Mary E. Gerritsen, PhD, an accomplished cell biologist and pharmacologist, has worked in the biomedical, pharmaceutical, and biotech industries for more than 25 years and is the author of scores of articles in medical journals and textbooks. She lives in San Mateo, California. Ron Parsons has been growing orchids for more than three decades and photographing them for nearly as long. He has over 25,000 slides of orchid species and lectures frequently on a variety of orchid genera. Ron grows an assortment of cool-growing orchid species in a small greenhouse and under lights. He was born, raised, and currently lives in the San Francisco, California, area.