What started out as a trickle has surged into a flood, and now, in the final week of the Caribbean Garden photo contest, we find ourselves with piles of inspired photography to wade through. Despite the challenge of trying to ferret out the best photos in each category among a disagreeing cadre of jurors, we’re nonetheless having fun with it. Just seeing each of our competitors returning week after week to scrap for the proverbial crown is immensely gratifying. And the photos themselves trump all!
But as the last of this year’s Caribbean Garden events approach, the mood around here is bittersweet. Even with salsa classes bidding a fond adieu, and our photography workshops packing it up until next year, the momentous transition to the flamboyant wonder of Patrick Blanc’s vertical gardens fills the gap in fine form. Beginning Saturday, March 3, we fling open the doors of the Conservatory to unveil the 10th anniversary Orchid Show. Until then, you’ll be catching glimpses of the goings-on under the glass dome as we festoon our displays with the final, all-important touches.
It won’t be long now. Our Caribbean Garden is moving right along, and already preparations have begun for our next exhibition. It’s not a haphazard process that brings us to these moments, either–everything that springs to life in our Conservatory and elsewhere is the product of months (if not years) of careful planning. In the case of this year’s Orchid Show (our tenth!), one man’s lifelong passion will make its mark on the NYBG.
“Eccentric” comes to mind when considering Patrick Blanc. What other adjective sticks so well? Clover-green hair and patent emerald shoes, a matching Aloha shirt and vintage jacket; Patrick’s a walking canvas for his profession. As a renowned botanist, plant hunter, and designer, Blanc makes his mark on the world of landscape design with grandiose ideas of verticality and hanging foliage–not just from baskets or trellises but from the very walls themselves. Gravity is no constraint worth considering for this worldly creative.
Finding photographers among the NYBG staff is proving easier than expected! The Herbarium’s Amy Weiss was kind enough to share these crocuses with us, complete with visitors. The flowers seem glad of the mesh we put down to keep hungry interlopers from rooting around in the soil.
Nearing spring, we find plenty to be excited about as we walk through The New York Botanical Garden’s outdoor collections. Not that there isn’t a faint sense of curiosity, too; as Sonia Uyterhoeven has explained before, the weather patterns this winter have tricked certain plants into breaking dormancy early, resulting in a few blooms that will end up missing their spring date. But regardless, we appreciate the beauty whenever it happens to come around. And many of these flowering plants are proving right on time.
February 2, 2012; Isla Gordon, middle arm of Bahía Tres Brazos, approximately 54º58’S, 69º41’W
You might have noticed that I didn’t write yesterday. About 5 p.m. I came down with a bad headache and went to my bunk. Apparently I missed some bad seas, including 9-10 foot waves in the Beagle Channel as we moved sites. I got up around 8 p.m., decided against dinner, took a couple of aspirin and went back to bed. I didn’t get up until about 8 a.m. I still have a mild headache, but felt that I needed to deal with yesterday’s collections.
So, while the others are out collecting this morning, I got yesterday’s haul onto the dryer and am now catching up on my blog. I had hoped to do this on the deck because it wasn’t raining this morning, and there were even a few patches of sun, but typical of the region, the skies have darkened again, and it is now spitting rain (at least not sleet or snow). I have managed to be able to sit outside, but under cover, which is a real treat because, once again, the scenery is spectacular. My vista is a row of snow-capped peaks, with much of the snow fresh. Usually when it is raining at sea level it is snowing on the mountains and since yesterday was colder than usual, the snow is lower down on the slopes.
A few of our more sleep-deprived officemates are firmly convinced that this orchid looks like the Swedish Chef. And the more I stare, the more I’m inclined to hear “bork bork bork!” echoing in my head. Don’t forget that the 10th annual Orchid Show begins on March 3, at which point you can choose sides in the all-important argument of Muppet mimicry in person.
Paphiopedilum streathamense. — Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen
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.
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.
What a difference a day makes! We anchored last night in Caleta Olla (approximately 54º56’S, 69º09’W) and for the first night of the trip we could see the Southern Cross and many more of the bright stars that illuminate the Southern Hemisphere’s night sky. But by morning it was completely overcast with a cold wind spitting light rain. Today, we were hoping to hit three localities rather than our standard two, the first being Caleta Olla itself. The group spread out to hit the various habitats, including a beaver-disturbed peatland and various forest types, while I chose to collect along an extensive cliff base not far from the harbor. It was not the richest cliff face I have seen, but it occupied me for well over an hour, and I even had time to make a few large collections of pleurocarps for Bernard Goffinet‘s genomic work. However, I was anxious to get to our next site, Glacier Italia.
What started out as a trickle has surged into a flood, and now, in the final week of the Caribbean Garden photo contest, we find ourselves with piles of inspired photography to wade through. Despite the challenge of trying to ferret out the best photos in each category among a disagreeing cadre of jurors, we’re nonetheless having fun with it. Just seeing each of our competitors returning week after week to scrap for the proverbial crown is immensely gratifying. And the photos themselves trump all!
