Negev iris (Iris mariae) Watercolor by Irene Blecher, Israel

>> Our planet’s rich diversity of plant life is at risk, as more than 20 percent of the world’s flora are threatened with extinction. The Natural History Museum opens Losing Paradise: Endangered Plants Here and Around the World on August 14. The exhibit highlights the botanical illustrations by members of the American Society of Botanical Artists to convey the vital importance of plant conservation.

>> The Textile Museum hosts PM @ THE TM on August 18 in conjunction with the current exhibit Art by the Yard: Women Design Mid-Century Britain. Enjoy drinks, food, jazz, gallery tours and screen printing and a “best mid-century dressed” contest. So show off your best fedoras, swing skirts and mod shifts. $10.

>> At the American Art Museum see John Gossage: The Pond, opening August 27. The exhibit features John Gossage’s photographs of an unnamed pond between Washington, D.C., and Baltimore. Gossage’s photographs show how a mundane landscape can be beautiful and elegant.

>> Americans Now opens at the National Portrait Gallery on August 20. Drawn from the Portrait Gallery’s permanent collection, this exhibition features individuals prominent in sports, entertainment and other fields of endeavor during the last ten years. Individuals represented in this show include: Chuck Close, Michael Eisner, LL Cool J, Toni Morrison, Cormac McCarthy, Willie Nelson, President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, and Martha Stewart.