UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley

After blogging about the spectacular orchids at the UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley, it only seems fair to give the rest of the flowers a chance. There’s plenty more to the garden’s collections, with plants from around the world. Here are some of our best photos. The first six pictures highlight a few of the drought-tolerant plants growing outdoors.

The next photo presents one of the garden’s best vistas: an incredible view of San Francisco Bay, with Alcatraz in the foreground, and the distant Farallon Islands appearing faintly in the background over the Golden Gate Bridge. The final row of pictures shows a few of the prickly gems of the Arid House. They all point to a beautiful visit!

, ,post from sitemap

Orchids in the Jungle

Enjoy an amazing __orchid photo tour of RHS Garden Wisley, south of London. Expert photography captures sights from the garden’s tropical glasshouse. It’s easy to spot the brilliant colors of the orchids popping out of the lush, steamy jungle display. RHS Garden Wisley is one of the most popular gardens in Britain, and covers 240 acres (97 hectares) in Surrey.

post from sitemap

Orchids for Dessert

I’ve blogged several times about the world’s most delicious orchid, vanilla. But did you know that there are other edible orchids? One of the most popular __orchid foods is salep, or sahlep. In Turkey and the lands of the former Ottoman Empire, the roots of Mediterranean orchids are milled into flour, and added to ice cream in warm weather, and hot drinks in wintertime.

Salep is traditionally made from the tubers, or thickened roots, of the orchis family. The Early Purple Orchid, or Orchis mascula, is one of the most common sources. Harvested from wild __orchid populations, the tubers are made into starchy flour. This is added to water or milk to make ice cream, and flavored with pistachio, apricot, vanilla, or peach. When added to hot water or milk, it’s often flavored with cinnamon.

I’ve never had the opportunity to try salep, but others describe it as tasting sweet, nutty, and earthy. orchid ice cream has an elastic texture that stays frozen longer than regular ice cream. In the videos below, salep vendors in Turkey entertain their customers.

To learn more, check out this authentic salep recipe. You can also read a tale of buying salep in Turkey, including a photo of dried orchid tubers. Salon explores orchid ice cream and salep’s Turkish birthplace.

,post from sitemap

IL ETAIT UN VERNIS: ONCE UPON A TIME COLLECTION SWATCHES

 

 

Once upon a time which is the first collection of Il était The Vernis, the indie brand launched by two fabulous bloggers French nails - Vernis en Folie and De tout et de rien. The brand launched in late 2014 and has gone from strength to strength with two new collections of colors and a range of nail added to the list since. What really attracts me to this brand is fascinating and approach completion "something for everyone" every collection.

 

Each nail Il était The Vernis is 5-free and vegan. Designed and manufactured in France, Australia, I can safely say that this is one of the most impressive collections I have ever seen. All five of these shadows blew me away when I laid eyes on them. There are 4 dispersed holographic nail and a bright gold (also holographic) glitter. All holos has an incredibly bright and smooth to apply gelatinous consistency that makes while brightness is dense enough to provide a complete or perfect cover takes another shadow as an ornament. Let's take a closer look ...

BEYOND WORDS

- 3 Coats + Top Coat

Let's dive right into the show-stopper! More than words is a beautiful fuchsia shade devastatingly filled with holographic particles and bright pink spots. The super brightness is strong with this one, but I always add a top coat for durability. Even my favorite rose at a time and my choice of collection.

 

 

CRUSH ON BLUE

- 3 Coats + Top Coat

If you're looking for a royal blue with a twist, look no further than Crush on Blue. Smooth application in 3 coats.

 

 

LIGHT BOX

- 3 Coats + Top Coat

Light Box has a slightly thicker formula than the others but it was smooth enough to apply without any issues. There's something very luxurious about a black holographic and the blue flecks are a genius touch.

 

 

LIVE, LOVE, LAUGH

- 3 Thin Coats Over Bare Nails + Top Coat

With three coats of Live, Love, Laugh on my naked nails, there are still a few spots where you can see through but only if you look very closely. With all that light bouncing around, the naked spots are invisible to the naked eye and it looks just like you dipped your nails in glitter!

 

 

NO COMMENT

- 3 Coats + Top Coat

No Comment is a very summery shade and one of those in-between shades that's hard to describe so I'll just let the pictures do most of the talking. I wouldn't quite class this as a coral but perhaps a bright red with orange tendencies!

 

WHERE TO BUY ONCE UPON A TIME

Once Upon a Time is available for a limited time from Il Etait Un Vernis Shop (in France) and their International Stockists (for everywhere else in the world). RRP €12.90 (~$14.25 / £9.50).

 

A Floating Orchid Forest

Looking to relax? How about a calming visit to floating __orchid forest? Tokyo’s Miraikan Museum has just what you need. As guests walk though the exhibit in the video below, computers gently raise and lower thousands of living orchids hanging from the ceiling. It’s reminiscent of the lush beauty of Avatar, and I’m sure it’s full of wonderful fragrances, too.

If you can emerge from the trance of this dreamy video, you may notice that these orchids are bare-root, not potted at all. Hanging in the air is very familiar for these air plants, although they are typically attached to trees, not the ceiling. As long as they have water, good humidity, and a little fertilizer, this exhibit could continue to live, grow, and bloom indefinitely. However, this floating dance of flowers, leaves, and roots only runs until May 10th. Read more about the exhibit here.

,post from sitemap

The Secret Life of Orchids – Fungi

Take a peek at the secret life of orchids in the short video below. Smithsonian Ecologist Melissa McCormick explains how much wild orchids need fungi to survive. Many types of plants exchange nutrients with fungi, but orchids cheat this symbiotic relationship by eating their fungi instead. Fortunately, a little fertilizer will suffice with your orchids at home.

And don’t miss the detailed, 3D image of an Embreea __orchid at Smithsonian Science! You can investigate the virtual flower from different angles. Click on the menu in the upper left of the 3D image to find a guided tour of __orchid flower parts.

,post from sitemap

And More Photos From the Pacific Orchid Expo

Orchids are full of surprises.With incredibly diverse shapes, colors, and fragrances, it’s hard to believe that these flowers are actually related to one another. No other flowering plant family has such rich palettes and fascinating designs. These examples from the recent Pacific __orchid Expo certainly prove my point.

Many of these lesser-known varieties are the ones which give orchids their fussy reputations. Growing them demands exacting conditions to match tropical climates, with precise temperatures, high humidity, and pure water. Fortunately, events like the Pacific orchid Expo let me enjoy these remarkable flowers without all that hard work. I hope you enjoy them, too.

, ,post from sitemap

More Photos from the Pacific Orchid Expo

As I continue to sort through our pictures from this year’s Pacific __orchid Expo, I’m finding lots of great shots. Here are some of Dave’s photos. They’re wonderful examples of the stunning diversity of the __orchid family, which goes far beyond what’s for sale at the supermarket. With their brilliant colors and strange shapes, these flowers never fail to impress.

, ,post from sitemap

Discovering New Orchids

Kew Science explains how new __orchid species are discovered. Every year, scientists describe hundreds of additional __orchid species. These discoveries emerge from plant specimens preserved in scientific institutions, and expeditions to unexplored jungles. Little-explored tropical rainforests abound in Southeast Asia, New Guinea, Indonesia, the Philippines, and many areas of the Andes. However, searching these remote regions doesn’t start with a trip to the jungle. Instead, it starts with many trips to herbaria around the world to sift through extensive collections of dried plants. These contain many unknown or misidentified specimens, which are goldmines of orchid exploration. Finding and naming these new orchid species grows more urgent every day. Destruction of tropical forests pushes many to extinction before they can even be identified.

,post from sitemap

Orchids at the UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley

It’s easy to spend a whole day enjoying the UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley. Established in 1890, it has one of the largest and most diverse plant collections in the country, spread over 34 acres (13.8 hectares) of gardens and greenhouses. Among the botanical treasures, there are many unusual __orchid species, which are rotated through the displays as they come into bloom. These beauties were a few of the highlights of our visit last month.

Most of the orchids are displayed in the Orchid, Fern & Carnivorous Plant House. There are some in the Tropical House, too. The final photo shows a Chinese Ground orchid outdoors in the Chinese Medicinal Herb Garden. This Asian species has long been used as an herbal remedy.

The garden also features an extensive collection of California native species, many unusual varieties of cacti and succulents, and plants from areas of the world with Mediterranean climates. It’s all incredibly gorgeous, and well worth a visit.

, ,post from sitemap