Colombia has long fascinated botanists, and for good reason. The country houses immense botanical richness and ranks as the second most biodiverse country globally. Still, there is botanical discovery (and rediscovery) to be had, mainly within several of the red-hot hotspots of plant diversity—namely, the Chocó biogeographic region and the Amazonian slopes of the Colombian Andes.

Join us for a visually curated tour of habitat photography highlighting the striking and vast botanical holdings of the region and understand what makes these mountain habitats some of the most famed.

Dylan Zoller is a California photographer, explorer, plantsman, and horticulturist at Sherman Library & Gardens, who is especially focused on plants from the Bromeliaceae family. Raised in coastal Southern California, he developed an early fascination with exotic and succulent plants after discovering Exotica, a pictorial encyclopedia of tropical species. His passion led him to join both local and international bromeliad societies and begin a career in public horticulture at age 18.

His current work focuses on cultivating xeric and cloud-forest species, with a growing emphasis on field exploration. He has conducted expeditions across Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Guatemala, Brazil, and Papua New Guinea to photograph and document rare and localized cacti, bromeliads, and orchids. He is currently pursuing a degree in biology.

Price: $10 Member / $20 Non-Member