Published by Daniel Mosquin on July 31, 2015
Species of Thismia go by the common name fairy lantern (not to be mistaken for the nodding group of Calochortus spp. from western North America, which are also referred to as fairy lanterns). The description seems apt for the glistening little flower shown in today’s photo. Thismia megalongensis lacks leaves. Its solitary orange flowers rest […]
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Published by Daniel Mosquin on July 30, 2015
I have always thought of the evening primroses as particularly romantic plants. Many of the Oenothera have richly-scented blooms that open in twilight. Their light-coloured petals make them gleam in the dusk light like rising moons. John Rusk’s photo captures the romance of Hooker’s evening primrose perfectly!
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Published by Daniel Mosquin on July 29, 2015
Today’s photo features the yellow morph of Kopsiopsis strobilacea. This Pacific Northwest species is a member of the Orobanchaceae, or broomrape family.
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Published by Daniel Mosquin on July 28, 2015
The green and brown pattern playing vertically along overlapping triangular spikelets makes this the most beautiful sedge inflorescence I have yet seen.
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Published by Daniel Mosquin on July 27, 2015
In early July, I was wandering through the University of British Columbia Botanical Garden looking for bees. I was joined by Bailey Wilson, a summer intern who is cataloguing the native pollinators that use the Garden. This Helichrysum splendidum bush was the perfect place to start looking at the different ways that bees use some […]
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Published by Daniel Mosquin on July 24, 2015
A small constructed pond sits on the low side of UBC Botanical Garden’s EH Lohbrunner Alpine Garden. This pond was absolutely “hopping” (bad pun intended) with activity on a hot day during an unusually dry July. Many Pacific tree frogs (Hyla regilla (PDF) were sunning themselves on the leaves of Nymphoides peltata. In the water […]
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Published by Daniel Mosquin on July 23, 2015
I am writing about Furcraea parmentieri on the request of one of our readers. A synonym for this species is Furcraea bedinghausii, named after Hermann Joseph Bedinghaus. Says our reader, “(Bedinghaus) produced one of the earliest commercially useful cultivars of gladiolus, Gladiolus x gandavensis Van Houtte, and is considered to be a founding member of […]
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