San Francisco often welcomes the summer solstice with a cool fog, but today’s warm and sunny weather feels more in line with the beginning of the season. The most northerly trek of the sun has been noted throughout human history in every corner of the world. Whether you’re enjoying long hours of sunlight, or marking […]
Recently I spotted Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Shampoo at the drugstore. After buying it, I saw that it contains “Orchis mascula flower extract.” This Orchis is a terrestrial species, probably a distant second to vanilla as the most important commercial orchid. Native to an enormous range of Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and Northern […]
It’s easy to think that a tropical place like Hawaii is full of orchids. That’s certainly true in some parts of the islands, like Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden near Hilo. However, in other parts of Hawaii, orchids aren’t as common. Kona lies on the other side of the Big Island where rains are rare, and […]
When I think of Santa Barbara, I think of Cymbidiums. Recently Dave traveled there for work, and he found plenty to photograph at the Santa Barbara Orchid Estate (SBOE). With 5 acres (2 hectares) of gardens in a mild coastal climate, it’s no surprise that Cymbidiums thrive there. But Cymbidiums are only part of the […]
To celebrate spring’s arrival, here are some flora and fauna pictures from our recent visit to Strybing Arboretum in Golden Gate Park. We didn’t see any orchids, but we did find a few of the garden’s other natural wonders. For much of the country, winter has hardly made an appearance. San Francisco’s weather has been […]
Project BudBurst invites you to give science a hand. Since 2007, volunteers have been helping to monitor the climate by recording the first leaves, flowers, and fruits of plant species across the USA. This includes native North American orchids. Scientists use Project BudBurst’s data to understand how climate change affects plant growth, and they make […]
Even if you don’t have a green thumb, you can have beautiful orchids all year with orchid wall calendars. The American Orchid Society’s 2012 calendar contains a year’s worth of mini orchids. The Orchid Conservation Alliance’s 2012 calendar (front cover pictured below) has photos and stories of a dozen of the world’s most endangered orchids. […]
To celebrate today’s solstice, I have more photos from last weekend’s Orchids in the Park, along with a few non-orchid shots from Golden Gate Park. Starting outdoors, end of summer delights included a fruit-laden pink passionflower and a working 1914 carousel at the Children’s Playground. The third photo shows part of the living roof at […]
A Burmese group is reviving their tradition of adorning ethnic clothing with orchid threads. In northern Myanmar (also known as Burma,) they weave Dendrobium fibers into fabrics. Locally called “waso,” the orchid is Dendrobium moschatum, a species with great flowers and a musky fragrance. It’s native to lower elevations all around the Himalayas. Fibers made […]
Are you an allergy sufferer who fears that your nose has confined you to a life of plastic flowers? Orchids may be the answer. Allergic reactions to orchids are rare because they don’t have airborne pollen. Instead, their pollen clumps in waxy little balls called pollinia. Since it doesn’t float freely in the air, it’s […]
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