Archive for May, 2007
Perry Attacked by Knife-Wielding Chemist!
Well, it was a scalpel, and we decided to cut a window into Perry’s inflorescence to show her/his bisexual nature (as has been done with A. titanum inflorescences elsewhere). Perry’s current inflorescence is now in decline, and his/her vegetable soul is now retreating into the Temple of the Corm, awaiting rebirth after dormancy, so [...]
I Survived the Smell of Amorphophallus titanum – T-Shirts
We had some T-shirts made for volunteers and principals to wear for easy identification by the general public during the now-drawing-to-a-close public exhibition of Perry. They have attracted a lot of interest. The shirts are now available for sale, at $15 each. I’ll paste in images of the shirt, worn by a familiar model, along with a [...]
Perry’s Peaks Provoke Profound Pondering
Perry peaked around mid-morning to noon today, beginning to move into Phase II (partial contraction of her/his spathe) by mid-afternoon. His/her odor changed from tangy and rotten, with a hint of fecal redolence (my impression) on Saturday night to full-blown large, days-dead mammal early this morning (Sunday). The odor became less intense as [...]
Perry is HOT – Infrared Imaging Proves It
We thank the St. Peter, Minnesota Fire Department for the loan of an infrared imaging camera for tracking Perry’s surging thermal fervor. The images that are linked show the device in use, Perry’s infrared glow (with Paul and Brian Saulnier as thermal reference objects), and the ring of fire in the region of Perry’s [...]
Perry’s People Pleased with Perry
Here are a few shots from this highly intense afternoon and evening – Emily P., Alex, Brian, and one new face, Kevin. We roughly estimate that perhaps 1,000 people visited Perry this afternoon and evening. Links: live streaming video with audio (the lights are on in the greenhouse tonight) three webcams (distant, top-down, and close) and Titan [...]
Perry is opening!
Late this afternoon (Saturday, May 12) Perry began to open his/her spathe rapidly. The odor has already reached a highly interesting level, and continually increases. Here are some recent photos. The one that shows the entire inflorescence was taken at about 7:30 p.m. Central Daylight Time. Note that the female [...]
Perry’s Pigment Precipitates Psychological Perturbations
I took one of my former students (a current friend and colleague), now a Ph.D. chemist at a company in the Twin Cities, along with one of his colleagues, on a Perry and greenhouse tour today (Friday). We then went to lunch, followed by a second visit to Perry. It appeared that Perry’s [...]
Perry Then and Now, First Installment
Perry continues to develop pigment, increase in rotudity, and elongate. We currently think that perhaps she/he will open on Sunday instead of Saturday (or it might be Monday…). Keep an eye on the usual sources (blog, Titan Arum web page, Gustavus Adolphus web site – links that lead to all of these are [...]
Perry Now Live Online – Streaming Video with Audio
Perry, his/her entourage, and her/his groupies can now be yours via live streaming video (with audio!) via the Internet. This is a beta version, so please be patient if an occasional glitch occurs. Links: live streaming video with audio three webcams (distant, top-down, and close) and Titan Arum web page
Perry’s Height – May 6-8, 2007
Just a quick update on Perry’s size and rate of growth – his/her girth is increasing dramatically, and vertical growth continues, though at a slower pace. The standard human scale is offered in the photo that is linked below (the photos of Perry and Alex cover May 6, 7, and 8). We’ve changed [...]