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BEN ROSTRON, PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA

 Photo ©Catherine Rostron

Alberta, one of the three Prairie Provinces in western Canada, may be considered the “frozen north” by some, but enjoys the highest number of sunny days in Canada, with up to 18 hours of daylight in the summer. Rich in deposits of oil, natural gas and minerals, with scenery that is internationally acclaimed, the Province has over 2 dozen native orchids growing in a wide variety of habitats. This month photographer Ben Rostron shares his favorite orchid hunting grounds, including the Wagner Natural Area, protected land established to preserve the provinces' biological diversity, and Waterton National Park, where the prairies of Alberta meet the peaks of the Rocky Mountains. Lace up your boots and let's get started -- we have a lot of ground to cover!

Ben Rostron is a Professor in the Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Alberta. His research area is regional groundwater flow and the large-scale movement of water, oil, and natural gas in basins. Currently he is focused on characterizing and monitoring geological CO2 storage, and is a research advisor for the Aquistore Geological CO2 storage project. Ben is also the founder of Isobrine Solutions, a University of Alberta spinoff company.

His hobbies include photography and hunting for native orchids not just in Alberta, but throughout North America and beyond- recent trips have taken him to Australia and China. His keen eye and attention to detail serve him well as an accredited American Orchid Society Judge. Back home, Ben still finds time to nurture a small collection of Phalaenopsis species that includes amboinensis, bellina, and violacea.

To see more of Ben’s orchid photos, visit his Flickr site, and you can download a Round Leaf Orchid orchid-gami here.

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