Like sentinels standing guard, these towering stalks are flowers of the queen of the Andes, the world"s largest bromeliad—some specimens can grow up to 50 feet tall. This extraordinary plant has adapted to grow only in the adverse conditions found on the high slopes of the Bolivian and Peruvian Andes. To see several of them in bloom at once is truly special, for the queen of the Andes sends up her flowering stalk just once, after a century or so of painstaking growth. A single plant will bloom for about three months, producing anywhere from 8,000 to 20,000 flowers, then die.
Mountains fit for a queen
Today in History
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Walk the line
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Ardez, Graubunden, Switzerland
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National Hummingbird Day
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Wooden path to Kennedy Lake, Vancouver Island, Canada
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Star Wars Day
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A hero for the 21st century
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Waiting for winter
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Flamingos of the Chilean desert
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Monet still makes an impression
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Staring down winter
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National Merry-Go-Round Day
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A dreamy start to the Year of the Pig
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An Alpine fairy-tale castle
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It s time for spring
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Mount Rainier National Park
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Happy Halloween!
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A narrow passage
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Happy Cinco de Mayo!
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World Bee Day
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Back to the nest
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Zoroaster Temple, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona
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World Population Day
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Evidence of human habitation
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Celebrating World Art Day
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Petroglyphs near Fruita in Capitol Reef National Park, Utah
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Al-Khazneh in Petra, Jordan
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Celebrating National Dentist Day
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Wadden Sea coast, Friesland, Netherlands
Bing Wallpaper Gallery

