November 2026 Member Meeting

The Northwest Orchid Society is holding its November member meeting at the Center for Urban Horticulture on Monday, November 9, from 7 to 8 PM. The evening's speaker is Ron Parsons, an orchid author and photographer who has been growing them for more than 40 years, mostly species. He's spent a good deal of that time photographing orchids in nature and in collections, and the numbers he's put together are something of a library in their own right: nearly 60,000 digital orchid images and a slide library of more than 100,000 botanical images, with over 3,000 of those photos published in magazines, journals and books.

If you're not already familiar with how these meetings work, the society meets on the second Monday of each month, except July and August. Each gathering usually combines an informative program or guest speaker with orchid exhibits, plant raffles and sales. Once a year, they hold a special member auction where growers sell extra plants and bid on new ones. Beyond these monthly meetings, the society runs the annual Indoor Plant Festival, a show and fundraiser, and the Fall Conservatory Show at Volunteer Park Conservatory.

It's a good night to drop in if you're interested in orchids, whether you've got a few on your windowsill or you're just starting to look into them. The meeting is free and open to the public, so you don't have to be a member to attend. It runs from 7 to 8 PM at the Center for Urban Horticulture, 3501 Northeast 41st Street, Seattle, WA 98195.