The new bed for carnivorous plants in the Hortus is slowly - notwithstanding the chilly weather - coming into its own. The various Venus Flytraps are growing by the day. Here's one that's presumably closed on a too adventurous insect. The tiny fly on top of the jaws that snatch is treading carefully so it won't be caught up as well.
Tags: Fly insect Venus Fly-Trap Hortus Botanicus, Amsterdam, The Netherlands carnivorous plants
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Many early-flowering trees produce flowers from naked branches and trunks before their leaves come out. Such a one is this Cercis. Its common name is often given as Judas Tree. Apparently that's because its rounded leaves were thought to resemble the thirty pieces of silver Judas was paid for his betrayal of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. The 'siliquastrum' of its specific name is derived from the Greek word for a weaver's shuttle; perhaps even of use for producing cloth to cover up against our present chilly and rainy weather...
Tags: Judas Iscariot Judas Tree Gethsemane Vondelpark, Amsterdam, The Netherlands rain chill Cercis siliquastrum weaver's shuttle pink flower pink flower tree
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There's a debate among botanists whether this Iris is a hybrid or not. As I understand it, the general consensus today is - perhaps with a nudge fron great Linnaeus - that it's a 'natural hybrid'. Regardless, this pair was pretty but quite wet in the wind and rain this morning.
Tags: raindrop Raindrops Iris germanica Bearded Iris flower purple flower Zwanenburgwal, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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'Cold acidic bogs', that's the description given to the localities of this pretty Bog Laurel. I can relate to that given the chill with rain and winds today in the Hortus and over the new section of Bog Plants (among which many Droseras). This Kalmia was introduced to England in 1767. Great Carolus Linnaeus refers to one of his students who'd collected it in North America. I'm not sure where this Friedrich Adam Julius von Wangenheim (1749-1800) found the plant which is said to be native to Newfoundland, Canada. He was a professional soldier and served in the British Hessian Brigade in North America (1777/8-1785). I understand he kept mainly to the northeast of the US and in what is today Ontario, Canada but he may well have been in Newfoundland as well.
Tags: Kalmia polifolia Bog Laurel Bog Laurel Carolus Linnaeus Friedrich Adam Julius von Wangenheim Ontario, Canada Hessian Brigade Hortus Botanicus, Amsterdam, The Netherlands Pink Flower pink
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Rapeseed, entirely yellow fields, and lots of Cabbage Whites. But here our White is resting and gathering energy from the Sun on another Yellow. This Tulip belongs to the Triumph Group, one of gardeners' favorite bulbs. There's a nice bed of them in full flower now in our Hortus.
Tags: Butterfly Pieris rapae Cabbage White flower yellow flower Tulipa 'World Friendship' Tulip 'Triumph Group' Hortus Botanicus, Amsterdam, The Netherlands insect Rapeseed
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