Magnolia 2 Traditional Cache
Scaber: I have moved from the area and am no longer able to maintain this cache. This will open up the area for new caches to be placed. Thank you to all who have visited.
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(micro)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
I have been noticing an increase in the planting of ornamental magnolias recently. This cache is a park and grab and should not be difficult. There is no need to tramp on the little guys underneath. Please conserve log space by writing small. Please replace in exact location found. The cache is dedicated to the long surviving magnolia tree.
Magnolia is an ancient genus. Having evolved before bees appeared, the flowers developed to encourage pollination by beetles. As a result, the carpels of Magnolia flowers are tough, to avoid damage by eating and crawling beetles. Fossilised specimens of M. acuminata have been found dating to 20 million years ago, and of plants identifiably belonging to the Magnoliaceae dating back to 95 million years ago. Another primitive aspect of Magnolias is their lack of distinct sepals or petals. The term tepal has been coined to refer to the intermediate element that Magnolia has instead. Magnolia is a large genus of about 210 flowering plant species in the subfamily Magnolioideae of the family Magnoliaceae.
The genus is named after Pierre Magnol, a botanist from Montpellier in France.
The natural range of Magnolia species is rather scattered. It includes eastern North America, Central America and the West Indies and east and southeast Asia. Some species are found in South America. Relations in the family Magnoliaceae have long been puzzling taxonomists. Because the family is quite old and has survived many geological events (such as ice ages, mountain formation and continental drift), its distribution has become scattered. Today many species of Magnolia and an ever increasing number of hybrids can also be found as ornamental trees in large parts of North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
Magnolias are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Giant Leopard Moth.
The Magnolia is the official state flower of both Mississippi and Louisiana. Mississippi's state nickname is the "Magnolia State", because of the abundance of magnolias in the state. The magnolia is also the official state tree of Mississippi.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Ab arrq gb genzcyr gur fuehooerl. Ovfba