It's a Cyclamen!

Many thanks to Peggy for letting me know in comments to the previous post that this is a cyclamen. (By the way, Peggy, I love the mailbox!)

With a little help from my friends google and wikipedia, I have learned that these guys live in dry forest soil. They like bright but indirect sunlight and cool to moderate temperatures. And they don't like too much water.

This page claims that it's a challenge to get them to bloom more than once and that they don't live very long, just 2 to 3 months. But Mary informs me that she had one for quite some time and it bloomed over and over without much trouble. Her questionable watering habits ("whoops, this guy's getting parched!") might not be good for some plants, but probably helped this one along.

I think I must have watered this guy too much. I'm going to let him dry out a bit and see how he does.

Thanks, all!