Orchid blog
This blog is dormant at the moment, but it is still getting a lot of visitis so I will keep it up for you guys as a resource. My future adventures will be published on my new blog, hope to see you there!
My focus… if pressed to name favorites it would have to be orchids of the Pleurothallid Alliance. But a Paphiopedilum was the first orchid I ever fell in love with so slipper orchids will always be close to my heart, and while we are on the subject I might as well disclose a love affair with Neofinetia as well.
When lilac expectations turn green
This small sized epiphyte hails from northern Peru and southeast Ecuador where it grows at altitudes of 1500 to 2000 meters. The name, Masdevallia lilacina, is supposed to reflect the lilac color of the flowers, and I must say that I was actually a smidge disappointed when mine turned out more cream and green than lilac...! Oh, don't get me wrong. I love green flowers almost above all, but I was expecting them to be beautifully [...]
Mystery Masdevallia
I have the pleasure of introducing an unexpected, but very welcome, Masdevallia guest - or shall we say free passenger. It came in the same pot as my Dracula barrowii, purchased from Orchids & More in 2009 but I did not discover it until now when it decided to bloom. I knew something was up as soon as it started to spike. Dracula barrowii sets pendulous spikes, these were growing straight up. I looked closer at the [...]
Paphiopedilum appletonianum
This is a favorite Paphiopedilum in my collection. It is not particularly large or flashy as Paphiopedilum go, but it is boasting a magical color combination that either makes you think of green fairies or some lost scene from a Willy Wonka movie - depending of course on your imagination or penchant for the anise-flavoured spirits of late 19th-century Parisian artists... The naming however was not nearly as poetic as it is simply named after a certain W.M. Appleton who first brought [...]
Masdevallia musings…
A lovely Masdevallia impostor - photo of the day. Enjoy! I was just playing around with my new camera and the flash this weekend, which resulted in this rather artistic photo. I still need some more practice, but it is so much fun to photograph the orchids now. I looooove my new gear! Camera: Nikon D7000 DSLR. Lenses: Tamron AF 90/2,8 SP DI Macro (used for this photo) and Nikon Nikkor AF-S DX 18-105/3,5-5,6 G ED [...]
Pleurothallis eumecocaulon
A small but very beautiful little Pleurothallis from the section Ancipitia. It hails from the wet forests of Costa Rica and Panama where it grows at altitudes from 800 to 1700 meters. It is a prolific bloomer, mine has been blooming for a few months already. The flowers are small and don't quite open up all the way so the flower looks a little bit bell shaped from a distance. I have seen other photos of this [...]
Masdevallia glandulosa
Here is a real treat for you! Masdevallia glandulosa is a really special orchid with beautiful colors and amazing little candy-like bubbles (glands) inside the flower tube, hence the name... the epithet is derived from the Latin glandulosus which means "bearing the glands." It has a very pleasant scent too, a little bit spicey like cinnamon or cloves mixed with honey perhaps. I got it from Ecuagenera in September, and I am so thrilled to see [...]