AboutOrchids

If we ever found flowers on another planet, could they possibly be stranger than these earthly orchids? Some of these blooms look like visitors from Mars or Neptune. Despite their alien facades, they’re simply members of the enormous orchid family, which has diversity beyond measure. Their long Latin names, like Masdevallia caudivolvula and Sigmatostalix posadarum, […]

AboutOrchids only dabbles in politics related to orchid conservation, and this post is no exception. If you’re an orchid lover, the only choice for president this November is Hillary Clinton. The Republican nominee would be a disastrous decision for many reasons, but the one that’s most important on this blog is saving our endangered planet. […]

Sobralia flowers never fail to impress. Recently I mentioned this plant in a post about Growing Orchids Outdoors in Pacifica. This Sobralia species bloomed for years outside in our San Francisco garden. It didn’t do so well after our move to the coast, so I finally brought it indoors. After a quick growth spurt, it flowered […]

Orchids may be our favorites, but natural beauty comes in many forms. That certainly includes the stunning fall colors of the Colorado Rockies. Dave and I recently visited Southwest Colorado, and enjoyed awe-inspiring mountains gilded in their autumn foliage. The bright yellow leaves belong to aspens. In the thin mountain air around 10,000 feet (3048 […]

For every hue of an autumn forest, there’s an orchid with that color. The orchid family spans the rainbow, so there are plenty of autumn matches to be found. Vibrant red maple, rich yellow gingko — orchids boast them all, every shade. Enjoy the colors of autumn, and happy equinox.

This orchid doesn’t win any points for being showy. Nobody gasps in delight when they see its flowers, or gushes over its colors. Epidendrum peperomia is a mini orchid species with flowers that remind me of beetles. It’s quite distinct from its larger orchid relatives, like the reed-stem Epidendrums, which flaunt tall clusters of brilliant […]

We moved from San Francisco to Pacifica over two years ago, and ever since, I’ve been learning how to grow orchids next to the ocean. Since I keep my cool growers outdoors, they’re subjected to all the elements which Mother Nature can throw at them. These outdoor orchids prove their toughness day after day, and […]

Are they birds, planes, or alien spaceships? No, they’re just more photos from last month’s Orchids in the Park show in San Francisco. They include a few which are bizarre or otherworldly, and others which just don’t look like flowers. With fantastic shapes and brilliant colors, some seem to stretch the boundaries of what flowers […]

This isn’t just a miniature orchid — it’s a micro orchid! When we went to Orchids in the Park a couple weeks ago, nobody was expecting to see one of the tiniest orchid flowers in the world. Dave didn’t have his macro lens, but he did pretty well with his regular camera. This mini Platystele […]

Scientists are working to restore wild populations of Florida’s native orchids, including the famous Ghost Orchid. Seedlings grown in labs are being transplanted in the Everglades. So far, results have been promising, with many young plants surviving the move. For most of the year, these bizarre, leafless orchids are simply masses of roots attached to […]