After being on the road for 3 weeks without internet access, it’s time to put something new up. A while back I was in Christchurch, which is a city that most people have probably heard of. Even though it has been 5 years since the devastating earthquake, the city is still dealing with the quake’s damage. Luckily, the city botanic gardens suffered no severe lasting effects, and the mature plants and displays haven’t seemed to suffer. There are several different conservatories/greenhouses that are part of the botanic garden, and will each need their own post!
Possibly the smallest, or 2nd smallest, is the orchid and epiphyte house. I’m not sure if it is the newest addition, but it looks very new and clean. The amount of glass in the house seems a little crazy to me, considering how much cleaning would have to be done in order to keep it as transparent as it is. Whatever their glass cleaning schedule is, I don’t think I could ever keep up.
The view from over the glass barrier, to the epiphyte area.I’m not sure why there are a couple of ‘burning’ wooden heads…Tillandsia spp, maybe? It’s happy, whatever it is.Nice bromeliad, maybe Vriesea hieroglyphica.Anthurium (I would say A warocqueanum but the venation looks different), looking good with those big leaves!Look at those pitchers… they look like they’re full of bugs.Not sure which species of pitcher plant this is, but the pitcher is amazing! Maybe I’ll get more into carnivorous plants when I get home.Blechnum brasiliense, Brazilian Dwarf Tree Fern. Awesome red color on the new fronds.An orchid. I don’t know anything about orchids, but I do like them!This orchid was behind glass, likely to protect it from curious hands. And maybe because of different humidity and temperature requirements than the rest of the orchids and epiphytes.The variety of flowers in different orchid species is impressive, to say the least.This tillandsia has a nametag! But I couldn’t read it. So sad.This large orchid is terrestrial, and pretty tall.
I wish more plants in the botanic garden had nametags. I enjoy knowing the name of the plant almost as much as I enjoy seeing it. There was one house that actually named almost every plant. It’s coming next.
I love a challenge. Whether it is germinating seeds from exciting new plants (at least exciting and new for me), keeping and raising fish, poison dart frogs, and ornamental shrimp, or navigating new areas of the world without maps or guides, I am interested in it. I have lived in the Pacific Northwest most of my life, and I'm still fond of moss and gray skies.
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Big Leaves 