Author Archives: Jay Loeffler

Next Meeting, February 1st, 2024 at 7:00pm   

The Speaker will be: Alan Koch

Presenting: Miniature Cattleya’s for a Warm Climate

Alan Koch owns and operates Gold Country Orchids where he specializes in miniature and  compactCattleya’s. Alan started growing orchids in 1969 with 3 Cymbidiums given to him by an aunt. While in college, he became interested in other orchids and discovered many would grow outdoors in Southern California.  

 He has moved five times as his orchid obsession has led to the need for more growing space. With the last move, he purchased 10 acres of land in Lincoln, California for his 300,000 orchids.  

 He is recognized as an expert in the Brazilian Cattleya alliance and a trend setter in miniature Cattleya breeding. Alan has been published in the Orchid Digest, and the American Orchid Society magazines. He has also been published in the proceedings of the World Orchid Conference. He is an internationally known speaker. 

  He is a past member of the AOS Judging Committee, and the Research Committee, as well as an Accredited Judge and is Vice-chair and Training Coordinator for the California Sierra Nevada Judging Center. 

  Alan also served two terms on the Orchid Digest Executive Committee and Board of Directors, and is one of the current directors, as well as a Trustee for the AOS. 

Next Meeting, January 3rd, 2024 at 7:00pm

The Speaker will be: Dr. Lawrence Zettler

Presenting: Work being done on Panther Ridge Orchids

Dr. Lawrence W. Zettler is a professor of biology at Illinois College, and a research associate at the Chicago Botanic Garden. He earned his B.S. degree from the University of Florida (1987) and Ph.D. in Plant Physiology from Clemson University (1994). In 1996, he established Illinois College’s Orchid Recovery Program that enlisted the help of 100+ undergraduate students to conserve rare orchids throughout the world (e.g., Florida, Hawaii, Cuba, Ecuador). He has collaborated with researchers from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in Madagascar, and is currently studying rare orchids in the Western Pacific (Palau) with researchers from SERC (https://global.si.edu/projects/palau-orchid-conservation-initiative. He has authored/co-authored 70+ peer-reviewed scientific publications, three book chapters, and illustrated two books in color including Dragonflies of North America (Scientific Publishers, 2000). His research with students has been publicized on media outlets including National Public Radio, Huffington Post, and Radio Havana Cuba. In February 2020, he presented a brief talk at the U.S. Postal Service’s unveiling of the Wild Orchid stamp series at A.O.S Headquarters in Coral Gables, Florida. In 2022, he participated in the Chelsea Flower Show in London in a display that presented the late Queen Elizabeth II with a Vanda Platinum Jubilee Orchid. This past May, he returned to Chelsea with a team of experts for a Ghost Orchid display that won a silver medal from the Royal Horticultural Society. His latest project involves a book he co-authored (Saving Orchids: Their Future in a Warming World) with Phil Seaton in the UK that they hope to publish in 2024.