Monday, March 9, 2026

Disambiguation of Plant Names: Goat's Beard, Indian Paintbrush, Coneflower, and Yucca

More than a few plants share a common name. Sometimes the plants are similar, sometimes very different. Following a previous disambiguation blog (link) I'll bring some more of those to your attention so you remember to be careful to check which plant is being called by that name. In this post: goat's beard, Indian paintbrush, coneflower, and yucca. 

Indian paintbrush, Castilleja species
Indian paintbrush, Castilleja species

Sunday, March 1, 2026

Bat Pollination

Bats are important pollinators in the tropics. 

Epiphyllum, bat-pollinated cactus
Queen of the night, Epiphyllum oxypetalum, bat-pollinated cactus
of the American tropics, now grown all over the world.
 Fitbit mini for scale. Flowers can be 12" long and 12" across