Page 1 of 1
Watching a century plant bloom opening....
Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2011 10:46 am
by lprof
I have confirmed with Homer Hickam that this is a century plant bloom seen waving in the STJ breeze... opening and turning more golden each day. As seen from his Skyridge villa webcam...
<a href="
http://www.flickr.com/photos/floridalin ... 588540805/" title="photo.JPG by lprof, on Flickr"><img src="
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5221/558 ... 38cc_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="photo.JPG"></a>
http://208.84.193.88:8888/view/viewer_i ... ml?id=1474
Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2011 11:06 am
by Mary L
WOW looks pretty dry on STJ.
Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2011 11:08 am
by Pia
We are sooooo dry - no rain to speak of since November 
Water trucks are doing a booming business and rationing is in effect.
Pia
Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2011 12:13 pm
by mindehankins
Neat! They bloom at the end of their lives, don't they?
I wonder if the drought is the reason for the bloom?
Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2011 2:56 pm
by lprof
mindehankins wrote:Neat! They bloom at the end of their lives, don't they?
I wonder if the drought is the reason for the bloom?
Yes, the entire plant dies after the bloom. I don't know about the impact of drought.
Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2011 4:47 pm
by Joppa
I noticed it too. I have been anxiously watching it. I think I heard somewhere that this is what the islanders decorate for a Christmas tree, can anyone confirm that.
Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2011 4:57 pm
by lprof
Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2011 9:12 pm
by Joppa
Thanks. I think I could get used to that. Decorating probably takes all of 10 minutes, and it seems a fitting use for a plant that dies to produce the bloom.
Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2011 9:36 pm
by California Girl
That's pretty cool. Thanks for the heads-up, I don't check the cams often enough!
I'm going to St. John in a few weeks, so you can almost count on rain the week before I get there! Here skeeter, skeeter, skeeter!!
Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2011 9:45 pm
by SOonthebeach
very cool! learned some things from that link, and will watch the webcam daily to see it bloom- thanks for that!
The island does look way too dry- I noticed it when we were there in Feb- so different than last August when it was really green
Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2011 11:38 am
by spindrift
Very nice...saw many of these bloom when living in the Sonoran Desert outside of Tucson years back.
