</p> Just an update: I thought it was finishing (first photo above), this green-blossomed liana of a legume shows that it has the long haul in mind. I've discovered that there are several more inflorescences on the jade vine (Strongylodon macrobotrys</em>) and that you might be able to see it bloom either upstairs or down in the Conservatory. The staff and volunteers at the Information Desk assure me they have people come and ask about the "green flowers" or "every-nine-years vine," so I know people are interested. Just to clarify, it took nine years of growing before it bloomed. Will it bloom next year? We have to wait and see.</p>
</p> Remember that photographic puzzler I posted? Well, yes, the answer seems to have been widely known: the Laura Smith Porter Plains Garden was undergoing its every-few-years renewal burning. The other, exciting picture above captures a bit of the day, and the other shows blackened swaths. The sedate pictures below reveal the exciting success of the burn.</p> </p> See how many new seedlings have started in a month's time? It seems very dramatic even though its entirely natural. Even the soil has faded from the jet black to a more normal dark grey. Come see it firsthand on Earth Day, one of the Gardens' free days this year.</p> By the way, although fire makes for a cool photograph, the Gardens does not recommend that you try this at home. Aside from the permits and permissions that are needed, and aside from the preparation, equipment and extra help that is needed to conduct the burn safely, there are potential negatives. For example, certain invasive weeds love to be burned! Burns can be beneficial, it just takes knowledge, skill and experience to determine what is likely to happen in a landscape.</p>
</p> The jade vine is in full bloom! There are two long, hanging columns of flowers right now, with a few more to go. Green flowers have the reputation of being subtle, but this is really wild! I was up on the mezzanine, and a cluster of garden visitors was exclaiming over it. We agreed that describing them as "green just doesn't really cover it." It is really a tribute to the Conservatory team's perserverence that we have a blooming Strongylodon macrobotrys</em> to show Denver.</p>
</p> We’ve had the poison dart frogs here in the Boettcher Memorial Tropical Conservatory since early November when they were still pretty young. Conservatory staff members have been raising fruit flies, dusting them with vitamins, and feeding them to the frogs every day since then, and we are amazed at how much the frogs have grown.</p> The calling is done by the male frogs, who are trying to impress potential mates with their beautiful trilling song. Our frogs are still less than a year old, so they have at least a year before they are of reproductive age, but we are impressed at this new sign of their healthy development.</p> The frogs are an ongoing exhibit and are here to stay, but are also currently the subject of an animal behavior project for a Metro State student, who spends half an hour at a time watching the frogs and recording their behavior. Otherwise there is no one on staff who has the time to spend patiently waiting for a frog call! We’ll be excited to get further updates on activities in the tank, and we’re hoping to be able to record the frog calls soon. </p>
