Orchids in Bloom

Thursday, March 19, 2015

Porroglossum meridionale

It seems to be Porroglossum season. Almost all of mine are in bloom at the moment. Porroglossum meridionale is another species from this genus of insect-trapping flowers. The flowers have hinged lips and when disturbed by a small insect the lip suddenly snaps up trapping the insect against the column, effecting pollination. Most of the pictures show the lip open but the close-up photo shows it shut against the column. The plant is 6 cm tall, the flower spikes 10 cm in length, and the flowers 1.5 cm. It hails from Peru.

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Dendrobium seranicum 'Brendan'

This is my awarded plant of the species. Dendrobium seranicum is from the island of Seram in the Moluccas, loves cool temperatures and high light, has very long lasting flowers on a miniature plant, and is one of the Oxyglossum Dendrobiums. The plant is 8 cm tall and the flowers are 3 cm, usually produced in pairs from the top of the pseudobulbs and between the two or three succulent leaves.

Monday, March 2, 2015

Mount Baker Orchid Society Show

February 28 was our orchid society's annual show. The Mount Baker Orchid Society is a very small society but the show was well received. I put in my usual display using a purpose built show case and an insert that looks like a lava cliff with water running down it and spent the day helping with the show and taking photos. Photography at a show is always a challenge because the flowers are massed together, lighting is not always good, and often one has to contend with poor backgrounds, tags and other paraphernalia used for displaying the plants. These were some of the better photos I was able to get. We hold our show at a local nursery and so one has to contend with nursery traffic as well. The photos of my display case were taken after most of the show was dismantled.

Cattleya loddigesii