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The Tongue has a Brain

| Flower Roberts

This is my first time caring for a Devil’s Tongue plant.

https://wordpress.com/post/floweralley.org/20282

I have tried to be very careful with it.

As I was moving the Amorphophallus konjac pot the other week, the phallus fell off.

I was horrified! There I was with pot in one hand and the phallus in the other.

Mr. Flower contacted the gift-givers who assured us that the phallus falling off was normal and that a leafstalk would emerge in due time.

I continued to water the pot as I waited for signs of life.

When nothing happened after weeks of waiting, I became concerned that the whole thing might have rotted.

I took matters into my own hands and decided to check on the bulb.

I was not prepared for what plopped out of the pot.

It looked like a giant brain with two hemispheres and a corpus callosum down the middle.

Then I decided the brain needed further inspection for rot and shoots, so I gave the brain a bath.

I am pleased to report there are signs of life atop the brain of the Devil’s Tongue. I guess we could call this the brainstem.

I would hate to have killed such an unusual treasure from my dear friends, the Popes.

It may stink, but it has provided a lot of entertainment.

FLOWER

The First Butterfly

| Flower Roberts

I am happy to report the first spotting of a butterfly in the garden.

It is a Great Spangled Fritillary/ Speyeria cybele.

It was happily sipping from the Butterfly Weed flowers.

Speyeria cybele

This type does not startle as easily as some, so I took numerous photos

until my camera battery died. Hi Ho.

I am glad I braved the heat to check on my garden this first day of June.

Great Spangled Fritillary on Butterfly weed

FLOW

Japanese Sacred Lilies and Slugs

| Flower Roberts

I usually do not want slugs in my garden, but I do want bright red berries.

I have dozens of Japanese Sacred Lilies/ Rohdea japonica.

It is one of my few evergreen blooming plants, so I keep propagating it.

It is not really attractive, but it is supposed to bring good fortune.

Its blooms look like little corn cobs.

You must closely examine a stalk to discern its floral parts.

I have had these for decades but not one red berry has been produced.

Apparently, the little corn cobs are pollinated by slugs. What else would be drawn to this?

So how does one attract slugs? Will it be worth it to get red berries?

I think I will let things be and hope for the good fortune without the slugs or the berries.

FLOW

Monarchs and Milkweed

| Flower Roberts

If I could name two things that thrill me on sight in my garden, they would be Monarch butterflies and a form of milkweed called Butterfly weed/Asclepias tuberosa.

Milkweed is named for its milky sap that gets ingested by the caterpillars. This causes predators to vomit so they soon learn to leave the yellow striped caterpillars alone.

Asclepias tuberosa/ Butterfly weed

Even if Butterfly weed was not on the Monarch menu, I would plant it. The blooms and buds make beautiful bouquets.

This plant is easy to grow and propagate. No problems with pests.

Plant some milkweed and wait for the Monarchs.

Flow

Another Shape Change

| Flower Roberts

The Voodoo Lily has finished its duty.

The top set of warts on the spadix are the male parts.

Deeper down in the funnel-like spathe are the female bumps.

Female buds larger and lighter.

I doubt there will be berries produced despite the appearance of flies.

I do hope for a leaf which will be like a spectacular umbrella.

Stay tuned for Voodoo updates.

FLOW

Reshaping Reality

| Flower Roberts

It seems ridiculous to continue to focus on flowers when one is surrounded by many serious concerns.

Maybe you are a bit irritated by all the flowers and animal cuteness.

If this is so, consider this thought.

We all reshape our reality.

We heat and cool our homes to avoid experiencing the actual temperature. We dress accordingly to avoid extremes.

We ship in tropical food year-round to avoid the bland, local fare. Very few of us grow what we eat. That’s why we are fat.

Women wear make-up and spanks and color hair to hide our actual appearance.

Maybe the more flamboyant and extravagant one seems, the more mundane that person really is.

Maybe planting ten thousand flowers is a way of trying to grow roots in the wrong place.

We must bloom where we are planted. No one loves an unhappy, fussy, needy plant.

So as I share photos of gorgeous, well tended flowers, rest in knowing

that there are weeds much bigger than yours just outside the frame of the picture.

There is always dirt under my nails and my house is never clean.

I share my JOY and hide my pain. That is what all good women do.

We reshape our reality.

FLOW

My Stinky Gift

| Flower Roberts

My garden has exploded with color.

The peonies have popped. The iris have erupted. The phlox are flowering.

But only one plant has my full attention.

Some friends dropped it off in a big pot at my gate. They seemed anxious to be rid of it.

This plant has many names. I will share only the clean ones…Voodoo Lily or Devil’s Tongue.

Its Latin name is Amorphophallus konjac. I will save you the trouble of looking up the translation.

Malformed penis

This is what scientist do to poor, innocent plants. My husband has joined in on the bullying by calling it the ‘Tallywhacker.’

I usually try to avoid everything phallic, but I am fascinated by ‘Mr. Voodoo.’

I will post when the spathe opens to expose the spadix.

Too bad it is not possible to post a scratch and sniff picture on the internet. It is supposed to smell of carrion to attract flies.

This giant has been a welcome diversion from the usual, puny, needy little flowers.

Stay tuned.

FLOW