Olbrich Botanical Gardens: Orchids, Tillandsias, Carnivores

These pictures are of some of the tillandsias, orchids, and carnivorous plants at Olbrich Botanical Gardens. These are some of my favorite plants because they're weird! I like unusual plants.

 To start things off, here's a Tillandsia that is blooming. You can see the whitish blooms near the bottom of the picture.

 Here's another Tillandsia bunch. They're related to bromeliads and make pups. If they aren't separated, then they grow in a big clump like this one!

 There's a couple of tillandsias up here as well as some orchid blooms. This was a very pretty display.

 Orchid blooms on the left, succulents in the middle!

 Here's one more beautiful Tillandsia blooming.

 This is a cute little orchid flower! It's from the genus Maxillaria.

 Okay, this is just a tropical plant that I like. It's a Brugmansia, also called an Angel's Trumpet.

 Up close and personal with an orchid bloom! There is such a huge variety of orchid flowers that I feel like I always see a new one at every botanical garden I visit. This one was new to me!

 Here's the plant these beautiful flowers are attached to. The root ball is so weird and the flowers hang below the leaves. It's very different and very cool.

 A view from below the Brugmansia straight up at the flowers. I have a Brugmansia that I've been growing since January from seed. It hasn't flowered this year but I look forward to when it does!

 Here's a bromeliad flowering. Much like tillandsias, bromeliads usually don't require much soil, if any. They reproduce by making pups and after the plant flowers, it dies.

 This was a really neat part of the garden that I haven't seen at any other botanical garden yet. It's a carnivorous plant display! In this picture, you can see a lot of Venus flytraps. I'd love to have some carnivorous plants someday but I don't have the money to put together a nice terrarium for them right now. They need a lot of humidity to thrive.

 Here's a sundew. These are really neat close up. The little sticky droplets are where the insects get stuck so it can eat them.

And lastly, here are several pitcher plants. They look like different types of lettuce, but they're all little pitchers. Bugs fall into them and drown, and then the plant digests them. 

Next time, I'll start showing some photos from the outdoor gardens!

Olbrich Botanical Gardens Part 1

So like I mentioned in my last post, back in May I went with my family to Madison, Wisconsin and we went to the Olbrich Botanical Gardens. They are enormous and have both indoor and outdoor gardens, so I've broken up all the pictures into several posts. This post is some of the indoor plants!

 So I'm pretty sure this is a hibiscus. I took a photo because of the crazy double bloom! I'd never seen a flower like this before.

 I also forget what species this is, but I thought the flower looked cool, especially with the hot pink bits sticking out above the reddish orange puffs.

 I know this is either a bromeliad or an orchid. I'm thinking orchid, maybe a dendrobium? Either way the flowers are pretty.

 I thought this flower was pretty interesting because of the tips poking out like wheel spokes.

 This is the Chenille Plant! I really like these. They are very soft and do feel like a chenille sweater. I always sneak a little touch even though you probably aren't supposed to. My local nursery had some of these a couple of weeks ago. I'd like to get one someday but I'm on a plant no-buy right now.

 Another very neat flower. I thought the way they clustered was cool.

 This is an orchid, although I don't remember what kind. It's a big flower.

 This flower is so cute and dainty!

 This is the flower on a succulent, I think it's a Kalanchoe. The leaves are fuzzy and they're covered with these little purple flowers.

 This isn't the clearest picture, but it is a flower on a Rhipsalis. I have a Rhipsalis but it's never flowered, and I'd never seen one flower before.

 Here's what looks like a close relative of a Rhipsalis. It's a Hetiora from Brazil.

 Like the label says, this is a Taffeta plant. They look and feel kind of like taffeta! It's hard to tell from a picture but the leaves are almost metallic looking in the sunshine.

 Here's the ceiling of the geodesic dome that comprises the indoor portion of the gardens. You can see all the palm and banana plants in this picture.

 Here's a flowering Epiphyllum! I have three different kinds of these but none of them have flowered yet. Epiphyllum are tropical cacti.

 In the indoor gardens there were quail! They were moving around a lot so it was hard to take a picture of them. They are so cute! When I was in elementary school we tried hatching quail eggs as a class project but none of them ever hatched. I've always liked quail since then even though our experiment didn't work.

 Here's another pretty flower!

 There's always a waterfall in the geodesic domes! And you can see that Epiphyllum on the left.

 Here's another picture of the quail! They are actually pretty small.

 Every time I see a pineapple growing, I have to giggle a bit. They just look so goofy popping out of the top of a bromeliad. They're adorable when they're that tiny though!

 Here's some pitchers from a Nepenthes. This is another plant I would love to grow, but I don't have an area with enough humidity for them.

This is a really weird orchid. Apparently it's in the genus Gongora. Those huge bottoms are so different from other orchids. 

That's the first part of the Olbrich Botanical Gardens! Next time I'll finish up the indoor portion, which includes more orchids, tillandsias, and some carnivorous plants. Then we'll move on to the outdoor gardens!

Giving Thanks

• I'm thankful for my family, first and foremost. I wouldn't be able to function without them. Knowing that nothing I do will disappoint my parents is so important to me. I need their love, their advice, and their support, even at 26. I'll probably always need them. I wish I was closer so I could see them more often, but I'm just thankful we have a good relationship. 
• I'm thankful for my friends, especially Mike and Tessa. They are my best friends and I would consider them family. They invited me to dinner yesterday, which was huge for me because I would have been alone (and probably pretty sad) otherwise. I had a great time and felt so happy to be around people who care about me. I know they would always have my back and I've got theirs. 
• My cats...I'm so glad I have my cats. Yeah, they're dumb, and they do things like pull their poop out of their litter and play with it, but they're always happy to see me. They argue over who gets to sit next to me on the couch and they both cuddle. Memo always "feeds" me every night with the toys he thinks are food, and Leo attempts to knead my arm every night. They are both really sweet and they both know when I'm upset. 
• Plants. When I was younger I thought plant science was boring. I was kind of stupid back then. Now all I want to do is grow plants, raise plants, and sell plants. I hope I can make this dream a reality. Even if that doesn't happen, I love growing plants. It is very zen, very relaxing, and I love being able to be among growing things. 

Catching Up

Hi everyone who reads this, sorry I've been away for a month. My old netbook was starting to take a dump on me, and my tablet isn't really good for lots of typing. And I've been too busy to sit down at my desktop and do nothing but blog. I've just gotten a new netbook though, so I'm back in business. It's an ASUS 1015e with windows 8. Windows 8 is kind of weird but the netbook is pretty cool.
It's been a very weird past month. Our lab manager announced two weeks before I went on vacation that he had gotten another job and was leaving. That leaves me as the only person working on the biorenewable chemicals projects. It also means that I had to take over the summer REU student and that I've become the de facto lab manager even though that's not really my job. Obviously this has made my stress and workload skyrocket. So far I'm doing alright managing everything, but I am definitely more mentally exhausted at the end of every day. I'm trying to go to bed earlier since I'm going into work at 8:30 now instead of 9-9:15ish. That is kind of working but I'm a night owl so it's hard to go to bed early sometimes. One of my labmates did get a Keurig coffeemaker from his mum and brought it into lab, so at least I can have a steady stream of coffee if I want it. That's pretty awesome.
At the end of June I went back to Michigan for a short vacation. I also visited my brother in Wisconsin. I'll make a separate post or two later with a bunch of photos. It was fun. I enjoyed being back home. I got to meet my parents' puppy Macduff. He's a collie and super adorable. We've never had a puppy before so it was neat to meet him. We also went to Belle Isle and visited their conservatory and the Michigan nature museum. They were both very cool and I'd never been to either even though they're both in downtown Detroit. It was nice to go somewhere new and to enjoy one of the nice parts of Detroit. Then on July 4th we set off fireworks. We only do the fountains that stay on the ground. I like doing those because nothing but sparklers are legal in Iowa, which is in my opinion pretty lame. Then my dad and I drove to Madison, WI where my brother lives. We hung out for a couple of days there. We went golfing at one of the municipal courses which was a lot of fun! I got a little sunburned but it was worth it. I wish I had someone to go golfing with in Iowa. I'm too self-conscious to go alone because I'm not very good. We also took a tour around Epic, where my brother works. It was a neat place. If I was a computer whiz it would be a decent place to work. Then it was back to Ames for me.
While work has been stressful, my garden has still been a source of relaxation. My tomatoes are growing; I'm hoping that they'll reach full size and start ripening soon. I'm really looking forward to fresh tomatoes. The basil and parsley are producing really well. I've put the chamomile outside to see if it prefers the warmer weather. I need it to flower because that's what you use for tea! I also started some lettuce seeds to grow inside. Some of the seeds have already sprouted! I'm really excited for lettuce too. I eat lettuce and tomato the most so if I could grow my own that would be awesome. Next year I might try green beans and strawberries too.

2012 In Review

2012 In Review

It's that time again! Looking back on 2012.

1. What did you do in 2012 that you'd never done before?
I went tubing on the Skunk River, which was a lot of fun! I also went to a live orchestra performance for the first time. I ran a 5K!

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I probably didn't keep it, because it was probably to lose weight. Depression gets in the way of that. I'm sure I'll make more for next year.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
My best friend Jasmine brought her son home! That's close enough to giving birth.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
My Great Aunt Jan died in March. My kitty Miss Demeanor died in April. My dog Mischief died in October.

5. What countries did you visit?
I stayed in the US this year.

6. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012?
A feeling of contentment and less stress. On a more mundane note, a patio herb garden.

7. What dates from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory?
Other than the dates that I lost my pets, Dan and I went on our first date on February 11^th.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Hmm. I guess maybe getting a place in my lab. It wasn't a huge achievement kind of year for me.

9. What was your biggest failure?
I don't think I had a major fail. I wish I had realized that a PhD track wasn't right for me earlier, but I guess that's it.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Depression really sucked in the spring and messed me up. Other than a few minor knee/ankle injuries, nothing serious happened.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Well I got a 3DS for Christmas, but I think the best thing I bought was my second kitty Leo! He was 75 bucks well spent.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Not the US Congress, that's for sure.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Oh. Well, the US Congress.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Hunziker Property Management. Gotta pay the rent.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Meeting Dan! I was giddy with excitement.

16. What song will always remind you of 2012?
I don't think there really is one.

17. Compared to this time last year, you are:
Happier or sadder: About the same, actually.
Thinner or fatter: Fatter. Argh.
Richer or poorer: Richer for the moment. It's all sitting in savings.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Exercise. I have trouble getting myself to do it but afterward I feel so much better. I wish I could get over the hump of doing it easier.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Stress eating. I feel so guilty afterward. And it doesn't help in the long run.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?
I spent Christmas at home with my family. I almost got trapped in Ames but I managed to get home in time. I would have been really pissed off if I hadn't made it.

21. What was your favorite month of 2012?
Oh hell, I don't know. August I guess? I moved to my townhouse so that was cool.

22. Did you fall in love in 2012?
I'm not sure I'd call it love quite yet, but I did meet Dan in February and we've been dating since then. And I'm very happy with him.

23. How many one-night stands?
None. I don't do one-night stands.

24. What was your favorite TV program?
Ghost Hunters is still my guilty pleasure, along with Ghost Adventures. I also like Intervention.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
No.

26. What was the best book you read?
I just finished Treasure Island last week. It was really good! For a classic it's very easy to read and follow and it's just fun. Pirates are always awesome.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I don't think I really had one this year. There's some random pop songs I liked but nothing amazing.

28. What did you want and get?
A Playstation 3, another kitty, and a 3DS. And a boyfriend!

29. What did you want and not get?
Confidence about my life path. Still not sure if I'm doing the right thing.

30. What was your favorite film of this year?
I haven't seen too many films this year in the theater. However, I have watched a lot of Hammer horror this year and those are awesome.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 25. Dan and I went to Pine Lake State Park and then tried to find the Wildcat Cave. We never found the cave but we had a lot of fun and I got to spend the whole day with Dan. I also had a box from my parents that I opened.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Being done with school. I am so over school. Two years to go...

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2012?
Pretty much the same as last year-more fancy than t-shirts, jeans, boots. I have to keep it simple since I work in a lab.

34. What kept you sane?
Spending time with Dan. I seriously would have had a hard time dealing without him.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Robert Downey Jr. Why not?

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
I guess that would be the general issue of the Republican Party sucking major ass.

37. Who did you miss?
My parents, my grandparents, and my Michigan friends Jasmine and Eric.

38. Who were the best new people you met?
DAN!!! Easy question.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012:
I am not cut out for life in academia and would rather work in industry when I graduate. Better to figure that out now than later.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
One day I'm here, I'm on top of the world/And the next it's falling in on me/I can get back on, I can get back on-Far Cry, Rush

Thanksgiving

So this year is the first time I am completely alone on Thanksgiving. So far I'm doing alright. I slept in, put up the Christmas decorations, and I'm watching Twilight Zone. The whole show is on Netflix so I've got my own Twilight Zone marathon going on. The cats are being silly. I have stuffing mix and cranberry sauce to eat, which are my favorite parts of Thanksgiving dinner anyway. It seemed silly to try and make a turkey for just me. As for the rest of the day, I'll probably play Pokemon and Animal Crossing, or maybe Harvest Moon. Just a relaxing day.  It's hard to not be with my family, but I still have a lot to be thankful for. I'm healthy for the most part, I have a family, I have a boyfriend, my kitties are healthy and happy. I'm still in school, I have health insurance, I'm not in debt. Even though I struggle with anxiety and depression, it could be so much worse. Overall I have a good life and I'm thankful for that.

New Year Party!

Yesterday I went out with my friends Mike and Tessa to the Des Moines Social Club Bash! So here's a bunch of pictures because it's been a long time since I've posted pictures.

 Me!

 That's a drag queen. Yep.

 The lounge and people.

 

The balloons that were dropped at midnight!