Nestled in the back of the Butterfly Garden, Milwaukee Public Museum's Titan Arum, or Corpse Flower as it is more commonly known, is getting a lot of attention. For the first time after being planted in 2002, the MPM's Titan is finally ready to bloom.

Mary Bridges, MPM's director of marketing and communications, said it wasn't until three weeks ago that a botanist said the plant was going to bloom. From there, things have been moving fast, and in a big way.

"It's been growing at a rate of about eight inches per day," Bridges said.

In total, MPM's Corpse Flower has grown 76 inches in 23 days, after first emerging from the soil Oct. 9. Neil Luebke, a botanist at MPM and caretaker of the Corpse Flower, said, "It's still growing, we suspect it might be about six-and-a-half feet."

More difficult to predict than the plant's ultimate height is the date it will actually bloom.

"It's hard," Luebke said. "You have to look for certain signs, but it's still a little too early to tell."

There are certain indicators however, that will signal it is ready to bloom.

"Three things will happen," Luebke said. "Growth will slow down, the spathe (petal-like structure) will turn a maroon/burgundy color, and the sheaf-like leaves will fall away."

As of Saturday, Luebke estimated the flower would bloom today.

"The flower itself will only bloom for 48 hours, of which it will only smell for the first day," Luebke said.

The Butterfly Garden has its own ventilation system, which will prevent the smell from escaping to other parts of the museum.

The Corpse Flower's stench is a result of a sulfur compound that the plant emits, said Mohammad Mehdi Fayyaz, director of the Botanical Garden and Greenhouses at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

"They want to try and attract [flies for] pollination by mimicking a dead corpse or dead animal," Fayyaz said.

In order to thrive, the plant requires warm temperatures, around 80 degrees Fahrenheit, and the soil should be moist, Fayyaz said.

"They do not like direct light," Fayyaz said. "It has to be diffused light, not direct sun."

Luebke said the Butterfly Garden is well suited for the Titan Arum's cultivation, largely due to the similar needs of butterflies and Corpse Flowers.

"It's an ideal place because butterflies need heat, humidity and a high ceiling," Luebke said.

These conditions are very near those found in Sumatra, where the plant originates.

The MPM's Titan Arum arrived in Milwaukee thanks to pollination between UW-Madison's corpse flower, Big Bucky, and Mr. Magnificent from Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota, Fla. Fayyaz gave the seeds to Luebke in 2001.

As for the public's reaction, Carrie Trousil, communications specialist for MPM, said visitors' reactions are really amazing.

"I'm not sure how people knew as quickly as they did, but we've had a lot of families and a lot of younger visitors, running and yelling, 'stinky flower!'" Trousil said.

The museum also hosts 24 hour Web cam posted on its Web site, available to people in both the United States and abroad.