The NY Botanical Garden's Enid A. Haupt Conservatory

You enter the conservatory building through the palm house at the center, that's where I snapped the above photo of an Alcantarea imperialis (Vriesea imperialis). There were many interesting palms, but they were rather tall, and the horizontal ground plane so small, that I couldn't get a good photo of any of them. Instead I quickly veered left into the land of bromeliads, ferns and such. Honestly I could not find a good informational source for how the conservatory greenhouses are laid out. I just wandered and appreciated.
Bromeliads (Quesnelia marmorata 'Tim Plowman') growing on the trunk of a palm. Yes please!

Bromeliad covered branches arching over the walkway.

Hello epiphytes!

So now the direction of my travels changed completely because I needed to find the restroom, which was smack dab in the middle of the fall mum display to the right of the palm house entry. The mum display area was rather crowded and I had no desire to be a part of it. I did pause long enough to snap a photo of the mosaic plant, Ludwigia sedioides.
Another plant I love that the damn raccoons have made it impossible for me to grow.
Moving on from the mums I came across some ginormous staghorn ferns, this one a Platycerium willinckii cultivar.
Oh! And over there another Alcantarea imperialis, this one blooming.


Isn't it stunning?
There were several carnivorous plants in a case (visible in the background of the photo above), one of them Brocchinia reducta, a carnivorous bromeliad. I really need to add this plant to my bromeliad collection.
Walking through the next door you entered the desert. I knew there was still a lot of rainforest to see, but I also didn't want to have to backtrack through the mum display, so I just kept moving forward hoping the buildings would eventually connect (they did!).
Cyphostemma juttae

Check out that tree-like opuntia!
Cleistocactus icosagonus
Such a crazy plant!
With fabulous flowers.
This transition display—between desert and rainforest—was very striking.

I wish there had been some sort of signage though, explaining the concept of the display.
An underground walkway connected the two conservatory wings, I was leaving the desert and walking back into the rainforest. I loved this signage as it kind of defines my garden aesthetic. 
If you're curious learn more here: Elaphoglossum – the deer tongue ferns.


I briefly grew this adorable fern, or one very like it. Mine was a Neolepisorus truncatus 'Lemon Lime' from Evan. It lasted a little over a year, but finally decided I wasn't worthy.

Sphyrospermum buxifolium
It's a tropical blueberry.
There's another elaphoglossum tucked in there.
Elaphoglossum vestitum

I briefly stepped out into the courtyard to get a little fresh air and soak up the sun. What a beautiful day!
Back inside now and admiring a trio of very happy vines. The first a passionflower that I didn't get definitive ID on.
Then...
Thunbergia mysorensis, the Mysore trumpet vine.

And the last one, Aristolochia gigantea.


My final photo from inside the conservatory (click here for my look at the garden's grounds), Tacca integrifolia, the white bat flower. Pretty fabulous!

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