“Plant blindness” is a tendency not to notice plants. People are generally much better at noticing animals. With increased urbanization, and more time spent looking at screens, the problem has worsened. Most don’t appreciate how important plants are, and that weakens support for plant conservation. As orchids and other plants face extinction, protecting them is […]
Perfectly timed for spring repotting, Better Homes & Gardens explains Everything You Need to Know About Orchid Pots. The helpful advice includes the importance of great drainage, and that most orchids prefer small pots. Terra cotta, plastic, ceramic, and mesh pots all have advantages and disadvantages to consider. The article also contains this clever tip: […]
Smithsonian magazine reveals the secret orchids of Palau. The tiny South Pacific nation is spread across 344 small islands. With sun-drenched beaches and coral reefs full of vibrant fish, it’s known as one of the best dive sites in the world. But Palau is more than a biodiversity hotspot for fish. It’s also a hotspot […]
There are lots of edible orchids besides vanilla. I’ve blogged about chikanda before, a traditional African dish made from orchid tubers. The tubers are ground up with peanuts and chilies, and cooked into a savory loaf. Over the past few decades, chikanda has gone from being a rural famine food to a trendy urban staple. […]
Why is a weird, parasitic orchid from Japan growing near Philadelphia? The Asian species, Cyrtosia septentrionalis, has popped up on the grounds of Longwood Gardens, and nobody really knows why. This strange orchid is a parasite on a soil fungus, and is considered impossible to cultivate. It could be that some seeds hitchhiked with other […]
Check out the video below for expert tips on how to attach orchids to trees. As part of Florida’s Million Orchid Project, biologists are trying to teach the public how to mount orchids. Whether it’s a native species, or a favorite non-native variety, growers can mount them using the techniques explained in the video. In […]
A new species of vanilla orchid has been discovered in the Amazon. Vanilla denshikoira appears to be closely related to the Vanilla planifolia we all love to eat. The new species was recently found in the northwest Amazon in Colombia, within the Guyana Shield, one of the most biodiverse regions of the world. Only two […]
Bad wildfires have brought terribly smoky conditions to the San Francisco Bay Area for the past week. Of course, this is nothing compared to the suffering of those who have lost homes and loved ones in the fires, which are over 150 miles (241 km) away. However, it is causing bad air problems. Our daily […]
Check out a colorful infographic explaining how taking plants from the wild endangers orchid survival. Many rare species are openly sold online despite conservation laws. But with limited resources, almost no money is spent to stop it. That same topic is being addressed in light of a recent London conference on the illegal wildlife trade, […]
Atlas Obscura delves into a century of scientific advances which brought tropical orchids to your local grocery store. At the start of the 1900’s, growers began to unravel the secrets of how to germinate orchid seed, such as the essential role of fungi. Biologists started to clone orchids in the 1950’s, which would transform the […]
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