AboutOrchids

India is home to over 1,250 native orchid species. As is the case in many countries, those orchids are threatened by overharvesting of wild plants. To improve enforcement of India’s laws, a new poster has been created by the World Wildlife Fund and TRAFFIC, a registered UK charity which works to stop illegal wildlife trade. The poster identifies 11 of the most endangered varieties, offering clear illustrations of nine Paphs, one Vanda, and one Renanthera. Check out a small version of the poster below, or download the larger size from the website. You can also learn more about India’s orchids with a fact sheet containing important information about the plants, the threats they face, and conservation efforts.

True to their nickname, Weedy Orchids are tough enough to survive harsh conditions. This invasive species is also known as the Broad-Leaved Helleborine or Epipactis helleborine. Last year, I did two blog posts, here and here, about Weedy Orchids thriving in a small forested area of our neighborhood. They’ve returned this year, their blooms flanking a short hiking trail. I also spotted a little plant bordering a sidewalk on a busy nearby street.

Weedy orchids are robust enough to grow among other invasive plants, while enduring strong coastal winds and surviving our multiyear drought. These plants rely mostly on fog for water. It condenses and drips from the pine trees above them. And while our little San Francisco suburb has lots of green spaces, it doesn’t really have “wilds.” That’s fine for these orchids, which seem to like areas that are frequently disturbed by humans and other animals. The final row of photos below shows that small plant adjacent to a sidewalk. I’m guessing that most people walk by it without recognizing it as an orchid. It would probably surprise them to learn that it’s an orchid growing wild.

From Nairobi to Atlanta to Barcelona to Honolulu to Seattle to Brisbane to Guatemala City, orchids are beloved around the globe. Check out these events, and also check with your orchid society for local shows, auctions, and seminars.

Read the rest of this post »

The Swamp Helmet Orchid, Corybas carsei, is the tiniest and rarest Corybas orchid in New Zealand. There are only a few hundred remaining in a very small patch of land within their wetland homes. Fortunately, scientists have joined forces to save them. The Department of Conservation has been working for decades to protect the endangered population. Scientists are studying the plants, despite challenging weather and the COVID pandemic. With their improved understanding, they hope to increase the orchid’s numbers, conserve the species in botanic gardens, and reintroduce plants within their former range. Follow researcher Carlos Lehnebach’s blog for future updates.

The Northern California coast is usually warmest in autumn. The summer fog eases, and lets the sun shine through. In Pacifica, the warmer weather has arrived on schedule, and that’s reason enough to celebrate today’s equinox with some gorgeous blooms. They’re only photos from an old orchid show, but they fit the seasonal cycle quite nicely. As the days shorten, these incredible flowers stay luminous. Happy equinox.

Our Pacifica garden is finishing up the summer with radiant orchids. There are lots of great colors, small blossoms and large, and a swelling seedpod on my Prosthechea. It must be have been pollinated by a busy little Anna’s Hummingbird. The fruit has been growing for over two months already, its wilted flower still hanging below, as orange as ever. I’m not sure how much longer it will take to mature, but it’s fascinating to watch.

These orchids have been reliable bloomers for years. Our garden on the foggy Northern California coast seems a fine substitute for a tropical mountain cloudforest. Cymbidiums, Masdevallias, Coelogynes, and Cochliodas represent the cool growers which flourish outdoors here. They endure lots of wind, occasional heat waves, slugs, bugs, and pesky raccoons. Even the miniatures, like those shown in the final row of photos, are tougher than they appear. They seem far too fragile to survive our blustery weather, but I pot them up securely so that they don’t blow away, and they thrive in our garden.

Florida’s ongoing Million Orchid Project has been succeeding. Community groups, schools, and businesses, like the Lehigh Acres company highlighted in the news story below, are tying native orchids to trees. They hope to restore some of the state’s lost natural beauty, missing due to decades of habitat destruction and poaching. Run by Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Coral Gables, the Million Orchid Project has been supplying the lab-grown seedlings. It’s modeled on Singapore’s success in restoring its own native species. To be part of the Million Orchid Project, South Florida locals can purchase seedlings of several varieties. They include easy instructions to tie them to trees, and to help them survive and thrive.

September is a busy month, with orchid events from six continents listed below. Orchid lovers in Australia and New Zealand have dozens of shows to choose from. Please wear masks to indoor events to protect yourself and others from COVID.

Read the rest of this post »

San Francisco’s recent Orchids in the Park event had far too much flower magic capture in a single post, and here are more photos to prove it. With such a great variety of species and hybrids, it’s not just their magnificent colors and patterns. It’s also their shapes, which can be elegant, dramatic, strange, or befuddling. It’s their fragrances, varying from sweet to spicy to floral to nasty. It’s their sizes, ranging from tiny plants with minuscule blooms to five foot (1.5 m) tall plants with blossoms as big as your hand, like the Sobralia in the final photo. It’s never boring with orchids.

The tropical forests on Waigeo Island, which is off the western end of New Guinea, are famous for Wilson’s Bird of Paradise and other extraordinary plants and animals. Recently, a scientific expedition there cataloged 80 rare plants, including the deep sky-blue flowers of Dendrobium azureum. The species was scientifically discovered in 2013, after a dried specimen sent to the Natural History Museum in London nearly a century ago was re-found and finally identified. This stunning Dendrobium is one of only a few true-blue orchids. It will turn a lot of heads, and hopefully encourage the protection of this extraordinary area.

To learn more about Dendrobium azureum, check out Kew.org. It includes the story of British entomologist Lucy Evelyn Cheesman, who collected the original specimen sent to London.