Monday, November 29, 2010

A Monumental Event

Well, at least for me, it is. All the gallery pages on the Florida Native Orchids Website have now been converted over to the new database-driven gallery format. This will allow, over the upcoming months, to enhance the gallery and search functionality of the site. The latest pages to be updated are the following:


Bearded Grass Pink (Calopogon barbatus)

Pale Grass Pink (Calopogon pallidus)

Large Whorled Pogonia (Isotria verticillata)

Cranefly Orchid (Tipularia discolor)

Spring Coralroot (Corallorhiza wisteriana)

Scarlet Ladies' Tresses

Spring Ladies' Tresses (Spiranthes vernalis)

Grass-leaved Ladies' Tresses (Spiranthes praecox)

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Trail Tales (or Stuff I've Seen While Hunting For Orchids), Part 4

On the day when a colleague, Rich Leighton, and I went to photograph the White Fringed Orchid, he mentioned that there was a scenic waterfall at a local park not too far away, Falling Creek Falls Park, north of Lake City. Since we had a few hours of sunlight left, I was game to check it out...waterfalls are as rare as hen's teeth in Florida.

It's a very nice, small park maintained by the Suwannee Water Management District. Falling Creek is itself a small tributary of the Suwannee River. Here is a page with info on the park:

>>> Falling Creek Falls Park <<<

The waterfall itself plunges over a limestone ledge 10 feet or so into the pool below. The strength of the waterfall is intimately tied to water levels...during the dry season, it's barely a trickle, while during the wet season, you can hear the falls a good bit before you see them.

Click the picture below for an expanded view:

This is a typical 'blackwater creek', colored by tannic acid released by decaying vegetation along the creek's route. Tannic acid is the same ingredient that gives a nice glass of southern sweetened iced tea its brownish color. This also gives the falls a distinctively tan-brown color.

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Tipularia discolor, or 'After the Flowers of Summer Are Gone'

Tipularia discolor, known commonly as the Cranefly Orchid, is vegetatively active during two different seasons of the year in the hardwood forests that it calls home. While most terrestrial orchids (of which T. discolor is one) hibernate during the winter and grow and flower during the warmer months of the year, this summer-flowering orchid produces its frost-and-freeze-resistant leaves during the fall, winter, and early spring, in habitats ranging from central Florida into southern Ohio. In fact, it is during the leafing stage of this orchid that it is most easily found, their solitary green leaves, deep purple underneath and often spotted with purple on top, are one of the few things green at all during the winter months. One will often encounter fairly sizable clumps of plants during this time of year.



In spring, the leaves fade as the trees overhead begin to leaf out again and diminish the light reaching the forest floor. If the plant has stored enough nutrients in its chain of underground corms, it may decide to flower in summer (typically around July-August). The flowering stems blend very well with their surrounding environment, so they are quite difficult to spot, even when in full flower. Curiously, only about ten percent of the plants seen in winter time will flower in the summer. They obviously seem to have very fertile seed, considering the size of the colonies typically seen in winter.



Their flowers are curiously asymmetrical, with the dorsal sepal and lip skewed to one side of the central axis, and one of the lateral petals typically twisted down to overlap its corresponding lateral sepal. The spur extending from the back of the lip is filled with nectar.
Research done on the pollinators (W. P. Stoutamire 1978) of this orchid indicates that these flowers are pollinated by noctuid moths. I have observed a faint, sweet night fragrance in the flowers, which is consistent with this research. To find out some more interesting facts about this flower's pollination scheme, visit the link below for my Tipularia discolor information page.



You can visit the Tipularia discolor page on the Florida Native Orchids site by clicking the following link:

>>> Tipularia discolor info page <<<

2011 Florida Wild Orchid Calendars Are Here!!!!

Click to find out more about the Florida Wild Orchid calendarsI am pleased to announce that we now have the 2011 editions of the Florida Wild Orchid calendars available for purchase. These three calendars, assembled through Cafe Press, feature photographs of wild Florida orchids taken in locations throughout the state of Florida, along with educational information on each orchid species featured. Please click the image above to see more about these handsome calendars.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Now Playing In a Swamp Near You and Bewitched, Part III

Now to bring the topic back to orchids (since, after all, this is an orchid-related blog). Late fall in north and central Florida usually does not have much to offer orchid-wise...most terrestrials are wrapping up for the year, storing whatever they can in their underground portions prior to the first below-freezing night, which usually does the above-ground parts in. Starting in October in northern Florida, and wrapping up in December in southern Florida, two common woodland species come into their own during this sparse time--Spiranthes odorata and Ponthieva racemosa, known by their common names as Fragrant Ladies' Tresses and the Shadow Witch Orchid. You can see some earlier posts of Shadow Witch flowers and plants to this blog under the titles Bewitched, Part I and Bewitched, Part II. Both are members of the subfamily Spiranthoideae and tribe Cranichideae, but the former is classified in subtribe Spiranthinae and the latter in subtribe Cranichidinae. Both have evergreen basal rosettes of leaves and grow in rather swampy areas and both reproduce vegetatively via runners, as well as sexually via flowers and seeds. Because of their vegetative reproductive habit, both can tend to form extensive colonies over time, although I have observed S. odorata as being a bit more aggressive in colony forming than P. racemosa Both species are pleasantly fragrant, with P. racemosa smelling faintly of citrus while S. odorata smells most strongly of vanilla scented baby powder.

Three of my children and I visited a well-known site for these species...this same general area is home to Malaxis spicata, Platythelys querceticola, Listera australis, and Corallorhiza wisteriana as well. I would not be surprised if Epidendrum magnoliae were found growing in the trees overhead. Here are some photographs taken of these two species:


Spiranthes odorata - three blooming plants


Spiranthes odorata - single inflorescence


Spiranthes odorata - flower closeup


Ponthieva racemosa - flower spike


Ponthieva racemosa - top-down view



Ponthieva racemosa - top-down view


Ponthieva racemosa - Semi top-down view


Ponthieva racemosa - flower closeup

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Trail Tales (or Stuff I've Seen While Hunting For Orchids), Part 3

On the day we went to see Pteroglossaspis pottsii in flower, we saw a Butterfly Pea (Centrosema virginianum) in flower:



This flower one of many 'orchid imposters' we have in the state of Florida, with lovely, two-inch-long (5 cm long), purple flowers that, to an untrained eye, may appear to be an orchid. This flower, in fact, belongs to a member of the pea family, which is about as far away from being an orchid as you can get.

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Get Your Ghost On...

'Tis the season for things of a ghoulish nature. Celebrate it by showing off your love for Florida's orchids...



Lurking deep in the swamps of Florida, the ghost orchid (Dendrophylax lindenii) haunts largely inaccessible places with its large, white and pale green flowers. To add to its mystique, it is fragrant only in the dark hours of the night to lure its pollinators (night-flying moths) to its narrow phial of nectar.

These jet-black t-shirts capture the essence of Florida's ghost orchid and help in a small fashion with the costs of running the web-site, trips into the field (requiring fuel for both vehicles and hikers), etc. Own your own ghost orchid t-shirt by following the link below:

>>> The Florida Ghost Orchid T-shirt Store <<<

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Trail Tales (or Stuff I've Seen While Hunting For Orchids), Part 2

A week or two later, one of my older daughters, Sarah, and I went back to the same preserve from part number 1 to try to photograph one of the two native species of orchids found here (Habenaria odontopetala and Epidendrum magnoliae). I was recounting the tale from the last time, instructing her in no uncertain terms that she should keep an eye on the ground carefully to make sure she didn't step on a cottonmouth. As I was pontificating, Sarah was trying to quietly get my attention, "Dad....Dad....Dad". "What?" I say. "Look ahead up the trail". Right there, about 100 feet away, was a young black bear. I managed to get out my camera and fire off a shot before he/she noticed us and scampered off quickly into the woods (the Floridian population of Ursus americanus is known for its relative shyness). This was only the second time in my life I've seen a black bear...once, I saw a young bear scampering away in the Tallahassee area as I was walking in the woods.

Here is the photo from the day:


Thursday, October 7, 2010

Trail Tales (or Stuff I've Seen While Hunting For Orchids), Part 1

One fine morning, while hiking back out of a local wildlife sanctuary, I was about to step on what I thought was a stick, when, suddenly, my eyes detected a distinctively non-stick-like pattern. It turned out to be a youngish cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus piscivorus) sunning itself in the trail. Thankfully, these snakes are not nearly as aggressive as legend says they are (it is my understanding that they get this mistaken reputation from highly aggressive, non-poisonous water snakes). A quick flick with my walking stick near the tail, and this fellow(ette) decided the swamp on the other side of the trail was more to his/her liking.


As of yet, I've not been bitten by a venomous snake...I'm praying that it stays that way.

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Ghost Orchid Painting - Experimenting with Watercolor Pencils

I was inspired to try something by a post several years ago on the previous instantiation of Misti Little's blog (Oceanic Wilderness in my blogroll). In the post, she was interviewing an artist friend who used watercolor pastels to do painting and was describing how they gave her the precision of pastel drawing with the final result looking like a watercolor after water was applied to the paper. This intrigued me immensely, so I filed this away in my brain. Fast-forward to about two weeks ago, where I was picking up some art supplies for my kids--I spied a box of watercolor pencils.

I figured I'd give them a whirl. I immediately fixed upon Miguel Urquia's Ghost Orchid as my subject of interest. Here's the photo below:




And here's the result. I feel like it's pretty good for my first effort, but I definitely have some room for improvement:



Here are a couple of detail shots:





Let me know what you think in the comments, but please remember, this is my first attempt at this medium.

---Prem

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

September 15, 2010: Corkscrew Swamp Ghost Orchid Blooms again

I just received a tweet from the Corkscrew Swamp twitter feed indicating that there are four flowers open now on the 'Super Ghost Orchid' at Corkscrew Swamp. This will be the fourth flush of blooms this venerable orchid has had this year. To learn more about Corkscrew Swamp, click the page link below:

Corkscrew Swamp Home Page

For those of you unfamiliar with this particular orchid, the large ghost orchid at Corkscrew Swamp (often dubbed the 'Super Ghost') was discovered in 2007 at Corkscrew Swamp near Naples, Florida and is the only ghost orchid whose location is made known to the general public. I have blogged about this plant previously. Follow the link below to see these entries:

Corkscrew Ghost Orchid at The Florida Native Orchid Blog

This will likely be the last blooming for this orchid for this year (in fact, it's very hard to find any ghost orchids in bloom this late in the year), so if you can make the trip down there, you won't be disappointed.


Thursday, September 9, 2010

Florida's Oft-overlooked Ghost Orchid-- Dendrophylax porrectus

We are now entering the blooming season for Florida's enigmatic 'Little Ghost Orchid' (not its actual common name - Jingle Bell Orchid or Needleroot Orchid are the most often used names). It was originally discovered in Florida growing in a citrus grove near Oneco, FL, then having the name Aeranthus porrectus. It has since bounced around between several genera and species - Harrisella porrecta, Campylocentrum porrectum, Campylocentrum filiforme, to finally land in the genus Dendrophylax (as Dendrophylax porrectus) , the same genus as its more famous cousin, the Ghost Orchid. While the Ghost Orchid has large, showy flowers, Dendrophylax porrectus has tiny, inconspicuous flowers barely bigger than a pinhead growing on a plant that is easily overlooked, being just a bundle of untidy roots. It is most likely the most common epiphytic orchid in Florida, but is very rarely seen...giving it a state protected status of Threatened. While the range of other epiphytic orchids has decreased due to freezes in the 70s and 80s, folks continue to find new northern populations, gradually extending its known range northward. While it used to be found commonly in citrus groves, the use of herbicides to control ball mosses, wild pines and other air plants of the genus Tillandsia has made it unlikely to find them in this habitat anymore.



Its seed pods are probably the most conspicuous aspect of this plant, fairly large and turning a bright brown-orange just prior to dehiscing.



The most common host trees for this orchid are Eastern Red Cedar, Pop Ash, Bald Cypress, and Pond Apple. They are most commonly found on small twigs an inch or less in diameter, especially in the crooks between branches, but I have seen plants growing on larger branches and, even in one case, on a fairly large tree trunk. The typical habitat for these will be near a swampy area where other more moisture-loving epiphytes are growing - Encyclia tampensis, Epidendrum magnoliae, Tillandsia setacea, Tillandsia bartramii, Tillandsia utriculata, Tillandsia balbisiana, Tillandsia variabilis, Tillandsia fasciculata, Tillandsia paucifolia (bulbosa), Tillandsia simulata. Look up at the undersides of branches for slender, silvery orchid roots that don't connect to anything resembling a plant. If you're lucky, you'll see the tiny green flowers that are a marvel of miniaturization nestled amongst split seed pods that look very much like little brown bells.


It blooms from August in central Florida into November in the southern counties. Click the link below to see more photographs and read more about this intriguing miniature orchid:

>> Dendrophylax porrectus (Harrisella porrecta) Information Page at Florida Native Orchids <<

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Michaux's Orchid (Habenaria quinqueseta)

Michaux's Orchid (Habenaria quinqueseta) is rather widespread in the state of Florida, being found in a large swathe of the peninsula and even a few panhandle counties. Its spidery white-green flowers emerge from this time of year in north-central Florida into wintertime in the southernmost counties. I had the privilege of photographing this orchid at a lovely couple's house in the Brooksville, Florida (Citrus County) area. While I was not able to be there to verify this in person, they described the flowers as having a night fragrance that strongly resembled magnolias.

Interestingly enough, as I was reading their e-mail describing the fragrance, another e-mail came in from someone who lived in the same general area asking me to identify her yard volunteer orchids. It turned out to be more of the same species growing not five miles from where I was photographing that day. Apparently, these orchids like to grow in people's yards in the Brooksville area. This makes me want to move to Brooksville.


The spidery flowers are the largest of the Habenarias in the US, spanning 1.5 to 2 inches (3.7 to 5cm) across.

A previous post to this blog showed Habenaria macroceratitis, which some consider as a variety of H. quinqueseta. Others maintain this to be a separate species, based on several characteristics, including the spur length (H. quinqueseta has a significantly shorter spur/nectary than H. macroceratitis)

You can read more about this species at the new information page at the Florida Native Orchid website:

>> Michaux's Orchid Information Page at www.flnativeorchids.com <<

I have also created an information page for H. macroceratitis:

>> Long-horned False Rein Orchid at www.flnativeorchids.com<<

Enjoy!
---Prem

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Holding Court with Royalty, Part 6 - Behold the Queen!!! (Platanthera blephariglottis)

If Platanthera ciliaris is the King of the Bog, then the White Fringed Orchid could certainly be considered The Queen. Her cream-white flowers closely resemble the Orange Fringed Orchid, but differ not only in color (at one point she was considered an albino form of the Orange Fringed), but also in shape and the depth of fringing on the lip.



I was directed back in 2004 to an area where these orchids were supposed to be found in northeastern Florida. Following the map I had been given, I drove relentlessly back and forth on this one stretch of highway, trying to spot these orchids. After a few hours of searching, I had no success...it seemed that the area where these were supposed to grow had been mowed down to within an inch of its life. Finally, I headed home with a heavy heart, thinking that all was lost.

I happened to glance over to the other side of the road well out of the indicated range on the map, and a fleeting glimpse of white caught my eye. As I exited the car, my heart leapt into my throat...three plants were just starting to open their first flowers. I marked the area and returned the next week to flowering stems as fully open as they could be (by the time the top buds open, the bottom flowers are far past spent).

Four years passed by...after which I returned to the area with better photographic equipment, hoping to reprise my earlier photographs. This time, our timing must have been off, as the only orchids to be seen were a few Crested Fringed Orchids along a side road...probably a bit too early for The Queen.

The next year, I returned to find two White Fringed plants on their very last flower...obviously too late in the year. Of course, you have to add to the mix the fact that an unseasonably cool or warm winter can throw these plants off by several weeks, making their blooming time a bit of a moving target.

This year, armed with the dates of the previous years' attempts, we finally found a group of plants in flower. The camera was pulled out and a few nice pictures resulted. The next week proved even better...there must have been a hundred plants scattered along this one area maybe one quarter mile long. At long last, I was able to recapture these beauties at a higher resolution to present for your viewing pleasure.

To see all the photos, head over to the newly revised White Fringed Orchid Page, linked below:

>> White Fringed Orchid Information Page <<


Holding Court with Royalty, Part 5 - The King of the Bog (Platanthera ciliaris)

Ascending from the moist pinelands, prairies, roadsides and bogs, the Orange Fringed Orchid (Platanthera ciliaris) has no equal. The plants themselves can reach three feet (~1m) tall with flower heads 6 inches (15 cm) in height. Each heavily fringed flower is around 1 inch (2.5cm) in length, not including the spur, and ranges in color from yellow-orange to apricot.


You can learn even more about this species (including a detailed discussion of their pollination mechanism) by following the link below:

>> The Orange Fringed Orchid Information Page <<

Monday, August 30, 2010

Holding Court with Royalty, Part 4 - The Crown Prince (Platanthera chapmanii)


One of the rarest orchids in the United States, Platanthera chapmanii is believed to be descended from natural hybrids of Platanthera cristata and Platanthera ciliaris owing to the fact that it appears to be intermediate in form and size between these two species. Because of this, it has been given the hybrid designation Platanthera x chapmanii in some publications. While it does often inhabit the same areas where one or both of the purported parents are also found, this is not always the case. Further, it appears to maintain stable populations, sometimes rather expansive, in areas where it is found. Because of these qualities, it has been elevated in recent years to a species in its own right.

You can read more about this species at the newly revamped Platanthera chapmanii page below:

>> Chapman's Fringed Orchid Information Page <<

Enjoy!
---Prem

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Holding Court with Royalty, Part 3 - Crested Fringed Orchid (Platanthera cristata)

Here is another one of the bog princelings, Platanthera cristata, or the Crested Fringed Orchid. It emerges typically a few weeks prior to the largest of the native Platantheras (P. ciliaris, P. chapmanii, and P. blephariglottis), finishing up with the last of the flowers on its spike when they are starting to open their first flowers.

I took this photo on a recent field trip my wife and I took searching for the elusive queen of the Platantheras, but more on that later.

Its proportions are similar to the P. nivea and P. integra shown previously...roughly a 12-18 inch plant with a 2-3 inch flower head. I have seen particularly robust plants exceed these dimensions a little.

You can find out even more about this species on my newly refurbished Crested Fringed Orchid information page. Click on the link below:

>> The New Crested Fringed Orchid Info Page <<

Enjoy!

---Prem

Friday, August 27, 2010

Holding Court with Royalty, Part 2 - Orange Fringeless Orchid (Platanthera integra)

In early to mid August (at least in the Florida panhandle where I'm most familiar), one of the bog princelings comes into bloom. Platanthera integra, also known as the Orange Fringeless Orchid or the Yellow Fringeless Orchid) blazes forth in a brilliant yellow-orange color. When viewed in the late afternoon, when the sun has become more golden in color, its flower heads appear to be literally on fire.


This species has roughly the same proportions as Platanthera integra, with some key differences being flower color, flower presentation (lips-downward or resupinate), and a lack of fragrance. While many of the Floridian bog-dwelling Platantheras, have decided fringes on their lips, P. integra has lips with only the slightest etching, as if it aspires one day to be like its larger family members.

You can read even more about this species on the updated Orange Fringeless Orchid web page by clicking the link below:

>> Orange Fringeless Orchid Information Page <<

Enjoy!

---Prem

Monday, August 23, 2010

Holding Court with Royalty, Part 1 - Snowy Orchid (Platanthera nivea)

Over the next few blog posts, I will be featuring the royal family of the Floridian bog orchids, the Platantheras, many of which are in bloom around this time of year. As far as showiness and gaudiness, there is arguably none other like this group to grace our fair state. Frequent inhabitants of wet roadsides bordering wet pinelands, these plants are hard to miss when bloom time and drive time coincide--even if the driver is careening down the road at highway speeds.

So, let us enter the court of these lovely kings, queens, princes, and princesses and admire them for their beauty, their sheer ostentatiousness, as they grace the bogs with their royal presence...

First on our list is the delicate princess, Platanthera nivea, emerging one-to-two months before her more stately kin. Her delicate spikes of snowy-white flowers gleam with crystalline beauty in the sunny, wet meadows and moist pinelands where she makes her home. Plants are usually less than 18 inches tall (45.7 cm) with a three-inch (5 cm) flower head. Unlike many of her kindred, the flowers are presented with their unfringed lips held uppermost and bear an unmistakable fragrance--not unlike that of citrus blossoms.

You can read more about this species (and see more photos) at the newly revised FLNativeOrchids.com Snowy Orchid page below :

>> The Snowy Orchid Information Page <<

---Prem

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Visitor from Another Phylum

Phylum arthropoda, to be exact...

Very near to where the Habenaria macroceratitis grow is a population of another woodland orchid, Triphora trianthophora, also known as the Three Birds Orchid (owing to the fact that robust plants will sometimes have three flowers crowding out the top level of the plant). This species blooms sequentially, with one to three buds ripening at a time only to open for one day. Another common name for this species, Nodding Pogonia, speaks to the fact that plants are often encountered after or before this blooming day. All the plants in a colony will bloom in sync, with the next set of buds ripening after that, to bloom in sync yet again. Hence, your chances of seeing this species in bloom at any one time is about one in seven to one in fourteen (1-2 weeks between flowering flushes). On the day we saw the H. macroceratitis in flower, we found the population of Three Birds Orchids in typical nodding, non-blooming pose. Rewind back two years ago, when the H. macro's were already out of bloom, and then we found this colony of little Three Birds in full flower...three or four individuals had flowers just beckoning us to photograph them. The tallest plant was about three inches tall, pictured here:


You can see the next bud next to the flower getting ready to open within the next few days. As we were setting up for a closeup shot, I noticed a bit of movement in the air near the flower. A small, wasp-like creature was zeroing in on the flower. I hurriedly set up and hoped I would catch the insect in action. As it turned out, my timing was good and I got a shot of it right as it was entering the flower:




Below is direct crop from the center of the image, showing the detail of the insectiferous creature:



While at first glance, it might appear to be a smallish wasp, closer examination shows that it is more likely a type of fly with a shape and coloration designed to appear waspish. The bulbous, flyish eyes were what gave it away. I attempted to identify it on my own using on-line insect ID sites, but to no avail. Finally, I ran across the page of Dr. Gary Steck of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, who kindly identified this fly for me as Stylogaster biannulata, one of the 'thick headed flies'. the young of these flies are parasites on cockroaches and/or grasshoppers/crickets, while the adults are often found drinking nectar from flowers (like my little guy/gal).

This was my first good capture of pollinator and orchid flower together. Far too often, the visitor had already left by the time I had set up for the shot, but this day...this day was different. So, long odds for just finding T. trianthophora in flower, and then multiply that by the odds of catching a pollinator near the flowers, then multiply that by the odds of getting the shot timed right to capture the pollinator...Providence was definitely smiling on me this day.

Enjoy!

---Prem

Saturday, August 14, 2010

New orchid photos - Habenaria macroceratitis

Also known as Habenaria quinqueseta v. macroceratitis. This is a woodland species found sparingly in Florida. Where it is found, it can form dense colonies of plants through vegetative reproduction. In fact, some colonies seen in deeper woods never seem to flower (strong enough light is often a key to orchids flowering well), but spread into large, sterile colonies through asexual reproduction alone.

I have visited this particular site in Citrus County, FL for three years running, always just a bit too late to see the plants in flower. I have been greeted instead by wilted flowers and swelling seed pods. This year, I finally got the timing right and found about ten flowering plants among a colony of several hundred. There was no breeze to speak of and the morning sun shone a spotlight (sometimes diffused by clouds) on the beckoning spikes. The flowers are some of the larger flowers in the state, being about 2 inches (5 cm) across from spindly arm to spindly arm. To add to the superlatives, the spur/nectary itself can be a good six inches (15 cm) or more in length. While I haven't smelled a fragrance personally, it is very likely that, like H. repens and H. odontopetala, this species emits a night fragrance to attract rather long-tongued moths to their flowers. Below are thumbnails of the photos taken. Clicking them will open the full-sized photo:


Habenaria macroceratitis - two plants

Habenaria macroceratitis - single spike on smaller plant

Habenaria macroceratitis - single spike on smaller plant

Habenaria macroceratitis - single larger spike

Habenaria macroceratitis - larger spike, semi-backlit by the morning sun

Habenaria macroceratitis - flower closeup

You will also notice a medium-sized brown spider on the larger spike, evidently at home among the spidery blossoms. Here is a closeup:



This type of ambush predation on flowering stems of all sorts is quite often encountered in the field...spiders laying in wait for a hapless visitor to the flowers and the pollinators hoping to survive their next visit to a flower spike. It's all a part of the web of life...prey and predator, pollinator and pollinated playing out their roles in a quiet corner of the woods in the wilds of Florida.

Enjoy!

---Prem

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Show Your Support For Native Orchids

We've added a brand new bumper sticker to our web shop. For only $5 and some change (for tax, shipping, etc.), you can proudly show your support for our native orchids:




Click the image above to visit the web store.

A portion of the proceeds goes toward funding native orchid conservation efforts.
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