Springtime at UC Botanical Garden, Berkeley

Springtime at UC Botanical Garden in Berkeley can't be beat. The showstopper right now is Puya beteroana. It's from Chile and is related to the pineapple.  Very large multi-flowered stalks attract birds that sit on the green spikes and dip their beaks in to sip the abundant nectar. Unwitting pollinators, their heads become dusted with bright orange pollen. According to the web, the Puya takes many years to flower and then dies . . . alternative facts . . . a garden docent tells me the Puya blooms are better this year than last. Nature is mysterious. Don't believe everything you read.