Foul-smelling corpse flower reaches peak bloom as crowds line up in Massachusetts
The amorphophallus titanum, or corpse flower, only blooms once every 10 years for a 24-hour period. The flower, named Eliza, can currently be seen at the Massachusetts Horticultural Society in Dover.
Experts said the flower grows from a seed, one big tall leaf per year, for about 10 years. Then it literally heats up, creating a gas inside, and then opens.
The Massachusetts Horticultural Society was open Sunday night until midnight for people who came to see and smell the flower.
"I came because it's a rare event and I always thought it'd be neat to see one of these rare flowers," said visitor Shari Wall. "The smell is not easy to take, it's kind of like a hot garbage can!"
"It smells like rotting diapers. Though I hear when it gets hotter, it's more stinkier, so I'm glad I'm here when it's cooler," said visitor Isaac Verardo.
Wheaton College grew the corpse flower in their research greenhouse in nearby Norton. In the middle of summer, no one would be on-campus to experience it, so the Massachusetts Horticultural Society agreed to host the event.
Anyone interested in braving the flower's rancid smell can visit the Massachusetts Horticultural Society starting Monday at 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. Timed tickets are required to view the flower and can be purchased on their website.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
Tarantulas are on the move and will swarm during mating season in certain states
Tarantula mating season is here — and if you're in the Southwest, you might see hordes of these fist-sized spiders marching across the landscape. From late summer through fall, male tarantulas emerge from their burrows on a singular mission: to find a female and mate before they die, experts say. "These males ... they've been alive for five to eight years," Cara Shillington, a biology professor who studies tarantulas at Eastern Michigan University, told Fox News Digital. (See the video at the top of this article.) "They have one mating season. At the end of the season, they will die." This means that if you see a tarantula out and about between August and October, you're witnessing its grand finale — the final act in a long, hidden life underground. "Tarantulas are less active during the cooler months, spending this time dormant in their burrows," Paul Biggs, a board-certified entomologist and technical services manager at Orkin, told Fox News Digital. "Because of the harsh environmental conditions, they take shelter and conserve energy during this time," added Biggs, who is based in Riverside, California. Tarantulas are commonly found across the Southern and Southwestern U.S., including in these states and areas: In some areas, their movements are so noticeable that the Colorado Parks and Wildlife website refers to it as "a migration." "They're more scared of you than you are of them." Southeastern Colorado even hosts an annual Tarantula Festival in the town of La Junta, Shillington noted. Tarantulas don't just live on forest floors. The Colorado species also thrives in trees and prairie grasslands, said Shillington. "In Colorado, they are in very distinct burrows. In Missouri, you find them more frequently under rocks," she said. The spiders' ability to burrow depends on the soil, the expert noted. For example, hard clay makes digging tough, so some may opt for hiding under natural cover. First, don't panic. Tarantulas are not aggressive and prefer to avoid confrontation. "Tarantulas don't pose any threat at all," Shillington told Fox News Digital. She noted that "they're more scared of you than you are of them." The arachnids rarely bite, and if they do, it's a defensive move, which is why it's best not to try to pick one up or mess with it. "Any time you try to grab it, the first thing it'll do is try and run," said Shillington. "They respond to anything trying to grab them as a threat." If you find one in your home, trap it in a large container and take it outside, said Shillington. Biggs cautioned against using pest products, which may "make the situation worse." He advised, "If you can contain it to one area in the meantime, do so without physically handling it." Even though tarantulas are well-known in popular culture, and even as pets, scientists still have many unanswered questions. "We actually know very little," Shillington admitted. "I don't know when exactly they first come out or what prompts them. I have no idea how far they are walking to find females." For more Lifestyle articles, visit She and her team are working to track activity across tarantula territory to better understand how the spider's behavior changes over time.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Indiana State professor contributes to climate change research on tropical forests
An Indiana State University professor has contributed to climate change research indicating drought pressure may jeopardize the growth of tropical forests. The research was published Thursday in Science, a global, peer-reviewed scientific journal. Projections suggest that as climates get warmer and drier, this could impact the density of tropical rainforests, according to the global study, which includes contributions from James Speer, professor of geography and geology at Indiana State University. He worked alongside an international team of researchers from North America, Africa, Europe and Asia. In the global study, scientists studied tree rings from 483 tropical forests in Africa, Central and North America, and Southeast Asia to see how drought affects tree growth and how that might impact the ability for trees to store carbon long-term. The findings showed that, during the driest 10% of years since 1930, tree growth dropped by about 2.5%. In around a quarter of the cases, the drop was over 10%, especially in hotter, drier areas and for certain types of trees. Speer has dedicated over 30 years to dendrochronology, the study of tree rings, to uncover historical climate patterns and ecological changes. His work focuses on sub-Saharan Africa, a region critical to global climate science yet vastly underrepresented in tree-ring records. Of the more than 5,000 records in the International Tree-Ring Data Bank, only five were from sub-Saharan Africa when the team began their research. Through their collaborative efforts, that number has now increased to 25. Since 2021, Speer has helped launch and lead dendrochronology field schools in Zambia in partnership with Justine Ngoma, lecturer and researcher at Copperbelt University. These schools, now in their fifth year, train local students and scientists in tree-ring analysis and have played a key role in this research. To support this research, Speer recently received a $319,165 grant from the National Science Foundation. This is part of a larger collaborative project totaling $550,000, in partnership with Matt Becker (Brigham Young University), Stockton Maxwell (Radford University), and Nicole Zampieri (Central Florida University). Together, the team is expanding their field school model and research capacity across the region. 'Sub-Saharan Africa holds vital climate records locked within its trees, yet it's one of the least studied regions in dendrochronology,' said Speer. 'Through this collaborative research, we're not only expanding the global understanding of climate change, but also building local capacity through education and collaboration. Working with such rich biodiversity is a fantastic opportunity to document ecological resilience over time.' Melinda Roberts, dean of ISU's College of Arts and Sciences, added, 'Dr. Speer's work exemplifies the kind of globally relevant, high-impact research we are proud to support at Indiana State University.' The study found that while drought can temporarily slow tree growth, tropical forests have typically rebounded in wetter years — showing resilience so far. But as global temperatures continue to rise, researchers caution this recovery may not last. Looking ahead, Speer and his team aim to expand the project to other African countries, including Kenya and Botswana, to build a more complete network of climate data that can help predict future environmental change. Solve the daily Crossword
New York Times
2 hours ago
- New York Times
Legionnaires' Outbreak in Harlem Kills 2 and Sickens More Than 50
Two people have died and more than 50 have been sickened in a fast-growing outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in Central Harlem that has health officials still searching for the source more than a week after people began turning up ill. Legionnaires' disease is a form of pneumonia caused by the Legionella bacterium, which thrives in warm, stagnant water. In New York City, many of the outbreaks are caused by water vapor spewed from rooftop cooling towers. The bacteria can float along on water vapor for sometimes thousands of feet before someone inhales the pathogen and is sickened, researchers believe. Most healthy people don't become sick after being exposed to the bacteria. But many people are vulnerable, including older adults, smokers and people with chronic diseases and compromised immune systems. On average, about 200 to 500 people annually are diagnosed with Legionnaires' disease in New York, and they generally require hospitalization. Just over a dozen die each year. The disease got its name from a 1976 convention in Philadelphia held by the American Legion, the veterans' organization, that resulted in a huge outbreak of mysterious pneumonia cases. Months later, scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed the cause: a never-before-identified bacterium, now called Legionella. Scientists quickly realized that it was responsible for tens of thousands of cases of pneumonia each year. The number has only grown. New York has an especially high rate of cases. Many cases trace back to mist emanating from cooling towers atop buildings, which play a critical role in cooling systems. Warm water is piped to the rooftop cooling tower, where fans cool the water through evaporation, sending the mist into the environment. If not properly maintained, the cooling towers can become incubators for the Legionella bacteria, which thrive in warm, standing water. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
