In January of 1862 Charles Darwin was examining an orchid native to Madagascar. He was quite taken by the unique flower which sports a nearly 12 inch long nectar tube. Based on everything he had learned during his study of the natural world, Darwin postulated that there must be a moth with a proboscis long enough to reach the nectar at the end of the tube. Some of his colleagues scoffed at the notion of a moth that ridiculous. Alfred Russel Wallace, the sadly lesser-known colleague of Darwin’s, agreed and postulated that the moth must be a type of hawkmoth. It wasn’t until 40 years later that a moth matching Wallace’s description was found. It was given the subspecies name praedicta to honor Wallace’s prediction. It wasn’t until 1997 that the moth was finally photographed visiting the flower of the orchid. Thus Wallace’s Sphinx moth pollinates Darwin’s Orchid, and both men were proved correct. Darwin died before the proof was found, but never gave up the idea that the connection must exist.

This constant search for connection- moth to orchid, idea to fact, colleague to colleague - is what inspires both the mission and name for Darwin’s Dream. We believe that connection to nature is not only good for our mental and physical health, but vital to our lives on this planet. Darwin’s Dream strives to foster connection with the natural world through education, exploration, and art.