Stapeia gigantea, commonly called Giant Toad Plant, is a cactus like plant native to south eastern Africa. The greens of the Toad Plant have four angled deep ribs with toothed edges. They are clump-forming and can grow up to 8 inches long. The 5 petal star shaped flowers are pale yellow with thin red wrinkles, covered in a fuzzy hairs. These giant flowers can grow up to 12 inches wide and emit a deathly carrion odor. [Read more…]
Fall Maple Komorebi
One of the best things about fall is witnessing the Maple leaves transform into their many autumn colors. I’ve been watching and admiring Maple tress all my life, every year I look forward to seeing their brilliant colorful display. Fall was starting to feel like it was slipping away and I was concerned that I’d miss the changing leaves, so we headed to a green oasis to soak in some of that magnificent golden sun and take in the beauty of the season. I wanted to share my fall komorebi sightings at the Chicago Botanic Gardens with you. [Read more…]
Chicago Botanic Gardens – Fall Visit
It hit me that this gorgeous season has been passing by so fast and I have not been taking the opportunity to enjoy everything wonderful about it. So I headed to the Chicago Botanic Gardens with some friends over the weekend and finally soaked up some of that golden autumn sun, took in the crisp air, and admired the sweet colors of fall. [Read more…]