Nestled in the towering Himalayas between India and China, Nepal is an orchid hotspot. Sadly, its orchids are declining. Even though Nepal is only slightly bigger than Arkansas, it’s home to about 500 orchid species (for comparison, the USA and Canada combined have about 200 species.) People collect wild orchids to sell for use in […]
Massey University student Hayden Jones and Botany Curator Carlos Lehnebach are launching a citizen-science project to solve an orchid mystery. Maikuku, also known as the White Sun Orchid or Thelymitra longifolia, is one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most common orchids. Although it was scientifically discovered 250 years ago, botanists wonder if its beautiful white blooms […]
Down under in Tasmania, it’s spring. The blooms in the island’s forests include orchids and carnivorous plants. Over 200 orchid species are native to Tasmania, many found nowhere else. Bird Orchids, or Chiloglottis, resemble baby birds with mouths open, begging for food. Caladenia and Greenhood orchids also abound. While some orchid varieties provide nectar rewards, […]
A newly discovered orchid has been named for Sir David Attenborough. Lepanthes attenboroughii from Peru joins the list of living things named in honor of the famed British biologist, author, broadcaster, and environmentalist. Lots of species already bear his name, including a butterfly, gecko, snail, pitcher plant, and even a dinosaur. I believe that this […]
Dogs are helping orchids. The North American Orchid Conservation Center has two projects where dogs are working to save endangered species (the article is in the middle of their newsletter.) With their keen sense of smell, specially trained hounds have learned to identify the orchids from dried specimens. They can locate wild plants when they’re […]
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 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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Rwanda, a small, central African country, is home to over 240 native orchid species. The Orchid Project in Rwanda is an initiative of the African Community & Conservation Foundation (ACCF,) and works to save the country’s orchids, and restore them to their native habitats. Massive deforestation in the area has endangered plant and animals. The […]
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