GENE HERZBERG
As a come-from-away, the local term for a visitor to Newfoundland, we'll need a guide to help us explore the island, home to over 40 species of orchids. Gene Herzberg takes us to some of his favorite spots and shares his story about how he first discovered orchids on the island and why they continue to hold his fascination.
"I moved my family to the island when I accepted a faculty position in Biochemistry at Memorial University of Newfoundland in 1977. I've been an amateur photographer for as long as I can remember but my wife Karen was the one interested in wildflowers. I had argued I couldn't look up and down, so I remained focused on birds. In 2005 Karen invited me to join her on a field trip with the Newfoundland and Labrador Wildflower Society. We explored the limestone area of Burnt Cape on the Great Northern Peninsula and saw Calypso bulbosa, the Fairy Slipper Orchid, for the first time. I was amazed at its delicate beauty. Birders speak of their 'spark bird', the bird that turned them from a bird watcher to a serious birder. Calypso bulbosa became my 'spark orchid'. On that trip we saw a number of other orchids and learned that Newfoundland has dozens of orchid species.
The rest is history.
I've had the great fortune to be married to Karen who convinced me to go on that first wildflower trip and we continue to share many adventures, always on the lookout for orchids. Along the way I've spent time in the field with a number of experts who have become friends including John Maunder, Curator Emeritus of Natural History at the Provincial Museum of Newfoundland and Labrador, Carl Munden (Native Orchids of Nova Scotia), and Andrus and Maria Voitk who wrote Orchids on the Rock: The Wild Orchids of Newfoundland. I was particularly fortunate to have spent time in the field with the late Hal Horwitz, a driving force behind orchid conservation."
Happy Holidays! Mummering is a Newfoundland holiday tradition. People disguise themselves with old articles of clothing and visit the homes of friends and neighbors, playing music and singing songs. An important part of the custom is a guessing game to determine the identity of the mummers. See more
To learn more about the orchids in Newfoundland, check out the Go Orchids website. And a great resource for anyone visiting this province see A Digital Flora of Newfoundland and Labrador Vascular Plants.
