AboutOrchids

This Caucaea was a great find at a San Francisco Orchid Society sale last year. It’s a cool-growing miniature with a strong, sweet fragrance. Caucaeas are in the Oncidium family, and they’re named after the Cauca region of the northern Andes. Caucaea is pronounced “kaw-KAY-uh.” This species is Caucaea phalaenopsis, named for its resemblance to […]

All over the world, rare plants are being stolen from the wild, and from botanical gardens. London’s legendary Kew Gardens employs security officers and cameras 24 hours a day. Its orchids, however, need extra protection. Many are displayed in locked glass cabinets to prevent theft. The rarest aren’t put out for visitors at all. Spurred […]

Orchid seeds don’t carry nutrients. Instead, they rely on a specific fungus to supply food so they can germinate and grow. In the video below, Dr. Viswambharan Sarasan explains how this impacts Kew Gardens’ work to save rare British orchids. Scientists must collect fungi from orchid roots, take months to cultivate them, and identify which […]

Have you ever seen a drunk wasp? I have. Dave and I recently spotted one while were on a trail in a small wooded area near our home in Pacifica. The insect, shown in the first two photos above, was intoxicated from the nectar of a wild orchid, the Broad-Leaved Helleborine. The wasp hung upside […]

This is the busiest month of orchid events since the pandemic began. More in-person shows are including health precautions, like mask requirements, in their publicity. There are still others which fail to do that, but they’re not listed here. Miami’s big annual show is a welcome return this month. October 1 PhalFanatics Phalaenopsis Symposium, online […]