Archive for August, 2009

Conservatory of Flowers

Thursday, August 27th, 2009

Millions of tourists visit San Francisco every year to see the sights, but since Golden Gate Park is across town from most hotels, a lot of people miss it. That’s a shame, because the park has plenty to see. The Conservatory of Flowers is a stunningly beautiful building, both inside and out. It’s a quick […]

Love and Lies

Sunday, August 23rd, 2009

National Geographic has published an orchid article and photo gallery with all the exceptional quality we’ve come to expect from that worthwhile organization. “Love and Lies” tells fascinating tales of the complex relationships that orchids have with their pollinators. The article explores how orchids “have managed to colonize six continents and virtually every conceivable terrestrial […]

Feed Me, Seymour!

Thursday, August 20th, 2009

If you didn’t know better, you might think that these flower buds look like the very hungry plant Audrey II, from the classic film and musical Little Shop of Horrors. Fortunately, this orchid doesn’t have teeth and doesn’t eat people, so there’s no danger. Once the buds open, these flowers lose their threatening facade, and […]

Orchids Under Attack!

Friday, August 14th, 2009

Some orchids are under attack by hornets, and that’s how they like it. According to the journal Current Biology, scientists have discovered that a Dendrobium species native to the Chinese island of Hainan uses an ingenious trick to attract hornet pollinators. Dendrobium sinense produces a chemical compound that mimics an “alarm pheromone,” a scent that […]

Bulbophyllum

Tuesday, August 11th, 2009

This little beauty belongs to the enormous Bulbophyllum genus of the orchid family. Its bright orange flowers have dark red spots that inspired its scientific name, Bulbophyllum pardalotum, which means spotted like a leopard. The small flowers are 3/4 inch (2 cm) across. This species is native to the Philippines, where it’s a neighbor to […]

Oberonia

Friday, August 7th, 2009

Mini orchids have all the charms of larger plants, but you can fit a lot more of them in the same space. With small leaves and tiny flowers, this Oberonia certainly qualifies as a mini. Each flower is only the size of a grain of sand at 0.06 inches (1.5 mm.) I tried to count […]

Whorled News

Tuesday, August 4th, 2009

Good news is always welcome in the battle for orchid conservation. I was happy to see a story in a Virginia newspaper about changes made in a hospital’s construction to save a native orchid found on the grounds. The Small Whorled Pogonia is one of the rarest orchids in North America, ranging from Ontario and […]

August Orchid Shows

Saturday, August 1st, 2009

Dozens of orchid shows are happening all around the globe this month, from Florida and Hawaii to Australia and New Zealand. Melbourne’s Orchid Spectacular is one of Australia’s biggest shows. Take advantage of these amazing opportunities if you can.  August 1 – 2 Gosford & District Orchid Society Orchid Spectacular, Wyong Racecourse, Howarth St., Wyong, […]