Denver Botanic Gardens the following announcement on March 12.
CAN YOU DIG IT? by Horticulturist Mike Holloway
#DYK that unlike money, nurseries really do grow on trees? The Neoregelia ‘Red Code’ bromeliad and other bromeliads act as perfect nurseries for tree frogs in tropical rain forests. Many bromeliads are epiphytic plants, meaning they grow on tree branches. The broad, flat leaves form a central cup or tank that collects water; creating an inviting pool for baby tree frogs. The black and blue poison arrow frog, which you can see in two terrariums in the Boettcher Memorial Tropical Conservatory, is one of the many tree frog species that rely on bromeliads.
After the female lays her eggs on the forest floor, the male fertilizes them. When tadpoles hatch, the male carries them on his back up into the tree canopy and deposits them in the bromeliad pools. The bromeliads are none worse for the wear and benefit from the increased nitrogen levels created by frog poop. Win win!
Original source can be found here.
Source: Denver Botanic Gardens
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