While some orchid varieties will sunburn and fry in these bright conditions, a surprising number can manage if they have regular water and good humidity. Red leaves are a defense from burning, but also a guarantee that the orchid is receiving sufficient light to thrive. Contrast these high light levels with those found in many homes and offices. In dim conditions, most orchids won’t flower. If yours won’t bloom, consider letting the sunshine in. Morning sun is best, since it’s less likely to burn the leaves. Move the plant into brighter light gradually, over 2 weeks or more. Always maintain good humidity and air movement, and provide extra shade on hot days. Cattleyas, Cymbidiums, Dendrobiums, and Oncidiums are a few kinds that like some sunshine. Their leaves don’t need to turn red; a light green color usually indicates that the plant is receiving enough light.

However, it is easy to buy a gift made with vanilla. As the world’s most delicious orchid, vanilla finds its way into many valentine’s essentials. Cakes, candies, cookies, perfumes, and scented lotions often contain it. Thousands of years ago, the native peoples of Mexico first used it as a flavoring for cooking, especially with chocolate. They created the process to dry and cure the seedpods, and bring out the vanilla beans’ distinct flavor.

Vanilla planifolia is the most common source for the natural flavoring. Shown in the next photo, it has the long, skinny seedpods familiar to cooks. Vanilla pompona is a less common source, native to Central America from Mexico to Panama. Its seedpods in the last 2 photos look like small bananas. Even if you don’t consider yourself much of a cook, it’s easy to use the beans to make vanilla sugar, vanilla brown sugar syrup, or your own vanilla vodka.

Vanilla’s tastiness and versatility keep it in the top ranks of valentine gifts. Of course, regular-size orchids with flowers also make excellent presents. Start by checking out these buying tips to find the right Phal, Paph, or Cattleya. You can always have vanilla with your valentine dessert.

Richardson, the University of Florida, and Illinois College have worked together to collect native orchid seeds. They germinate and raise the plants in greenhouses, and then transplant them into the wild. Besides the Florida Panther Refuge, native orchids have also been returned to nearby Big Cypress National Preserve, Fakahatchee Strand, Picayune Strand, and Everglades National Park.

“There’s only one endangered species list,” Richardson said. “Those most endangered are at the top of the list. As those animals become extinct, everything below them on the list moves up a notch. Man’s move to the top is going to be accelerated over time.”

This Super Ghost has inspired local businesses to offer Ghost Orchid specials. Hotels, restaurants, and even a nearby Seminole Casino give discounts to orchid tourists who show their Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary receipt. Ghost Orchids may be rare enough, but it’s much rarer when one can help orchid lovers to save money.

Wild orchids are also blossoming in the UK, and an article in The Telegraph of London details some fascinating British natives. There’s a list of good locales to explore for wild orchids. No matter what country you’re in, enjoy the orchids, but leave them be; it’s illegal to remove orchids from the wild or cut their flowers.

And finally, it’s back to California for a news story about orchid scholarships in Salinas. Matsui Nursery is the largest commercial orchid nursery in the USA, and many orchids in homes and offices across North America have come from Matsui’s greenhouses. The owner’s Andy Matsui Foundation awards 18 college scholarships every year to deserving Monterey County students. As North Salinas High School Principal August Caresani said, “Mr. Matsui is growing dreams….”

When you’re surviving in the wild, perfection is a luxury. These eaten and beaten orchids aren’t in a beauty pageant. They’re  just trying to bloom and reproduce like any plant, and they don’t worry about appearances. A few dead leaves or dried pseudobulbs won’t kill the deal.

The Law of the Jungle may seem brutal, but orchids have evolved to be tough enough to make it. Take these imperfect specimens as consolation that a beaten-up orchid can still have some life in it. Even if a judge won’t give a ribbon to a munched-up Phal, the orchid doesn’t care. It’s just trying to survive another day in the jungle.

Orchids share the crowded trees with ferns, bromeliads, vines, mosses, lichens, insects, birds, lizards, and a miraculous variety of other living things. Even when out of bloom, it’s possible to spot orchids by looking for webs of white roots attached to trees or hanging in the air. Rain is usually plentiful, but constant high humidity keeps these roots from drying out if rains are scarce.

These exposed roots help demonstrate how orchids differ from other houseplants. You can clearly see why orchid roots need good air flow and water drainage. Regular potting soil is too dense. Loose mixtures of bark or moss simulate jungle conditions by allowing air and water to pass through. That’s how potted orchids allow us to enjoy some of the rainforest canopy without having to strain our necks.