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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It’s World Migratory Bird Day
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Nha Phu Bay, Nha Trang, Vietnam
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A silent witness to history
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National Park Week: Everglades National Park
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Of moles and liquid nitrogen
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Square Tower House in Mesa Verde National Park
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Don’t get lost in there
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Celebrating the first day of spring
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Bowling Ball Beach in Mendocino County, California
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A light at the edge of the world
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Tour de France
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An aviation celebration
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The Grand Départ: Tour de France begins
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The Bahamas
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Great Backyard Bird Count
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Angkor, Cambodia
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All Rhodes lead to the beach
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Chapel of St. Michel on Lake Serre-Ponçon, Hautes-Alpes, France
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It s tree-climbing season
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In praise of the pipes
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Ice and Snow Sailing World Championships
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Busy building wetlands
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National Merry-Go-Round Day
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The last thing seen by Wile E. Coyote
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The borrowed days are here
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Hemingway’s Keys
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Arrone in Umbria, Italy
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Taiwan yuhinas in Alishan National Scenic Area
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Rising up from the black sand like rock gods
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St. James Tidal Pool, Cape Town, South Africa