Flutterby: Encyclia tampensis (Florida Butterfly Orchid) from Sarasota County, Florida

We didn't quite make it to Myakka River State Park the other day. We were diverted by a report of a specimen-sized Butterfly Orchid in flower in a nearby wildland, so we went there instead. By the time we finished the 1.6 mile hike to the orchid and back, the children were hot and tired, so we decided call it quits early and to head over to a friend's house and cook up some barbecue. Our friend ended up accidentally putting a bit too much charcoal in the grill and it became about as hot as the inside of a volcano...I am still waiting for some of those singed arm hairs to grow back. Fun times!

Here are two images of this impressive specimen plant...over one hundred 1.5-inch flowers on multiple flower spikes (click to see the images at full size):




You can read more about this orchid at my Florida Butterfly Orchid Webpage:

Click here to find out more about Encyclia tampensis - The Florida Butterfly Orchid

Enjoy!

---Prem

Corkscrew Swamp's 'Super Ghost' Orchid Is Starting To Bloom Again!

July 3, 2010: Corkscrew Swamp's 'Super Ghost' orchid is starting to bloom again. According to the following article:

Ghost Orchid article

The first of fourteen flower buds is opening. This is the only ghost orchid whose location is not kept hidden from the public, owing to the fact that it is far off the boardwalk (about 100 feet) and 40 feet up a tree. There are other ghost orchids that grow elsewhere in the Big Cypress Swamp, Fakahatchee Strand State Park, etc., but their location is a closely guarded secret to prevent illegal poaching.

Corkscrew Swamp is located near Naples, Florida and is a wonderful place to visit, featuring a two-plus mile boardwalk through the heart of one of the last stands of old growth baldcypress trees in the US. In addition to visiting a botanical paradise unlike anything else in the world, birds and other wildlife are often visible just off the boardwalk, seemingly oblivious to the people gawking at them. To plan your trip there, visit their website at:

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

There are also a number of hotels and restaurants in the area offering exclusive 'ghost orchid rates' for visitors coming in to see the rare flowers. You can find out more at:

www.paradisecoast.com

To find out more about the Ghost Orchid (Dendrophylax lindenii), visit the following link:

Ghost Orchid Information Page on FLNativeOrchids.com

Enjoy!

---Prem

Triphora craigheadii info page posted

You may want to surf on over to the Florida Native Orchids website and view the new information page on Triphora craigheadii, one of Florida's rarest orchids and one of several species only known from this state. Here is a direct link to the T. craigheadii page.

http://www.flnativeorchids.com/natives_gallery/triphora_craigheadii.htm

Enjoy!

---Prem

Myakka bound!

Today, our family is heading to the Sarasota area and the Myakka River State Park. It is one of the best areas in the state to observe the Florida Butterfly Orchid in flower, and they are in the peak of their flowering right now.


Here is a link to the park's website if you're interested in visiting it:

http://www.floridastateparks.org/myakkariver/

Oh, and please note: it is illegal to collect the orchids from this park (or any public property for that matter). If you would like your own butterfly orchid, check out my website and go through the links section for a list of commercial nurseries that may have this orchid in stock:

http://www.flnativeorchids.com

Enjoy!

---Prem

Early Grass Pink - not so early this year

I made a trip up into the Florida panhandle recently in late April, primarily to transport family members back to the Orlando area for a visit. Of course, not one to waste a good opportunity, I scheduled a brief amount of time to head into the woods and check on the local flora. I have seen Calopogon barbatus (commonly known as the bearded grass pink or early grass pink) many times in the area...the first time happened when my family got our car stuck in some dirt on a side road in the Apalachicola National Forest. Typically, they come up at the end of March and into the beginning of April, so I didn't have much hope of finding them in bloom this late. Much to my surprise, many small racemes of pink, slightly-less-than-one-inch flowers greeted me along a familiar trailside. It seems that many plants are blooming late this year, owing to the unusually cold and long winter (for Florida, anyway--I hear that in the northern states, spring came a bit early).

Here is one of the first photos to make it through the rather arduous digital editing process:


Note the bristle of hairs presented on the upper half of the lip. You might think (along with any self-respecting bee) that this is a cluster of stamens and/or pistils all covered in pollen and ready for the bees to collect (and thus distribute pollen between flowers), but you would think incorrectly. The true pollen is in the arrow-like structure (the column) arching downward from the center of the flower. The lip is jointed below the bristles, bending under the weight of the small bees that visit these flowers. This forces the bee onto its back onto the waiting column below. In the process, pollen is transferred to its back, to be picked up when it visits the next flower. Thus, this species of orchid uses trickery to achieve pollination, not offering any true reward (nectar or pollen) to the visiting bee. This strategy appears to be fairly successful, judging by the number of seed pods encountered on these plants in the wild.

Enjoy!

---Prem

March 2010: Corkscrew Swamp 'SuperGhost' Blooms Extremely Early

March 30, 2010.

The ghost orchid (Dendrophylax lindenii) off the boardwalk at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary has started its blooming season very early this year. This is the earliest blooming for this particular orchid on record and one of the earliest (if not the earliest) dates for seeing a blooming ghost orchid, period. Right now, there is only one flower open (with no other buds visible), so this is just a little taste of what this plant will do later on this year (it usually blooms in July through September with multiple flowers at once).

This one flower will likely last into this coming weekend, if you are interested in going to see it...or you can catch it later on this year Be sure to call the sanctuary in advance at (239) 348-9151 to see if it is still blooming. Also, be sure to get there early for plenty of time to walk the boardwalk.

Epidendrum magnoliae article published in October Orchids magazine.

The latest edition of Orchids magazine (the American Orchid Society) has just come out. In it, you will find an article I wrote (and took photos for) on our common and popular native orchid, Epidendrum magnoliae. The AOS publication has lately placed an emphasis on native orchids, with articles featuring US natives appearing monthly.

Epidendrum magnoliae is a rather common epiphyte in the state of Florida, inhabiting about 3/4 of the state (becoming absent in extreme southern Florida). It ranges outside of Florida into coastal regions of other southeastern states on both the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, where its diminutive size allows it to hide in plain view in many hardwood hammocks and swamps, often nestled within colonies of resurrection fern (Pleopeltis polypodioides).

In any case, pick up a copy of Orchids if you're not subscribed (and, while you're at it, order a subscription to the magazine) and enjoy the article.

Corkscrew Ghost Orchid Update

As of today, there are nine flowers open with five buds on the way. Looks like the venerable "Super Ghost" is gearing up for quite a show! If you have the means at all to get to the Naples, Florida area, this is well worth the time and effort.

---Prem