James Pearsall’s love of orchids stems from a childhood in South Florida spent wandering his grandmother’s orchid collection. After moving to North Carolina, his attempts to recreate that tropical feeling by overwintering plants in his bathroom (with mixed success) eventually led him to seek the help of his local Asheville Orchid Society. Joining at age 13, James quickly became involved with society events and attended his first orchid show in 2016 when Asheville hosted the American Orchid Society’s spring meeting. Since then, helping with orchid shows and events has allowed him to connect internationally with orchid growers and given him opportunities to travel and learn about orchid cultivation.

In 2017, James spent time at Ecuagenera in Ecuador, working in laboratories and greenhouses during the week and searching for orchids in their native habitats on weekends. In 2018, he traveled to Suwada Orchid Nursery, helping care for one of Japan’s oldest orchid collections. In 2019, he returned to South Florida to work on the Million Orchid Project at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden under Dr. Jason Downing, where he climbed trees and conducted micropropagation to help reintroduce native South Floridian orchids.

James later attended Stanford University, where he graduated with a B.A. in English and an M.S. in Earth Systems. He also worked at the Stanford Farm, where he helped with pest management, flower arranging, and the occasional tomato taste-test. Now based in San Francisco, James continues to enjoy growing orchids in small rented spaces and is particularly fond of Paphiopedilum and Phragmipedium species. He is excited for the opportunity to serve as Vice President of the San Francisco Orchid Society and looks forward to helping with events while continuing to learn from fellow orchid enthusiasts.