January 31, 2012; Isla Gordon, Bahía Romanche, 54º57′S, 69º30′W

The engines started at 7 a.m. as we headed toward our morning collecting site, Ventisquero Alemania (ventisquero is an archaic Spanish term for “glacier,” and this one is located at approximately 54º53′S, 69º25′W). The weather seemed to want to remind us that we were in the sub-Arctic; it was cold and rainy. When we arrived, the weather caused some hesitation amongst our group about heading out, but in the end we all suited up and were soon on our way.

A wet, frozen, but happy Matt von Konrat dispalys a bag full of great liverworts

I had planned to collect at a site featuring large, moss-covered boulders and an open Nothofagus woodland that I had previously seen a photograph of, but I made a logistical error. When the Zodiac left me on the shore, I soon realized that I was not in the site I had seen in pictures, but that, rather, I was trapped on a steep, densely vegetated hill. Laura had gotten off the Zodiac with me and neither of us wanted to stay where we were. We returned to the beach and tried signaling for an early pick-up.

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Sunny mid-week greetings to you friends! The weather is just glorious here at the Garden, which might make it hard for anyone visiting to justify spending time inside the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory today. But, I’m here to announce this week’s winners in the Caribbean Garden Photography Contest, which should provide some motivation to wander the lush galleries of the Conservatory, snapping shots in an effort towards winning one of our two $100 Adult Education gift certificates! This week’s batch of photos came with numerous rounds of  rapid fire tie breaking. Congratulations to the winners!

Note: Due to a violation of the date restriction in place for this contest, the original winner of the Sense of Place category has been disqualified. New winners are below.

Sense of Place Winner, Week Four

Caribbean Garden 9 by F-Sharp Photo

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Ambiance in a garden setting isn’t achieved only through an abundance of flowers, you know.

Perennial Garden — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen