Entries tagged with ‘Linnaeus Arboretum’

Borgeson Cabin Work Slated for this Summer

Both Arboretum and advancement office staff are pleased to announce that the fundraising goal for the Borgeson Cabin restoration project was met this winter, and work on the cabin is slated to occur this summer. The much-needed structural restoration work will involve measures such as replacing rotten wood, fixing gaps and holes, stabilizing shifting walls, […]

Fall yardwork stirs up hornet’s nest

This large papery nest was found this fall, and was constructed by a colony of hornets     Most people don’t take kindly to finding wasp nests around their yard, but I find that they make for a convenient excuse for going in the house, pouring a nice glass of iced tea, and watching the […]

Accipiters shake things up at winter gatherings

A sharp-shinned hawk waits patiently by the Arboretum birdfeeders recently   Oh, the stress of being a good holiday host. It’s so hard for a host to relax when there are so many things to worry about:  Will my guests find the place alright? Will they like the food I am serving? Will they be […]

Chorus frog courtship is noisy ‘affair’

This tiny western chorus frog (note knuckle for size reference) is just one of many that are set to put on their annual spring concert. The temperature’s rising, the days are getting longer, the buds are swelling, and the critters are emerging from hibernation.  Spring is nearly here, and with it comes the annual performance […]

Perry’s Stony Sleep

Perry the Corpse Flower (Amorphophallus titanum) has decided to bypass making seeds this time, and has gone dormant. The dead but still-standing inflorescence had toppled as of Monday this week, and today Nate and I pulled out and mounted the new Perry mummy to dry.  We suspended it on a ring stand for the still-wet […]

Perry’s Spadix Collapses

              Perry the Corpse Flower (Amorphophallus titanum) has been collapsing in various ways since her/his brief but glorious apotheosis last week on the afternoon and evening of Halloween. Early this afternoon, Perry’s wilting spadix gave way and collapsed, leading to the now familiar elephantine appearance of Perry during this […]

Children of the Corm

              Perry the Corpse Flower is a mom and dad! Here’s a partial explanation of the title of this post. Perry the Corpse Flower’s underground part is called a corm. It is a solid structure that’s similar to a potato, but it has only one eye. The corm weighed […]

Perry is Blooming!

This will be just a quick post. The photo below is of Perry, Serenity Mahoney (Gustavus ’15), and Bryan Voigt (Gustavus ’15), taken at 10:08 this morning. Perry had begun to open earlier in the morning, and is now nearly fully open (3:35). More photos to follow in another post.

Perry’s Spadix Emerges

The rapid growth of Perry the Corpse Flower’s inflorescence continues to transfix all who are viewing it. The students (Nate Friedley ’15, Serenity Mahoney ’15, Nick Ulen ’15, and alumnus Tuan Tran ’13) and I had photo shoots with Perry this past Wednesday (October 16) and Friday (October 18). The Friday session was coupled with […]

Perry’s Sleepy Interlude

Perry the Corpse Flower (Amorphophallus titanum) went to sleep in July, only to re-awaken in September. That two-month snooze was the shortest so far. Perry’s first post-leaf sleep lasted nearly nine months; the second one was four months (and I was shocked at how short that one was…). The pictures in this post depict Perry […]