Eclipse isn’t the only unique natural event Washington may experience Monday

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/solar-eclipse-isnt-the-only-unique-event-washington-area-may-experience/2017/08/19/2a05ba6e-8534-11e7-902a-2a9f2d808496_story.html

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Washington may never be more closely concerned with the sights, sounds and yes, smells of the natural world than on Monday.

Multitudes will probably stare at the sky as the moon eclipses 81 percent of the sun.

At the National Zoo, officials have closed part of the giant panda habitat to provide quiet for Mei Xiang, who may be pregnant, the zoo said.

They said she is building a nest, sleeps more and reacts to loud noises. Her appetite has declined. Along with a secondary hormone rise, these are all indications of a possible pregnancy.

Meanwhile, at the U.S. Botanic Garden at the foot of Capitol Hill, three so-called corpse flowers are about to bloom, officials said. For this plant, each bloom is an event. As much as 10 years may pass between them.

Garden officials said this appears to be the first time in North America for an institution to have three blooming simultaneously.

In this case, the blooms are expected sometime from Sunday to Wednesday, making Monday an obvious possibility.

In bloom, the plants demonstrate great size, with one now more than 8 feet tall. They are also celebrated for a putrid smell.