Flies are not among the usual insects we like to photograph. But when you've got something blooming five feet tall and smelling of rotten meat, you just have to make an exception and let the flies indulge themselves, if only to chronicle the bloom cycle of the Dragon Arum. Whatever they get out of helping aid pollination is all theirs, as far as I'm concerned ...Today the flies were still around, but much less numerous than yesterday, and the stench has lessened considerably and now you have to leave the sidewalk and get up close to really notice it much. What was wafting through the breeze last night was enough to prove a point!
Something I've neglected to tell you in previous posts is that the Dragon Arum has a very short bloom period of only 3-4 days before decrepitude sets in. It's actually kind of comical to watch this flower wane (don't worry, I'll keep posting a few more), as it withers away.
Such a huge expenditure of time and effort on the plant's part for such a limited bloom is one of those plant mysteries that probably hooked me on gardening (well that and my dad). And it is a lot of fun to be one of (or the only?) few who has one of these blooming in their garden.
2 comments:
The color of this bloom is extraordinary, IVG.
B2, isn't it just!? Everything about this plant is just bizarrely cool, even the brief stench it emits (it subsides significantly the second day). Didn't have a chance to get the 'waning post climax' shots yet because I was so busy this weekend weeding and putting as many flowers as I could, but the front is slowly looking better day by day, as long as we can keep up with it!
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