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
5 comments:
Great article and great photo, Prem.
Hi Prem, I didn't realize you had a blog, welcome to Blotanical! Seeing the Ghost like that makes life worth living. :-)
Frances
Corkscrew swamp is one of my favorite places to visit! I took the long dirt road and hiked down an access road last time, ending up at an old house with alligators on the porch! I even shot a photo of a pond apple germinating in the eye socket of an alligator's skull.
There were so many great tillandsias, catopsis and guzmanias there that I forgot to even look for orchids!
Today, August 6, the ghost orchid that inspired the novel by the same name, Ghost Orchid, by D. K. Christi - well, it's blooming again! One medium bloom today but several visible buds. My question - will we get a 4th blooming this year? Why not? This spectacular orchid is the subject of a novel and the honored queen of Corkscrew Swamp; she can do what she likes. www.dkchristi.com
Well, the first year it had been discovered, it bloomed in three different flushes, one in July, one in August, and one in September...so it's definitely possible.
---Prem
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