year in various collections around the country. All received media
attention. Any possible correlation to these events?>>
Sorry, Rick, for my flippant answer.
Regarding the media coverage (and I do not think your question about
correlation had to do with the media, but rather, with the number of
flowerings):
Much credit for attracting media attention should certainly be given to the
tremendous efforts to provide for public education and access to the A.
titanum flowers by the curators of the collections responsible. I believe
that Donna Atwood's incredible work at Selby Gardens -- including the
website, which was awesome, and also including the efforts to make the event
accessible to the public -- deserve high praise. I forwarded her postings to
Arold-L, as well as the URL for the Selby website to numerous persons,
including friends who live not far from Selby. Therefore, I received not
only the media coverage, and the Selby information, but also firsthand
accounts of how the event was handled by Selby ["Beautifully"], Selby's
handouts for the public, and copies of my friend's photographs and newspapers.
I found that people who previously had known nothing about aroids were
fascinated by the unusual A. titanum.
Certainly, many others among us felt similarly compelled to share the
delight, the wonder. And then . . . it got into the air!!
Huntington did a good job with their website, and their display [which I only
saw on the Internet] was beautiful -- fitting for this exotic occasion. I
was likewise fascinated Al Wooten's posting on Aroid-L re: the decision of
Caltech to make available their extremely sensitive infrared camera which
will be used on the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF), to be launched
into a stationary orbit at the moon's distance next year, for use in
measuring the temperature fluctuations in the A. titanum. I understand that
the novelty that created (as the visitors could also measure their own warmth
-- an interactive science experience) was responsible for much media
attention. Surely, the cooperative spirit Caltech demonstrated, was also a
factor in the new-worthiness of the Huntington event.
Then came Washington!
The discussions of the source(s) of the A. titanum were also fascinating, and
I greatly enjoyed Wilbert's description of the trek that he participated in
that produced such a windfall of seeds. I can only imagine the experience of
rounding a curve in a trail and discovering an A. titanum "giant fruiting
monster"!
It may be hot in Miami in August, Rick, but A. titanum took the country by
storm. Perhaps the first event snowballed into the avalanche of publicity
generated. The Internet also helped, as it is so easy to share information
with people around the world.
Correlation in flowerings: See Wilbert's posting of August 3, 1999 in the
Archives and Don Burns posting of July 30, 1999. If these plants are from
the same seeds, then it would follow that the plants might bloom in the same
year --- [of course, there must be many variables, beginning with the persons
who received and nurtured the seeds].
How hot is it, Rick?
Jeanne Hannah
Traverse City, MI
USDA Zone 5b
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