Did you know that BatCat’s workroom is home to many green, leafy, and spiky friends?
It all started with “Half-Dead Joe” back in 2016. When Half-Dead Joe came to us, he had already been through a lot: he spent his childhood on a kitchen table, but was then banished to live outside on a deck. When the weather turned, he almost froze to death, and that’s when he was brought to live in a sunny spot on our windowsill. Since then, he’s been entirely revitalized, and even has a girlfriend now! With water, sunshine, and a bit of love, Half-Dead Joe not only began to flourish, but inspired a revolution. Plants now line our windowsills, and since they’ve become vital members of BatCat, we figured it was only right to give them a proper introduction.
Half-Dead Joe
The original BatCat plant that came back from the dead! We believe he is a Jade plant. Half-Dead Joe is fully alive these days, but stays true to his roots (haha get it, roots) and will keep his name, serving as an inspiring reminder that even when you’ve reached a low point or a “half-dead” state, you can still make a come back.
Not-Mary
Half-Dead Joe’s girlfriend, Not-Mary, moved into his pot late last year.
Torie, a 2018 graduate, brought in this little Mother Of Millions (that’s the plant species!), but she didn’t have a pot! So we decided to introduce her to Joe. They’ve gotten very close, but like all couples, they have their issues. Sometimes, Not-Mary takes all the water for herself and leaves Joe out to dry, but despite their differences, Not-Mary and Half-Dead Joe are plant partners for life!
Greenbean Betty
Named for her appearance, Greenbean Betty’s plant species is unknown, but we think she may be what’s called a “Sansevieria Canaliculata” (according to a an app I found that takes pictures of plants and tells you their species). When Mrs. Baringer first brought Betty home to the BatCat room she had eight arms (Stems? Stalks? There’s been some internal debate about this), but she went from eight to seven in a tragic accident which is too gruesome to recount at this time. However, despite her trauma, Greenbean Betty has overcome her challenges and is now living a happy plant life.
Olivia the Solar Plant
We don’t remember where this little dancing solar plant came from, but we named it Olivia because we’ve had a history of very good “Olivia”s on BatCat, and it’s our tribute to them. This solar-powered plant dances on no matter what happens. While not a natural plant, our adopted solar baby feels right at home.
Clorox, a Floral Cacti, Dolly Parton, a Fasciated Hawthoria, and Pants, a Panda Plant are all fellow residents (and are all, coincidentally, from the same homeland: Trader Joe’s). Our windowsill is a very welcoming community, so we expect to see more plants moving in as the school year develops.
Our plants are watered with half-empty water bottles left behind by students, of which we have plenty. This system allows for no water to go to waste and for our plants to get an efficient amount of water. Usually. There are ten students on staff, so sometimes one of us remembers to water the plants. Luckily, most of them are species of cactus or succulent, so they can thrive despite the forgetfulness of high school students.
One day we hope to run BatCat out of a jungle (or maybe just a greenhouse because jungles are hot and humid and have bugs and that’s no fun).
Written by Alexa Bocek, BatCat Press staff member.
BatCat Press 