keeping cool

Barry Meyers-Rice (barry@as.arizona.edu)
Wed, 22 Jun 94 08:33:28 MST

>Darlingtonia near Davis! Wow. It gets hot out there. I didn't know
>they grew this far south. But it's also pretty humid. I'm not
>surprised they're in a swamp. The whole San Juaquin Valley used to be
>a swamp before they turned it into farmland. Well, if they grow there,
>too, I guess I could grow them outside where I live. I'm going to give
>it a shot next year.

Steve, maybe it gets hot near Davis (where our esteemed email colleague
D.Britt calls home), but the Darlingtonia are up in the mountains, around
8000 feet. It is distinctly not so hot there. The plants are not growing in
a swamp, but rather a hillside seep. As I noted a long time ago, the most
vigorous plants were growing in shade that my camera's light-meter told me
was 1/30th full sun intensity.

I don't think the Valley was a swamp, rather a floodplain.

Hey all terrarium owners out there... Yesterday I went to an electronic
supply warehouse (bigger than a typical Radio-Shack). They had dozens of
small fans ranging from about 4 cm diameter to 15 cm diameter. Some operated
on 12V DC, others operated on 110V AC. These things are small, very quiet,
and are just the thing for blowing over your fluorescent fixtures to keep
them cool. I'm incorporating one in a wood terrarium hood I'm making.
These things cost $5--25 US, depending upon the frills you want and if you're
willing to buy second-hand equipment.

Barry