Did You Notice The Hole in Nicholas Conservatory’s Corpse Flower?

I have a very sensitive nose, (and stomach), so I was too worried I'd puke if I visited Rockford's Nicholas Conservatory while their resident Corpse Flower, Grimace, was blooming. (Feel free to make fun of me). I may have been too weak to check it out in person, but that doesn't mean I wasn't fascinated by the process.

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Last week I was glued to the live videos and pictures shared on Nicholas Conservatory's Facebook, but seeing them left me with one big question; why the heck is there a big hole in the side of it?

That hole is obviously not natural, so why is it there? To make sure the rotting aroma of the flower fully permeates the Conservatory to give us the full experience? No. It turns out the hole has a very important and scientific reason for being there...

Big thanks to the Nicholas Conservatory for explaining the purpose of the hole, and for ensuring the world will have plenty of stinky Corpse Flower blooming years ahead. If you're wondering how ole Grimace is doing now that he has bloomed at the Nicholas Conservatory, he has officially collapsed and got a pretty dapper haircut on Sunday...

Grimace may be resting now at Nicholas Conservatory and Gardens, but they still have plenty of cool carnivorous plants in their Savage Gardens exhibit to check out today and don't forget Food Truck Tuesdays is still in full swing at the Conservatory every week through November 2, 2021.