Name this plant

Double divas? Corpse Flower Lois makes room for a baby sister with bloomingthoughts

Corpse Flower Lois wasn't expecting a little sister to roll into town.
My infant sibling.

There's a new member of the greenhouse family at the Houston Museum of Natural Science: Another corpse flower! While I'm never one to share the spotlight, I've kept busy making preparations for the one-year anniversary of the launch of revolutionary Twitter account on Tuesday (I say we attach it to Bastille Day on Thursday and call this entire week a mandatory holiday).

Still, dealing with the larger family has introduced a few trials. As soon as her terra cotta highness strolled into the greenhouse, the seeds of jealousy were planted. I found myself framing my sibling for petty crimes and putting her up for sale on eBay (no bids).

Needless to say, horticulturalist Zac Stayton was not amused when I stole his car keys and locked the new flower in the backseat during a week-long spree at Urban Retreat. I've been yearning for the Friday launch of Mixers & Elixirs, so I could return to the company of my potty trained peers.

But I'm learning to share. Meanwhile, I've been recruited to spread the word that the new flora is lacking a proper moniker. So, it's up to my millions of fans to suggest a fitting name.

As soon as her terra cotta highness strolled into the greenhouse, the seeds of jealousy were planted. I found myself framing my sibling for petty crimes and putting her up for sale on eBay (no bids).

To get in your two cents, leave a comment on the HMNS blog. Entries are due by Friday. On July 18, the finalists will be posted, at which point you can vote for your favorite. The name will be announced on my bloomday, July 25.

I know I'm a queen, but I thoroughly endorse this democratic plan. Best of all, the contributor of the winning entry will receive a tour of my celebrity lair. It'll be like an episode of Lifestyles of the Stinky and Famous. I'm even including a free museum membership.

Here are some personal, unofficial ground rules for candidates:

No double names; that's trashy.
The more accents in the name, the better.
The name "Clark" is out. I've already had enough legal run-ins with Marvel Comics.
No duplicates of my staff, past and present. That includes Zac, Diego, Ellie and my astrologist Kelli.
No gemstones (Diamond, Amethyst, Amber, etc.).

Time will tell what role the lil corpse flower will play in the local social circuit. Will she be like Solange Knowles, the quirky younger sister of Beyoncé whose career was dashed thanks to an unwanted teenage pregnancy? Or will she be the Hilary Duff to my Haley, and eclipse my seemingly unattainable level of celebrity? Will she ever bloom?

Surely her name will play some factor in her destiny. Choose wisely.

unspecified

room for improvement

Houston has work to do on ranking of America's fittest cities for 2026

Photo by Gabin Vallet on Unsplash

About 74 percent of Houstonians have exercised in the past month.

Houstonians are more fit than they used to be, but the city still needs to hit the gym. The Bayou City ranks in the middle of the pack in a ranking of America's fittest cities.

This year’s American Fitness Index puts Houston at No. 44 among the country’s 100 most populated cities, up from 49th place last year. Houston ranks 26th in the personal health category and a disappointing 64th in the community and environment category.

The index shows 74 percent of Houston residents had exercised in the previous month, 57 percent had met aerobic activity guidelines, and 33 percent had met aerobic and strength activity guidelines. The first two of those numbers are below the 100-city averages.

The Elevance Health Foundation and the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) produce the annual index, which they say combines measures of personal health behavior, chronic disease outcomes, community infrastructure, and environmental factors “to provide a comprehensive picture of how well cities promote fitness and well-being.”

Arlington, Virginia, tops the index, followed by Washington, D.C.; Minneapolis; Seattle; and Denver. The Dallas suburb of Plano takes the top Texas spot at No. 12 nationally.

“The cities that consistently rank at the top aren’t succeeding because of one program or one investment,” Stella Volpe, past president of ACSM and chair of the Fitness Index Advisory Board, says in a press release. “They’ve built systems that support healthier living over time. They are the ones creating environments where physical activity can easily become a part of everyday routines.”

One thing helping Houston is its strong network of parks. In May, Houston landed at No. 10 in Texas and 69th in the U.S. in the annual ParkScore Index. That was down slightly from 2025.

Every year, land conservation nonprofit The Trust for Public Land rates park systems in the 100 biggest American cities on accessibility, equity, acreage, investment, and amenities.

Among other Texas cities appearing in the American Fitness index are:

No. 28 Austin, down from No. 21 last year.
No. 43 Dallas, up from 46th last year.
No. 69 Fort Worth, up from 80th last year.
No. 80 San Antonio, up from No. 94 last year.

“Where you live increasingly determines how healthy you are,” Volpe says. “The healthiest cities don’t just encourage exercise — they make movement part of daily life through infrastructure, transportation, and community design.”

fittest city plano rankings health