Instant Successes: Volunteer Park Conservatory

     The Volunteer Park Conservatory has long been one of my favorite places to take photos.  Built in the early 1900s, it is in need of some money and renovations, but it is still a beautiful place, and their money and time clearly goes toward upkeep of their extensive flora collection.  The room I most find myself drawn to, which is usually the most crowded, is the cactus & succulent room.  These spiny little guys look pretty out of place in our soppy city, but they sure are well taken care of!  This photo was actually taken in a different room: the Fern House.  This is one of the more humid rooms in the conservatory, so I took a nice, foggy picture with my SX-70.  I always get some interesting looks when I bring one of these blasts from the past out around all the DSLR toting married couples in this place, but I guess telling people that the Impossible Project is selling new film is half the fun of using Polaroid cameras anyway, right?

     I should have written down the name of this plant, but was too caught up in how awesome the "skin" looked on it.  Like dinosaur skin.  I'll try to remember to walk back over there to write it down.

The Fern House
Taken with SX-70 on Impossible PX 70

     The little ripple effects were an unexpected thing.  I'm guessing that was from the steam on the lens.  Or ghosts.

Update: This plant is Amorphophallus Titanum.  None other than our friend the "Corpse Flower."  Even though it's one of the most treasured possessions of the conservatory, and I have marveled at it in the past, I guess I didn't recognize it without its reeking spadix.