Udumbara Blossoms In China?

From China, comes word that Udumbara flowers have blossomed beneath a nun's washing machine at Lushan Mountain, in Jiangxi Province.

However, before we go rejoicing, take a moment to compare our own coverage of the documented  2007 Udumbara blossoming in California. These flowers have definitely been appearing in the world -- I know, because I have personally seen them -- and anything is possible, but for ficus racemosa blossoms to appear separately, or remotely from the tree is, I think, highly unusual. Also, if you compare the photo from our article with the Chinese photo, above, you will see that the real flowers stand differently, and the petals exhibit somewhat differently.

Or do they?

As our ever-alert correspondent in Oz points out, these could well be green lacewing eggs:

The lacewings (neuroptera: chrysopidae) are helpful, somewhat unusual characters, but by no means so uncommon as to render them demonstrative of rarity.

Taken on balance, I rather suspect that what the Chinese nun found beneath her washing machine were bug eggs.

 These are lacewing eggs, growing on a steel pipe somewhere in the Middle Kingdom.

These are ficus racemosa blossoms. Am looking around for a better picture, and will post same if and when it becomes available.

Posted by Tenpa, who is testing the flexible boundaries today (actually a pre-planned interruption to receive a distinguished guest).