Spring Begins (For Real This Time)

I have returned to campus and classes. The weather seems significantly warmer now, which is a plus. Also a plus are some flowers I've seen since returning. However, first I'd like to show you some flowers that I found at home.

These are boy flowers, or flamingo flowers. There were some hot-pink ones at the greenhouse, but my mother has this white variety. It has three blooms on it. It must be happy. The first bloom hasn't colored up completely, but the venation at this green stage is just as attractive as the white color of its more mature counterpart.

Said counterpart shown here:

Shortly after I arrived on campus, Scott gave me this daisy (?). Isn't it sweet?

Then today, as I was walking home from class, I noticed all these trees with bright orange blooms on them. They look almost tropical, but I have no idea what kind of trees these are. Do you? I wish more plants on campus were labelled.

This group of trees is a refreshing sight for tired eyes, much like orange soda is refreshing in general. At one end of these rows was this tree, a redder variety.

This is a close-up of the red variety's blooms. I saw a few people straying from the sidewalk today to get a closer look at the exotic flowers. They certainly are unusual.

Now here are some closer shots of the orange variety's flowers. I preferred this color, as did whoever landscaped this area. Pay no attention to the construction in the background!

My favorite photograph of today is a tie between this one and the daisy picture.

This is as close as I got. These flowers don't seem to have any petals to speak of. The most prominent parts are the stamens (the white stalks with brown tips--the male reproductive parts) and the ovaries (the red bulges). Or at least that's what they appear to be.

Lastly, here's a shot of the longer row of these trees. I don't ordinarily like homogenous rows of trees, but these are so fetching that I quite enjoy the arrangement.

Do you have any idea what kind of trees these are? Have you ever seen an appealing tree you wished you could identify?

Next post: tiny troubles.

University Greenhouse, Part VII: The Final Chapter

At last, we have made it to the end of the greenhouse adventure I had weeks ago. Don't worry--there are still some interesting specimens left to see. For example, today we start with an unnamed tropical plant with pink-tipped foliage. You don't see that everyday in the midwestern U.S. Also, note the healthy fern behind it.

 

Next we have Pellionia pulchra, also known as the watermelon vine. This plant has a most interesting combination: subdued colors and a lively pattern. Its purple stems are nearly as faded-looking as the leaves, but the venation attracts the eye and the attention, almost--you guessed it--like watermelons.

 



This leaf was unidentified, but I imagine it is some kind of fern. It was probably eighteen inches from one end to the other.

You can get an idea of how big these variegated leaves are from looking at the fern fronds below...

...or you can compare my hand to them!

This is another gargantuan leaf. It is as black in person as it appears in the photo. There are a few of these plants in the greenhouse where I work, so I water these weekly. They're pretty, but the size of the leaves makes them topheavy.

Here's another comparison photo for you.

More hot pink-accented foliage. You don't think of plants as being glamorous, but so many are. No wonder so many designs (in architecture, fashion, and etc--think of good china) are based on plants.

This is a shot of the underside of those leaves. The dark variegation on the top is pretty, sure, but the underside is funky too.

Next is the final flower of this greenhouse trip: a member of the Anthurium genus. These plants are sometimes known as "flamingo flowers" or "boy flowers," according to Wikipedia. I actually have one of these in my house, and it's blooming now, only its blooms are white. These are probably more typical, judging by the common name's reference to flamingos.

That ends my series of greenhouse pictures. I hope you've enjoyed the ride, and should I return to this greenhouse in the future, I will capture flowers and other interesting things that I may have missed my first time through.

Next post: my springtime hopes get smashed.