, are fascinating. They have the widest variety of all flowering plants with an estimated 30,000 natural species. While new orchids are still being discovered in their natural habitats, there are also more than 60,000 hybrids created. Orchids flourish most commonly in tropic areas, though they can be found worldwide. Even Indiana is home to 43 species. But 1,500 varieties live in the Wheeler Orchid Collection. Clearly with such a range of flowers, a single climate wouldn't be a sufficient environment, so LeBlanc has divided the greenhouse into three growing zones: warm for those originating near the equator, cool for those from high elevation areas and intermediate for those in between.
Upon entrance of the greenhouse, visitors are greeted by rows of potted orchids, orchids in wooden crates hanging from the ceiling and orchids growing on bark mounted on the wall. In order to keep the plants at their maximum health, they are planted as close to the way they would be found in nature. For instance, some of the potted orchids grow from rocks, some vine and latch onto whatever's nearby and some grow from bark on trees.
To the untrained eye, many of the orchids don't appear to have bloomed. However, with the help of LeBlanc's signs scattered sporadically throughout and the direct guidance of LeBlanc herself, visitors quickly learn that orchid blossoms vary greatly. At times, they are easily overlooked as some can be only the size of pinheads while others have incredibly long and thin petals, appearance differing greatly from commercialized orchids.
But the greenhouse is more than just a display of exquisite flowers. It's also used for education, conservation and research.
LeBlanc gives tours to school groups to educate them on the complex flower. Much of the orchids' natural habitat is being lost to urban development, and the greenhouse provides a safe environment to keep the orchids alive and healthy while researching with different hybrids. The collection is a living museum and a rescue center for orchids that have been illegally transported.
The Wheeler Orchid Collection greenhouse is open year-round (there's always something in bloom!) from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Guided tours are also available. To schedule a tour, contact LeBlanc at 765-285-2641. This collection of gorgeous flowers is as asset to the Ball State campus and must be visited as soon as time allows.
Mia Hanneken is a Ball State student. Her views do not necessarily agree with those of the newspaper.
Write to Mia at mlhanneken@bsu.edu
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