Random plant event: return of the liverworts

Another picture of "blooming" liverworts, but this time it's the boys' turn. The earlier post was a picture of the female gametophytes, which look like tiny little palm trees; these are the males. Which also look like tiny little trees, but it's harder to see them as any particular type of tree. They're more like a little kid's drawing of a tree: trunk plus round bumpy thing on top.

(I recommend opening the picture in a new window.)
I know my sympathies are actually supposed to lie with the perennials, the pots' rightful owners. And maybe they would be, if the perennials were taking better care of themselves. I mean, I know it's kind of my job to take care of them, but . . . well, with some of them, I get the feeling that they're not interested in meeting me halfway, even. The liverworts, at least, are always green, pretty much take care of themselves, don't mind being overwatered, and use the space that the perennials don't want. What's not to love?

I don't know if it'd be possible to try to grow some indoors or not: maybe in a terrarium? My last terrarium attempt (with tropical plants) didn't work so well. Light and air circulation might be important. And maybe they have to have a winter dormancy? I suppose I won't know unless I try. I'll see what I can do.

Random plant event: liverworts doing . . . some liverworty thing

I've decided to declare liverworts officially cool. There will be no bad-mouthing of liverworts on my blog, even if they aren't ferns. 'Cause check this shit out (I recommend opening the picture in a new window):


I know there's a lot happening in that picture, but - they're flowering. Or whatever liverworts do. They don't flower, they . . . well, I don't actually know the technical term for whatever this is. I know gametophyting doesn't sound right. (See abovelinked Wikipedia article for a sort of explanation of what's going on.) But it's awesome, in any case. Some kind of very small tropical island, as imagined by Dr. Seuss.

Why we kept this around in the first place, I don't know. Originally there was a perennial in the pot, and there may still be the remains of one: I'm not sure what that sort of grassy-looking stuff is on the left. I'm glad we're not super-organized: if we threw stuff out when it was no longer sellable all the time, I'd never have gotten to see this.