florida native orchid I give to you updated photographs of Platanthera integra. Armed with the fact that these were finally in bloom in the Florida panhandle in the general vicinity of Tallahassee, I set forth with the hope of recapturing these in flower with better photographic equipment. This time I was rewarded with finding about 20 plants in three scattered populations.Such dainty little flowers that glimmer with a crystalline texture in the full sunlight of the wet savannah where these grew.You can read more about this species here:>>> Platanthera integra profile page. <<< Read more
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florida native orchid jingle bell orchid (dendrophylax porrectus) jingle bell orchid (harrisella porrecta) Here in central Florida, the diminutive leafless orchid, Dendrophylax porrectus (known commonly as the Jingle Bell Orchid or Needleroot Orchid), begins its blooming. Known previously as Harrisella porrecta, this species was reassigned to Dendrophylax following a molecular genetic study that placed it squarely within that genus. It does seem to defy logic, though, that this species with one of the smallest orchid flowers in Florida is closely akin to one of the largest-flowered species in our state--the ghost orchid. These flowers really are remarkable in how they replicate the orchid flower structure in such a small package of just a ... Read more
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florida native orchid ghost orchid (dendrophylax lindenii) With our large van out of commission on the south side of Naples, FL after leaving the COS symposium, we were able to convince my eldest son, Josh, to come pick us up. This made for a rather harrowing early morning ride back to Orlando with two rather tired drivers (Josh and myself) taking tandem shifts to get us back. The van still in Naples, we had it towed to a nearby shop where they proceeded to repair it in our absence.This, of course, meant that we had to go retrieve it once it had been fixed. So, Josh, Timothy ... Read more
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african spotted orchid florida native orchid monk orchid (oeceoclades maculata) It is fairly clear where the African Spotted Orchid, Oeceoclades maculata (pronounced Ee-see-oh-klad-eez mack-you-lat-ah), originated. What is less clear is how it got here in the state of Florida. This is one of our most frequently encountered naturalized orchids, second to the Lawn Orchid (Zeuxine strateumatica), making its home equally well in the edges of moist swamps and under our landscaping. Its habitat seems to be expanding rapidly from southern Florida into central Florida and perhaps beyond.Read more about this mysterious visitor from far away lands on the Florida Native Orchids website:>>> Oeceoclades maculata profile page <<< Read more
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florida butterfly orchid (encyclia tampensis) florida native orchid merchandise t-shirt We have just released a new t-shirt featuring Florida's popular and iconic orchid, Encyclia tampensis (common name: Florida Butterfly Orchid). I am wearing this tee-shirt right now, and I must say that it is quite lovely, if I do say so myself. The shirt itself features an entire plant with multiple flowers in the background and a closeup of a single flower in the foreground. It features both the common and scientific names of the plant, so it is both educational and beautiful to look at.It is available in all sizes from Small to 3XL. Click the following link to ... Read more
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florida native orchid snowy orchid (platanthera nivea) Photographs taken over 'classic black' with my new Canon Digital Rebel T3i: Read more
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corkscrew swamp sanctuary florida florida native orchid ghost orchid (dendrophylax lindenii) I have just been informed that the Corkscrew Swamp ghost orchid is in flower with seven flowers presently.http://www.corkscrew.audubon.org/. Read more
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florida native orchid snowy orchid (platanthera nivea) ...to find that orchid to photograph. In this case, our travels took us into southern Georgia to find Platanthera nivea in flower. The Florida localities that I tried came up empty, but it seems that these are running a little late this year. Read more
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florida native orchid ghost orchid (dendrophylax lindenii) publication The reason I go out into the field to photograph Florida's wild orchids is because they interest me and I hope to share this interest with others, and this is its own reward. When one of my photographs is chosen for publication, I am honored and humbled that someone has considered using my work. Recently, I was approached to submit a photo of a Florida native orchid for use for the cover of the Florida State Horticultural Society Proceedings. After submitting several photos, we settled on a photo of "Miguel's ghost orchid", an orchid discovered by the late Miguel Urquia ... Read more
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florida native orchid water spider orchid (habenaria repens) I recently came across a population of one of our more common orchids, Habenaria repens, in a wet ditch in the Orlando area. Known by the common name of 'Water Spider Orchid', plants are notoriously difficult to see even when in full flower, owing to the fact that the plant, along with its minuscule flowers (which are a bit over 1 cm wide), is completely green to yellow-green.This might cause you to wonder, "How on earth would a completely green flower stand out enough from its background vegetation to be seen by a pollinator?" Just FYI, these flowers are not ... Read more
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cigar orchid (cyrtopodium punctatum) cowhorn florida native orchid This is the story of the Old Man of the Swamp.Years ago, perhaps around the same time that this photograph was taken of a cartload of orchids cribbed from the swamps (including Cigar Orchids, Mule-ear Oncidiums, and Dollar Orchids - Cyrtopodum punctatum, Trichocentrum undulatum, and Prosthechea boothiana, respectively),a small cigar orchid (Cyrtopodium punctatum) began its tenuous existence on a buttonwood somewhere deep in the Everglades. As time went on, its forest grew, never too tall, as this was a harsh environment-- shielding this plant from unfriendly eyes. In time, long after these orchid collectors had left, it became a large ... Read more
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crab spider (mecaphesa celer) florida native orchid spring ladies tresses (spiranthes vernalis) This past weekend, while out on a photography trip, we came across this little girl hanging out on a Spring Ladies Tresses (Spiranthes vernalis) inflorescence. Spiders are often encountered on flowers of all sorts, mostly ambush predators like this Crab Spider and the Green Lynx Spider. They lie in wait for a hapless insect to come near them and then they pounce! These spiders are known to alter their coloration to match their surroundings and thus blend in. Imagine the next time you go to your refrigerator, a predator disguised as a salami pounces on you and eats you! Read more
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florida butterfly orchid (encyclia tampensis) florida native orchid The photo that you see above is featured in the entry for the Florida Butterfly Orchid (Encyclia tampensis) in the new National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Wildflowers of North America (click to view the book on Amazon.com). I am honored and humbled to have this photo included in this epic work. Read more
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florida native orchid giant orchid (pteroglossaspis ecristata) Pteroglossaspis ecristata is a plant of contradictions. While once fairly common in Florida, its population has declined in recent years, becoming much harder to find in flower. Its paper-thin leaves are reinforced with stiff veins, making them resemble a palmetto seedling. Its sometimes exceptionally tall flowering stems are capped with small flowers, each only 1 to 1.5 cm tall.My son, Josh, admiring a tall flowering plant.While inflorescences up to 5.5 feet (1.7 meters) are not unheard of, a more typical flowering stem height is 2 to 3 feet (0.7 to 0.9 meters) tall.The flowers themselves are not extraordinarily attractive...perhaps more ... Read more
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florida adder's mouth (malaxis spicata) florida native orchid When I was a teenager, my mom and I would often take drives out into the Apalachicola National Forest or the Lake Talquin State Forest nearby just to see what could be seen. As we ran across interesting plants that we had not seen before, we would consult our guidebooks, as well as the resident botanist and herbarium director at Florida State University, Dr. Loran Anderson (now retired). We had established a good rapport with him and I especially would report any new orchid finds. I was able to help him obtain a few orchid specimens for his herbarium that ... Read more
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florida native orchid grass pink (calopogon tuberosus) In this case, albino would mean a complete lack of the typical pink color. The orange-yellow in the psuedo-pollen bristles persists.This is only the second time in my life that I've seen a grass pink this color. Below is a typical color form:You can read more about this species on its profile page: Grass Pink (Calopogon tuberosus) Read more
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florida native orchid jingle bell orchid (dendrophylax porrectus) jingle bell orchid (harrisella porrecta) 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 growing in a citrus grove near Oneco, FL and given the name Aeranthus porrectus. It has since bounced around between several genera - Harrisella porrecta, Campylocentrum porrectum, to finally land in the genus Dendrophylax (as D. 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 ... Read more
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florida native orchid long-horned false rein orchid (habenaria macrocera 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.The spidery flowers are the largest of the Habenarias ... Read more
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florida native orchid white fringed orchid (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 ... Read more
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florida native orchid orange fringed orchid (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 Read more
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