Thursday, July 22, 2010

Funkwatch 2010


OK, so I finally gave in to the hysteria. Yesterday I joined the throng of people anxiously awaiting THE horticultural event of the season and I'm on Team Lois.  Lois, who? Lois the Corpse Flower, DUH!  Lois is pretty much THE plant to know around town.  Dropping her name might even get you an extra strawberry in your shortcake.  She's the Houston Museum of Natural Science's latest singular sensation.





The Corpse Flower, with a bad reputation for smelliness, is one of the largest and rarest flowers in the world and Lois is only the 29th Sumatran-American Corpse Flower to bloom.  Her bloom will live only a short time, so that makes the event even more awesome. The big beauties also have a delightful little trait...an odor like no other.  Serious odor. From what I've read, it smells like rotting meat. Note: Wear a mask to meet Lois but don't make a big deal about it.  The girl can't help it.





Lois is 7 years old and has just now decided to bloom for the very first time.  So, I'm thinkin' that's thirtysomething in plant years or 15 in the wild, wild, west.  Anyhooooo.  The Corpse Flower grows crazy fast.  On July 1st, she was 2'7" and today, she's about 5'9" and her waist is 39", but keep it under your hat 'cuz she's pretty modest. Just kidding.  Miss Thing is a diva fer sher.   She certainly has been keeping us on pins and needles waiting for her grand entrance.  She was expected to bloom last week, but she's been a bit of a tease and has kept us hangin' on like Cuba Gooding, Jr.'s character in Jerry Maquire. Just a few more cheers.  K Jerry? She's milkin' it for all it's worth and she's a saucy sister! Just check out her tweets: @CorpzFlowrLois.  Meanwhile, the good folks at HMNS have opened Lois' home, The Cockrell Butterfly Exhibit, to visitors around the clock until she blooms.

In honor of Lois' coming out, I have put together a couple amazing looks for her grand entrance.  (Since she has yet to bloom, I'm using some of her cousins' portraits as inspiration.)




Pa-pa-pa-pa Paparazzi
Pa-pa-pa-pa Paparazzi
by melgarzaallen

This is Lois' paparazzi-dodging look. First, an incognito must-have:  a pair of dark shades.  I went with Lady Gaga's Mickey Mouse sunglasses.  The coat compliments Lois' gorgeous coloring and the ruffled boots highlight one of her own beautiful physical traits. A high-neck ruffled collar reflects the pre-bloom collar that will have opened up to create a fabulous skirt. The statement brooch is a nod to her current accommodations at the Cockrell Butterfly Center.  The other Gothic accessories? Well, she is the Corpse Flower after all!




Ready for Her Close-up
Ready for Her Close-up
by melgarzaallen


This is Lois' coming out party ensemble.  Lois has her own fabulous ruffled aubergine skirt, so she just needs something to top it off along with some blingy blingy.  She's a diva that's bigger than life! 

If you wanna keep up with Lois' progress, check out the HMNS blog, Beyond Bones. You can also peruse Lois' photo album  which is updated daily and gives you a great sense of her rate of growth.  And of course, there's the live Funkwatch webcam. A side note: When you're visiting Lois, remember the world is watching (truly, there was a guy on there last night from New Zealand) so make sure you wear your cutest outfit!  This is history, chickadees!

By the way, Lois' less attractive older cousin Perry is also causing a ruckus in Minnesota.  He's on deck to bloom next.

2 comments:

  1. Used to live in Houston. We went to the museum every three or four months. I would have loved this. Even in the wild they only bloom every 25 or 30 years. I think . . .

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  2. I don't go as often as I should, but I just love the Butterfly Center. My sister, mom and I try to go when they have the adopt-a-butterfly event. We adopt butterflies in memory of my grandma and release them inside the habitat.

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