March 4 -- botanical garden conservatory, part 1

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I mentioned yesterday that we went to the conservatory at the University's botanical garden on the 4th.

The 4th was cold and icy, but the sun was out.

How lovely to go to a place where we could smell *dirt*.  Smell live plants.  Where we could see flowers growing, and we could see green, Green, GREEN!

Bromeliads.

There are a lot of epiphytes in the conservatory.  Generally speaking, an epiphyte is a plant that makes its living without contact with the soil.  It may live on another plant, but it is not a parasite.  Epiphytes take their nourishment from the sun, and their water from the air -- they often live in rainy places.

Some bromeliads are epiphytes.

This excellent curly epiphyte is my favorite new-to-me plant of this visit to the conservatory.

Wow, eh?

This interesting structure has flowers growing out of it.  I think this is a collection of buds.  Maybe.

So lovely to see all of this COLOR, in the depths of the Monochrome Season!

Orchid.

I don't remember seeing orchids that catch water.  I wonder if it's for their own use, or to tempt insects, or what....

There's a lot going on here!  Spots and speckles and clear texture-y bits.  Shiny surfaces and matte surfaces and fuzzy surfaces and bumpy surfaces.

This kind of orchid has stems that are reminiscent of bamboo.....

Again with the smooth vs. fuzzy surfaces.  This one looks like it might capture water....

.... except that the petals on top look like they function like an umbrella.

Plants take a lot of very odd shapes/textures/colors.

I've got to think the chartreuse/yellow things are fruits.......

I bet the blue ones are older than the green/yellow ones.  Interesting how all of it is so fuzzy.  Repels some creatures, but not the ones it's trying to attract?

This is a dwarf banana.  It was the rod-shaped tightly-furled new leaf that caught my attention.

So interesting, the way leaves are already leaf-shaped before they are out in the open and available to do their light-capturing work.  Already leaf-shaped, though wraped, curled, furled, folded, or otherwise not yet spread out and open for business.

Coleus.

Vanilla!

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