The Cockrell Butterfly Center has a plant that’s about to make a big stink! Her name is Meg, named after the prehistoric Megalodon shark featured at the museum’s new SHARKS! exhibit. Meg is an Amorphophallus titanum, also called the Titan Arum but more commonly known as the corpse flower. You might remember our most famous […]
Now that the holiday season is upon us, let’s get to know a plant commonly associated with the festivities, the Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima). Native to Mexico, they are known as ‘Flor de la Noche Buena’, or ‘Flower of the Holy Night’. Poinsettias are members of the Spurge family, Euphorbiaceae. A little fact: Euphorbia is named […]
Most reading this are familiar with the life cycle of a butterfly. An egg is laid on its host plant, the egg hatches into a caterpillar, the caterpillar eats the plant, the caterpillar forms a chrysalis, and then an adult butterfly emerges to continue the cycle. It’s easy to think of the plants in this […]
The plant cart in the museum is a great place to find some interesting plants and Greenhouse Manager Soni Holladay has curated a list of what you may want to grab on your next trip to the HMNS Museum Store. We regularly stock the cart with blooming annuals and perennials that feed pollinators like native […]
It’s that time of year. Insects of all kinds are emerging from their winter slumber to seek food, shelter, and a safe place to have their babies, and secure the next generation of their species. These are the basic needs of insects. You may be wondering, why should I care? They are just bugs. Well, […]
By Jeff Cummins, Horticulturalist at the Cockrell Butterfly Center A sea of green surrounds people living in even the most urban environments, and yet almost nobody can see truly the plants. We see the trees, manicured hedges, or notice when our neighbor has taken a little too long to mow the lawn, but that’s […]
If you live in Texas, then chances are you might have had a brush or two with poison ivy. I know I have! It’s a sneaky unassuming vine that can cause weeks of itchy blister-filled anguish. Poison ivy, Toxicodendron radicans, belongs in the family Anacardiaceae, more commonly known as the sumac and cashew family. Can […]
We all know that after a trip to the museum, you walk away armed with knowledge, filled with wonder and inspired to learn even more. But, let’s be honest, it’s pretty nice to get a new prof pic out of the whole endeavor. Our new exhibit Death by Natural Causes is packed with information about […]
For the last couple months few visitors to HMNS Sugar Land have been able to traverse the hallway between our dig pit and the snack bar without stopping to admire the beautiful collection of photos visiting us courtesy of Fotofest. Even the most hangry of children, on their way to satisfy their appetite at one […]
Intro: Decomposition can have a bad reputation. We usually think of something smelly and rotting away, but decomposition is essential for the soil. It breaks down old plant matter to return nutrients to plant, trees, and shrubs. Composting is one way that you can help increase the natural decomposition happening below our feet, […]
