Remember that there may be reasons why an orchid isn’t blooming, and this fun Phal fact won’t eliminate the need for bright light, regular water, good humidity, and fertilizer. Normally, cool temps can inhibit a Phal from blooming, but a limited exposure at this time of year can kick them into gear. Then you’ll have great fall colors to enjoy.

The Epidendrum species known as the Greenfly Orchid is less colorful, but no less fascinating. It’s native to eastern Mexico and the southeastern USA, where it grows in a wide range from Louisiana to North Carolina and south to Florida. This species can tolerate light freezes. Its masses of small, greenish-yellow flowers have a sweet scent. Botanists changed its name several years ago from Epidendrum conopseum to Epidendrum magnoliae, but the nickname Greenfly Orchid remains the same.

Without a name tag, I’m not sure what this next species is. It may be Epidendrum atroscriptum, which is native to southern Mexico. But it also looks like Epidendrum paniculatum. Fortunately, the Mexican Hermit Hummingbird in the final photo didn’t care about long Latin names. Paused on a branch at Vallarta Botanical Gardens, it appeared to share our appreciation of these beautiful blooms.

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.

Vallarta Botanical Gardens contains jungle trails and a clear mountain river where you can cool off (don’t forget your bathing suit!) Surrounded by bougainvilleas of every hue, exotic palms, and countless tropical flowers, it can be easy to miss the orchids. Some hide in the foliage; some are in pots or hanging in trees. Since we visited during the winter dry season, most were not flowering. Fortunately, the orchid conservatory had more than enough blooms for our cameras.

You can donate online to the gardens, and support their mission for “the propagation, promotion, study, enjoyment, and discovery of Mexican plants, especially orchids.” If you’re in the area, one visit will show why the gardens were listed as a must-see destination in the travel book Lonely Planet Mexico. In case you need any more convincing, check out these photos showing two orchids and an anthurium. You’ll be saying “¡Que belleza!” before you know it.

While hiking through the 20 acre (8.1 hectare) garden, we met two ornithologists doing research nearby. They happily pointed out and named several tropical birds for us. A brilliant blue San Blas Jay and bright yellow Cacique share a papaya lunch at a feeding station. A Mexican Hermit Hummingbird flutters its wings on a branch in the sun. Also, a bright orange butterfly feeds from a yellow bloom. Its damaged wing demonstrates the perils of its life in the Sierra Madre Mountains, maybe a close call with a hungry bird.

Dedicated to the study and preservation of native Mexican species, Vallarta Botanical Gardens resides in a tropical dry forest ecosystem at 1300 ft. (396 m) elevation. The gardens have more than 3000 plant species, including palms, tropical fruit trees, bromeliads, and succulents. In addition to the Orquideario (orchid greenhouse,) there are countless orchids mounted in trees, and Vanilla vines everywhere. The visitor center and restaurant are draped in white bougainvillea, with a pond of water lilies in front. Enjoy this sample of the floral beauty we saw, and I’ll have more pictures to share soon.

It’s frustrating enough to kill an orchid, but it’s more frustrating when I can’t figure out what went wrong. Mine started going downhill a couple years ago, when its annual cycle of new leaves pooped out. The old leaves and pseudobulbs stayed green until recently, but then gave out without producing any healthy new growth. Photos show the interesting yellow flowers which face downward.

Since I’d been able to provide adequate conditions for blooming in the past, I’m left to wonder what changed. It’s possible that it acquired a plant virus during a pest invasion, and declined over time. It may have been that our foggy summers, which have been extra cool for the past couple years, didn’t offer it enough warmth to continue. In its native range from South Africa to Tanzania, it’s undoubtedly used to warm conditions. Maybe some unidentified problem popped up, and some future orchid trivia will jar loose an explanation. Its cause of death may elude me, but at least its photos live on.