Upon entering the "jungle", i felt like i was walking through a portal into another world. The gentle trickle of a waterfall and the searing heat are the first things I notice. Walking in from the cold Iowa winter is like a mini vacation into a tropical rainforest. Giant green plants are towering over head, and even though the greenhouse is pretty small, I feel like i could get lost in the exotic plant life. As I walk into a side room, there is an average looking plant that I almost overlook. When i just glance at this plant I see the relatively normal big green leaves; nothing special. I start to move on to more interesting flora. As i start to walk away i do a double take; sprouting from the heart of the average looking leaves comes bright magenta feelers. Like pink caterpillars taking a nap on the broad leaves. I am no scientist, but I am not sure what evolutionary advantage these feelers serve. That is what makes this plant so interesting. This plant from exotic Malaysia makes you take a closer look. It doesn't shout weirdness like other rainforest plants, instead the weirdness is more subtle. This flora requires a few seconds of your time for you to really see what makes this plant so unique.

What reading have you enjoyed the most?

My favorite reading so far has probably been Teddy Roosevelt's speech at the Grand Canyon. I really liked how Teddy was traveling to a lot of different places, so he really didnt have a speech prepard when he came to the Grand Canyon. He just really said what he felt. He talked about how we need to keep it how it is, because mankind cannot improve upon it. That reminds me of how they wanted to shine flashing lights up on the falls, it just would ruin the landscape. I like how he said we need to keep it and protect it for our children, and their children. I like how even in the early 1900's, he still had the same idea alot of us have today about nature.