I just returned from another unsuccessful butterfly photo hunt. As usual the butterfly was there posing for me until I brought out my camera. As I was creeping up on it, she fluttered in midair for a moment then took off laughing.
Last I saw of her she was headed North at a high rate of speed. Best I can figure the Butterflies around South Florida all are part of a butterfly witness protection program and therefore don't want their picture taken. This is when it dawned on me that some Orchid pictures was what I really had in mind after all.
So with that goal in mind here is an Orchid Update.
This guy is the Vanda Orchid that I got over the Thanksgiving weekend. It is spectacular with its royal purple bloom.
As with most Vanda type Orchids its roots grow freely without any type of planting medium covering them. It has to be watered frequently as the aerial roots have no way to store water. This one is known as Packchong Blue.
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This Orchid is of a different family and is a hard caned Dendrobium.It's roots are growing onto an old piece of board. It bloomed several months ago so I have placed it nailed to my Avocado tree next to my Hillbilly Orchid also a Dendrobium. Both Bloom multiple purple flowers on tracks emerging from the top of the plant.
Here is a past post about the Hillbilly:
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This Orchid is another eye popper and one of my favorites. It is yet another type called a Phalaenopsis. This hybrib is called Chien Xen Pearl. I just like the freckles.
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And this one is a mystery to me. All my research so far has drawn a blank on to what type of orchid this guy is.
It appears to be healthy and growing so for now I just water it every now and again and leave it alone. It has not produced a flower yet .
So he goes back on my research agenda right next to how to stalk a South Florida butterfly.
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your mystery orchid is a Brassavola orchid of some type...either a species or a hybrid. I'm guessing either Brassavola nodosa or Brassavola Little Stars (nodosa x cordata). You might want to move it to a brighter area to encourage flowering.
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Ah, the elusive butterflies... actually my favourite poem goes like this....
ReplyDeleteHappiness is like a butterfly,
the more you chase it the more it will elude you.
But if you turm you attention to other things and it will come and sit softly on your shoulder.
These orchids are stunning - and I usually have the same luck with butterflies.
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ReplyDeleteWow, That was easy now that you told me what to look for. Orchid research is difficult for me because I tend to get distracted looking at the pictures of them and forget what I was susposed to be looking for. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction.
Africanaussie,
ReplyDeleteYes quite true. Perhaps I am trying to hard.
Deb,
ReplyDeleteI agree the Orchids are stunning. I am really enjoying them and learning about them.
You can't creep up on a butterfly. As AA said, you have to let them come to you. You can go near and ask politely if you might take their picture. Sometimes it works. All the Zebras, swallowtails and longwings, like to be asked.
ReplyDeleteNell Jean,
ReplyDeleteI have decided to not concentrate so much on the butterflies in my garden and focus on photographing something easier like the birds.