AboutOrchids

If you’re ever in a tropical rainforest, and you’re wondering where the orchids are, look up! After all, most orchids are epiphytes, or air plants, which live in the forest canopy. In the wild, they attach to tree trunks and branches. Roots grow into cracks and crevices of the bark, but they don’t harm the [...]

Whether you had a nice valentine’s weekend or not, I’ll think you’ll enjoy this NPR story and remarkable video of a frustrated bee. The objects of the bee’s intentions are orchids that leave him brokenhearted with pollen stuck to his head. C’est l’amour, but it provides a great close-up of orchid pollination. Here’s a direct [...]

Last year when I blogged about orchids on a volcano, it was about Akatsuka Orchids on Hawaii’s Big Island. This time, the orchids are growing right on the rim of a volcanic crater. Dave took some great photos of wild orchids while we hiked the Kilauea Iki trail in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The first [...]

The phrase “stiff upper lip” usually describes the resolve of the British people, but it’s also an apt description for this Cyrtochilum. This orchid is an Oncidium relative from high-elevation cloud forests in the South American Andes, and it looks like it has teeth. The white “teeth” are actually part of the flower’s lip. It [...]

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 [...]

The typically elusive ghost orchid, made famous in the bestselling book The Orchid Thief and the movie Adaptation, is readily visible for those near Naples, Florida. For decades, some orchid lovers have braved mosquito and alligator-infested swamps, only to leave disappointed without even a glimpse of the rare and unusual beauty. Now, a trip to [...]

It’s always a pleasant surprise to find stories in the news about orchids, and lately I’ve seen a handful about native orchids blooming in Britain and North America. This recent article from the Times of London provides a great account of how native British orchids are thriving this year. Although less well-known than their tropical [...]

The California Academy of Sciences, located in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, is one of the world’s largest natural history museums. Among the many exhibits, the museum contains a remarkable 4-story rainforest housed in a dome. Inside the glass sphere, a spiral ramp allows visitors to explore the rainforest, starting on the ground and heading [...]

With cool, foggy weather here in San Francisco, and even some unusual late spring showers this week, it’s the perfect climate for Masdevallias. No wonder that we have 3 different kinds in bloom at once. This first set shows a great purple hybrid with typical Masdevallia traits, like the triangular shape and bright colors. The [...]

I’m a week late to celebrate the Mexican holiday of Cinco de Mayo, but this Mexican native shows no signs of finishing its fiesta of color. Laelia anceps is a Cattleya relative that’s easy to grow, and one of the toughest orchids around. It holds its large, star-shaped flowers high up on flower spikes that [...]