Cactus Blog

Pachypodium baronii v. baronii

Mammillaria

"But when he signs that veto early next week, he will sign it in blood."

Max Cleland on the President, as seen on Wolf Blitzer via Atrios.

From the Decatur Daily comes this heartwarming story of cactus and succulents.


That was quite nice, now wasn't it. Admit it, your smiling, I see your lips curling up there. Don't be shy.

Sometimes I have no idea what I'm talking about. I write the blog entry first, and then I go find an article about cactus or succulents and I place a quote from the article right in the middle of whatever I'm gibbering about today, regardless of whether or not it makes any sense. How did I do today?

It's going to be a hot day today here in Berkeley.

We're missing my cousin's bat mitzvah in Boston so we can keep the store open on a hot hot Saturday in April. Melissa Blotner is probably at the temple right now in Newton, getting ready.

The fog has already burned off here at the Bay and the heat is rising.

Lebasi has moved to New York and we missed her party. She should be arriving there today or tomorrow.

So here's a picture of a snowflake from National Geographic.



Cool.

Photograph by and copyright Patricia Rasmussen, via Voyageur Press

From the Smithsonian Catalog of Botanical Illustrations.



© Smithsonian Institution
Plate Number: 1364
Publication: The Bromeliads, Plate 4
Client: Smith, L.B. - Size: 18.7x26
Remarks: On loan: M. Mee :Return to the Amazon (1/16/96 - 8/ 20/99 ).

Tillandsia stricta (Bromeliaceae) - Collection: , Brazil, Sao Paulo; flowering plant.
Artist: Mee, Margaret - pre 1965 - gouache

It's friday, and Benjamin is hiding completely under the blanket, so I went on google to come up with an "interesting" (bizarre) search for whippets: "whippet soap" was the search term I used, and BAM there it was. Whippet soap for sale.

Victorian Greyhound Whippet Soap Sampler Pack, to be exact, on eBay. Sale ends 5/22/07.



As I often say, "Who knew?" Not you, I bet, not you.

In Iowa, a tomato gardener's friend kills a cactus. But they don't say how.

The Inadvertent Gardener:


And in the comments is a drive-by cactus shooting story.

Oh well. Here's an update of sorts.

The Smithsonian's Botany Department has an incredible collection of cactus drawings from the early part of the last century.


© Smithsonian Institution
Plate Number: 226
Publication: The Cactaceae Vol. 2 Pl 2, Fig 2 and 3
Client: Britton, N.L. and Rose, J.N. - Size: 11x14
Cereus peruvianus (Cactaceae) - Collection: 03 Aug 1912; spiny top, flower.
Artist: Eaton, M.E. - 03 Aug 1912 - watercolor

In Australia, there are National Cactus Champs, Suburban Division.


Whatever.


But what about that headline about being champions. Surely, that's just hyperbole. Nope.

Those wacky Australians.

Hedgehog Cactus:



Hedgehog Mammal:

OK, look, there are over 100 people a day on Cactusblog, and over 500 distinct visitors per week, but only about 10 of you answered my precious blog polls. These were critical questions that I felt this community of cactus and succulent and whippet lovers would like to have asked of them, and thus would like to answer. I guess I was wrong. There were not a lot of votes. But I'm not bitter. So here you go a poll about polling. Here's your chance to redeem yourself, to tell me what went wrong, so we can do better next time.

It's not a succulent; it's a drought-tolerant perennial, the infamous "Purple Rock Rose" of the mediterranean coast.

It's fragrant and evergreen.



Cistus x. purpureus

Photographic Edition



The President meets with Congress
From the New York Times.