Wednesday, February 10th 2026
6:30pm - 8:00pm
6:30pm: Refreshments
7:00pm: Speaker, Q&A
Dr. Downing will share the latest research and conservation efforts surrounding this mysterious species. With over a decade of work in orchid conservation across Florida and beyond, Dr. Downing brings deep insight, fascinating field stories, and a powerful message about the challenges these orchids still face—even after being rediscovered.
About the Speaker:
Jason L. Downing Ph.D
Director of Research
Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden
Originally from Kansas City I completed my B.S. in Biology at the Univ. of Kansas. After graduation, I relocated to Miami and attended the Univ. of Miami and worked as the assistant to the curator for the Gifford Arboretum and started my graduate studies. I completed my M.S. in Environmental Science and a Ph.D. in Biology at Florida International University in 2016. During my graduate tenure I held positions at Fairchild Garden and Smithsonian Environmental Research Center working on research related to orchid ecology, mycorrhizal, genetics, and conservation. I have also been working in orchid conservation in Florida, China, SE Asia, and Caribbean for over 10 years. I am currently the Director of research at Fairchild Garden where I focus on orchid research, propagation, education, and conservation. Most notably our internationally recognized citizen science program, The Million orchid Project, is now the largest public outreach program focused on orchids in the world. Our orchid research with over 40,000 K-12 and undergraduate students has led to over 600,000 native orchids being replanted into the public landscapes of south Florida. The conservation and research have been published in peer reviewed journals and publicized through various media outlets, most notably National Public Radio, National Geographic, In Defense of Plants podcast, and numerous local and national news outlets.
