Monday, July 25, 2016
Post #2 - Amsterdam Hortus Botanicus
Exploring in the Amsterdam Hortus Botanicus was one of my favorite events. The beautiful and sometimes strange flowers and trees were so fun to look at, and our guide seemed incredibly knowledgeable. One of my favorite plants to see was the Victoria, the spiky water lily with giant green lily pads. Learning how the Victoria blooms, with its flower changing from white to pink as it entices beetles to pollinate it, was incredibly interesting. I also liked learning about how the Victoria grew raised edges on its lily pads, as if forming a very shallow flat bowl, in order to push away other plants with its thorns as it expands. The entire plant reminded of me some strange mutant from Super Mario Bros. Being able to see it in real life and have detailed information on it from our guide was truly amazing.
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Hello,
ReplyDeleteI also greatly enjoyed the Hortus Botanicus. I am glad I wasn't the only one to think of Super Mario Bros when looking at the Victoria. The guide was fantastic and I had a great time exploring on my own. One thing I wish our guide would have discussed was a tree I found when exploring. I don't quite remember the name of it, I think it was a type of ash tree but I could be wrong...anyways this tree could only grow in this climate if it was grafted on top of another tree. You could really see the difference in the texture of the bark. I thought it was just fascinating that you could merge two trees together and have it survive and grow.
The Hortus Botanicus was most certainly interesting. One of the things I was excited to be able to see was the 40(ish) year old Redwood. I didn't know I would get to see one growing so proudly outside of California, or if I would ever see one in the first place. Its just incredible how the botanical garden can host plants from all over the world, of which grow in various climates. And yet everything has its own little spot in the garden or in one of the buildings. I am always fascinated that botanical gardens are able to replicate the climates based on what makes each specific plant grow best. Technology is great!
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