A day in Kew, 2011

[Pindar]

Fantastic Cycad! Hard to believe each and every nodule on the surface texture of that horizantal trunk was a leaf frond. And if that is 100% correct? i wonder if curiosity caused anyone to do a count?

There's a thought! And when I remember how slowly these wonderful plants grow, that trunk really makes me FEEL its age.

[Pindar]

Lovely flowers. Awesome hawkmoth and sweet cycad (I've always loved cycads)!

Me too, Pavel. I adore cycads! They are so majestic. I do love my C revoluta but I ache to have Dioon, Zamia, Encephalartos, Microzamia... I would love the challenge of simply acquiring them legally in the first place... But I simply don't have the conservatory space. I should have made it twice the size. (I also adore tree ferns and horsetails- there is still one very large species extant that I am aware of...) I guess I mainly like ancient stuff!

[opaline]

I guess I mainly like ancient stuff!

i think it is the appeal, importance and significance of the presence of these species after millions of years of evolution perfecting the most incredible things that is of little awareness to the majority of the human race. Having that particular plant (is a feelling you cant describe and sadly many will never know) that grew amongst the 150 million years of Dinosaur rule and within this the evolution which occured itself has power. A picture says a 1000 words, that plant says so much more. It is the story it holds from the point when a velocoraptor hunted in packs with such extreme intelligence only to find a similar cycad served as a roost millions years later for that raptor in its new form as a bird of prey we know today. The calls of barn owls haunt the hell out of me when walking late at night/ or early morning. Different story for those v.raptor noises.

.................................................. ..................the sad thing is! ....................we are losing all this so quickly in favour of corrupt/ intervening/ self interested internel/ foriegn policies in a battle to remind each country who is the best? and internal unrest as people allocate varying subjects to aim their anger and hate.!!For an intelligent race the only thing we should fear is Mothernatures revenge as a dish served cold as she begins addressing the urgent need to adjust the balance. I wonder if she cares or fears nuclear threats as we do because shes been around for a while now!

[Pindar]

Indeed. Also, imagine subsisting on a diet of cycad fronds... almost like having to digest plastic. You would have no choice but to be the size of an HGV, or a vast fermentation vat on legs. Poor herbi dinos. What a life. Consider this when you tuck into your next salad of tender spinach, lettuce and rocket... or munch on soft, melting asparagus shoots!

[cdayinflorida]

O Cathy, you are so "praedicta"-ble. (wish I could remember the critter's genus!)

Funny

[Halloamey]

Beautiful photos, I also agree with Bruce, when I was there in 2008 there were not many orchids blooming just in the glass cases. But I enjoyed the wonderful conservatories and the palm house and the giant Victoria lilies in full bloom.

Fantastic Cycad! Hard to believe each and every nodule on the surface texture of that horizantal trunk was a leaf frond. And if that is 100% correct? i wonder if curiosity caused anyone to do a count?

As a cycad fanatic I made pictures of all the cycads and the information that came with them. From that I can tell you that this cycad is really old, this Encephalartos has been growing in the Kew gardens since 1690 !!

[Pindar]

Beautiful photos, I also agree with Bruce, when I was there in 2008 there were not many orchids blooming just in the glass cases. But I enjoyed the wonderful conservatories and the palm house and the giant Victoria lilies in full bloom.

As a cycad fanatic I made pictures of all the cycads and the information that came with them. From that I can tell you that this cycad is really old, this Encephalartos has been growing in the Kew gardens since 1690 !!

Amey, I love you: how wonderful that you have taken the informayion with you! Thank you so much for putting me right- I just wasn't confident with Dioon... All these years and I never made sure. It is an awesome monster, isn't it! And it is cycad heaven in that end of the palm house. I think your visit may have been just before the renovation- when they took stripped all the paint off, scraped the rust off the cast iron structure, repaired and treated the metal, replaced all the glass, repainted it, and moved all the trees and stuff back from temporary storage. It took some time! All the glass is curved and had to be specially made. But it was worth it: I adore that building.

The Princess of Wales Conservatory is also a fine building and replaces a vast labyrinth of linked ramshackle small houses where the majority of the living collection was housed; the mural in the cactus end is the only part of the ghetto which was preserved and was a sensitive touch. The new Alpine House, opened last year, is probably the most beautiful stucture built in this country since the Palm House.

You are a true Cycad lover- it is a real pleasure to meet you. Thanks for dropping by!

[Clivedude]

Very beautiful photos my friend...never been to an orchid show maybe one day i will...not alot going on in Peterborough..well maybe there is but ive never seen anything lol.

[hoanglong]

This is an orchid exhibit great ^ _ ^