Orchid Display

The glasshouses

The glass houses have recently been restored to their former glory, using reclaimed teak there are now 6 indoor environments. There is 'Continents apart' with Australia and South Africa borders.



'Oceanic Islands' shows plants which have evolved in isolation as the name suggests. 'Mountains' features plants from the highest and coldest elevations on earth. My favourite house is the 'Tropical Rainforest' which is the largest indoor environment. This shows plants from the wet tropics and past stars have included the Titan arum, Amorphophallus titanum in Latin or commonly known as the Corpse Flower from Sumatra as well and the Jade Vine, Strongylodon macrobotrys from the Philippines which is pollinated in the wild by bats.






There is the 'Arid Lands' illustrating the diversity of arid land plants and how distinct evolutionary process have resulted in parallel solutions, for example the water storage systems exhibited by Euphorbiaceae in Africa and Cactaceae in America.
And lastly is 'Before Flowers' exploring pre angiosperms with Ferns and Cycads.

Cambridge Botanic Gardens continued..

The Botanic Gardens are one of my favourite places to visit while im in Cambridge. The garden was established by Professor John Henslow in 1846, this man is now best remembered for the role he played inspiring a certain pupil named Charles Darwin. The garden retains the original planting scheme within the 'Systematic beds'. This scheme was based on the book 'Pinax theatre botanici' written by the Swiss botanist Caspar Bauhin and published in 1623. The book is the first comprehensive compilation of all plants known at that time and groups them in their imagined families - the start of taxonomy. Without the aid of genetics many of these families of plants have since been found to be correct.

Cambridge Botanic Gardens

2009 is the bicentenary of the birth of Charles Darwin and 150 years since his seminal book 'Origin of Species' was published. The most important book ever written I feel. If this wasn't enough of a cause for celebration, it is also the 800 year anniversary of the University of Cambridge. Charles Robert Darwin was a student here at Christ's College so this July the university is putting on a festival from the 5th to the 10th of July. Im so excited! speakers include Sir David Attenborough, Richard Dawkins and Ian McEwan. Apparently it will be a festival of science, society, literature, history, philosophy, theology, art and music arising from the writings, life and times of Charles Darwin.

Costa del Hayling in January

It was bitter on costa del Hayling in January, so cold the sea froze around the edges.