2025 Fall Show Highlights

The Illinois Orchid Society thanks everyone who braved the beautiful October weather to attend our Orchid Odyssey show at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Our sister societies Batavia Orchid Society and Wisconsin Orchid Society also set up gorgeous displays. We featured 20 exhibits of live orchid flowers, Lego, Origami, and artwork. The show featured blooming orchids selected for the competition from the private collections of many orchid hobbyists. The Chicago Botanic Garden also displayed phenomenal bloomers from their orchidarium collection, curated by Johanna Hutchens. Exhibited plants represented hundreds of varieties of orchid from every alliance, with origins all over the world.

Awarding of trophies and ribbons was administered by the Chicago AOS Judging Center. In addition to the category trophies for Best of Class, the Illinois Orchid Society grants five Special Awards.

• President’s Choice, awarded to LC Mishima Beauty ‘Rio’ in the the Batavia Orchid Society display

• Show Chair Award for best miniature or specimen plant, awarded to Ionopsis utricularides in the Wisconsin Orchid Society display

• IOS Trophy for best display by a society member, awarded to Nature’s Beauty Discovered

• Frank Kuper Award for best Cypripedium alliance plant, awarded to Paph. Chiu Hua Dancer

• Joseph Koss Award for best species plant, awarded to Prosthechia radiata

• The American Orchid Society Show Trophy for best overall exhibit was awarded to the Illinois

• Orchid Society.

• The Chicago Horticultural Society Award for the plant receiving the highest point score in AOS judging was awarded to LC Mishima Beauty ‘Rio’.

Our next orchid show will be the weekend of March 14th & 15th in 2026, at the Chicago Botanic Garden.