A botanical line illustration of the new species by B. Angell.
As mentioned in previous posts, my main research focus is the classification and ecology of the Brazil nut family (Lecythidaceae) in the New World tropics. The Brazil nut–the largest nut in a can of mixed nuts, for reference–and the cannon ball tree are the best known plants of this family, the former for its economic importance and the latter as an ornamental tree in tropical botanical gardens. Because I have been studying this group of plants for nearly 50 years, many people are surprised when they learn that there are still new species to be discovered.
For many years I had known of a large-leaved species of the Brazil nut family that had been collected in southwestern Colombia, but I was not able to identify the species; the few available collections were poorly prepared and the collection area was not safe for botanists to visit. Therefore, when I was invited to give a lecture at the fifth Colombian Botanical Congress in April of 2009, in San Juan de Pasto, I immediately accepted the invitation–this was relatively close to where the mystery plant grows and, more importantly, it was then safe to travel there. Coincidentally, the congress field trip was to the Reserva Natural Río Ñambí, a beautiful private cloud forest reserve known for the 29 species of hummingbirds found there, as well as for its spectacular plants, many of them epiphytes covering the trees. One of those trees happened to be the very plant that I had my eyes on for so many years!
What’s in a name? Ask dogtooth and bloodroot. Together they kind of sound like the beginning of a Shakespearean curse or insult, no? And yet, they’re such beautiful ephemeral spring wildflowers!
Last week I announced that spring is here and the weather promptly rose into the 70s for three days. I watched everything unfurl, some early bloomers senesced, and then we had a welcome day of rain which supplied good moisture to get even more things jumping.
We are heading into the season where the Garden changes dramatically every week. This morning I walked out to the Azalea Garden and admired the early season blooms in their full glory. The Korean rhododendron Rhododendron mucronulatum, ‘Cornell Pink’ is smothered with flowers. You can find it planted in a pleasant band that runs through the Azalea Garden and lights the hillside up with girly pink flowers.
I thought the earth remembered me,
she took me back so tenderly,
arranging her dark skirts, her pockets
full of lichens and seeds.
I slept as never before, a stone on the river bed,
nothing between me and the white fire of the stars
but my thoughts, and they floated light as moths
among the branches of the perfect trees.
The wetland area of the new Native Plant Garden is home to many kinds of animals, but none more magnificent than the dragonflies that hover and buzz over the water, performing amazing airborne feats in search of food. Almost as soon as the water feature was filled during construction, the dragonflies moved in.
The latest scientific evidence suggests that their aerial performances are not just lovely to look at—they’re highly choreographed to target prey. In fact, a recent New York Times report notes that dragonflies are much better hunters than African lions or sharks. Dragonflies “manage to snatch their targets in midair more than 95% of the time,” often eating “on the spur without bothering to alight.” By comparison, the success rate for lions is just 25%, and for sharks just 35%.
Dragonflies are not new residents to the Garden, either. We have long had a healthy population of these amazing insects, and we’re quite happy to have them here, too. Dragonflies may be an indicator of a healthy ecosystem. While adult dragonflies are terrestrial insects, immature dragonflies, also known as nymphs, are aquatic and can be sensitive to pollutants in the water.
Another reason we like having dragonflies around? Guess what they eat … mosquitoes!
When you visit The Orchid Show you might be tempted to buy an orchid at Shop in the Garden to take home with you. Go for it! Orchids aren’t nearly as fussy to keep as houseplants as you might think they are.
Orchids have gotten a reputation for being divas, but choose the right one for your home environment (don’t worry, our orchid experts work at the Shop, too!) and you’ll have a beautiful plant that can last for years with new blooms every year.
We’re committed to helping you keep your orchids healthy and happy.
It’s almost “go” time for the coming spring ephemerals, and the Native Plant Garden is a canvas ready for painting, so to speak. (The wait is a good kind of anxiety. Trust me.)
