flowers Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

The Mosquito And The Northwest Orchid: A Love Story. Sort Of.

By Erin Ross February 11, 2020

A mosquito feeds from a blunt-leaf orchid. The yellow balls attached to its antenna are balls of pollen, or pollinia. CREDIT: Kiley Riffell

Don’t feel bad for not noticing the blunt-leaf orchid. Native to bogs in the Pacific Northwest among other places, this unassuming little flower is easy to miss. It’s green all over like the moss it grows out of — right down to its green flowers.Read More

It’s Alive! Corpse Flower Unleashes Rare Bloom, Big Stink At WSU Vancouver

By Molly Solomon July 16, 2019

People take a look at the stinky corpse flower Titan VanCoug on the Washington State University campus in Vancouver, Wash., Tuesday, July 16, 2019. CREDIT: Cheyenne Thorpe/OPB

The Titan arum plant, also known as the corpse flower, began its bloom Monday night just before 8 p.m. The window to smell its signature odor is brief, lasting just 24 to 48 hours.Read More

Rare Corpse Flower To Release Its Foul Stench At WSU Vancouver

By Molly Solomon July 13, 2019

Washington State University Vancouver associate professor of molecular biosciences Steve Sylvester planted the corpse flower seed 18 years ago at the Salmon Creek, Wash., campus. CREDIT: MOLLY SOLOMON/OPB

With the name corpse flower, this rare, tropical plant set to bloom at Washington State University Vancouver has quite the reputation to live up to. “People describe the smell as a mix of rotten fish and dirty socks,” said Steve Sylvester, associate professor of molecular biosciences at the Salmon Creek, Washington, campus.Read More

In The Mountain West, Spring Is Springing Sooner, Throwing Nature’s Rhythm Out Of Whack

By NPR News July 24, 2018

A yellow-bellied marmot keeps an eye out while it gets a bite to eat. Related to groundhogs, yellow-bellied marmots are getting fatter and bigger because of the longer growing season brought on by climate change. CREDIT: Nathan Rott - NPR

A warming climate is knocking nature's rhythms out of sync. High in the Rocky Mountains, scientists have been tracking the impact for decades.Read More