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Early Tulip
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Spring Wildflowers
Spring flowers are blooming everywhere, and that means that our sister site Flora Pittsburghensis is filling up with more pictures. Here are a few to get you started, and you can see many more over there.
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Witch Hazel
Ozark Witch Hazel (Hamamelis vernalis) blooming today.
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Marigolds in the Snow
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Cosmos sulphureus
A popular garden flower, seen above in a more than usually close view.
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Morning Glory in the Rain
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Habenaria medusa
There are many species of Habenaria orchids, including several native to North America. But this one wins the prize for unusual flowers. Enlarge the picture above to appreciate the individual flowers.
Habenaria medusa is a terrestrial orchid (it grows in the ground, whereas most of the tropical orchids we cultivate grow on tree branches), so Phipps Conservatory keeps this one in a big terra-cotta pot that probably takes two strong volunteers to move.
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Paphiopedilum Transvaal ‘Beechview’
Its parents come from Indonesia, but this paph speaks with a Picksburgh accent. According to its tag in the Orchid Room at Phipps Conservatory, it has won an Award of Merit from the American Orchid Society.
Papihopedilum Transvaal is an old hybrid, first made in 1901, between P. chamberlainianum and P. rothschildianum. Orchid genetics are complex enough that the seedlings from a hybrid are all different, so each one can become a named clone (with the name in single quotes) if someone likes it well enough. Obviously, with AM-AOS after its name, someone would like this one a great deal.
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French Marigold
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Bee Movie
That pun works better in conversation than in print, but here is a movie of bees pollinating Hibiscus syriacus flowers, set to the music of Adolph Krantz. You can go to the Wikimedia Commons hosting page for the HD version.
