Joshua Tree National Park is located in southeastern California. Declared a U.S. National Park in 1994 when the U.S. Congress passed the California Desert Protection Act. The park encompasses nearly 800,000 acres of the Mojave and Colorado Deserts, conserving two separate desert ecosystems at different altitudes. The name of the park is derived from the distinctive Joshua Tree, a tall-growing variety of the yucca genus that grows prevalently within its boundaries. In the higher Mojave portion of the national park, a forest of the strange Joshua Trees and a number of unique rock formations called Inselbergs are protected. In the lower Colorado portion, the Pinto Basin exhibits the typical plants of this hotter Sonoran Desert.

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The annual garden spectacular will feature around 40 meticulously-created sculptures from over 200 horticultural artists from Europe, Asia, the Americas, the Middle East and Africa. They form an awe-inspiring 2km circuit through the Botanical Gardens in Montreal which will feature over three million plants. The sculptures will be showcased in 10 exhibition greenhouses and 30 themed gardens at the Montréal Botanical Garden until 29 September.

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Carnivorous plants gain some of their nutrients from trapping and consuming animals or protozoans, typically insects and other arthropods. Carnivorous plants may be subdivided into 2 major groups, first with passive traps and the second with active traps. Drosera is covered with dense, gland-tipped hairs. Several tiny midge flies are stuck to the sticky hairs. They will be slowly, enzymatically digested and absorbed by the plant.

credit: mrAlmond

credit: mrAlmond

credit: mrAlmond

credit: rhillier