Tyler Starr
14 October 2008 from 1615 to 1630
Location: A walk through the Martha Springer Botanical Gardens
Weather: 61 ̊ F, no wind, mostly sunny skies, slight humidity
General: It seems like every time that I walk through the gardens I see some new interesting plant that I had not noticed before. On this occasion, I noticed several of these hidden “gems.” The first one that caught my attention was a plant with brilliant orange flowers (see picture). It was about knee-height, and was covered in these stunning flowers. I could not even attempt to classify another plant I saw. It looked like a giant cluster of very small artichokes, pointed upwards. They were fairly sturdy and sharp to the touch, and a grayish green color. Another plant had pink flowers that clearly evolved to accommodate pollinating bees and other insects. The flowers were long and narrow, just enough space to allow a bee to crawl in to collect the nectar, while inadvertently transferring pollen between plants. I was watching as a bee crawled into each successive flower to pollinate, and I was able to snap some great pictures. It was very fascinating to watch. In addition, my prior assumption that the ducks had left was at least partially incorrect; I saw 8 mallards that had not yet taken off for migration, and I’m sure they were enjoying the weather today.
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