Before I get into discussing this week’s featured orchid, I want to take a second to pat myself on the back because this is my 100th blog post! I’m pretty proud of my blog, so yay me. Also, I had my best blog day ever this week in terms of views—188 hits on Monday, January 10! Whoever’s reading…thank you! 🙂
Okay, the orchid I’ve chosen to write about this week is Haraella retrocalla. It’s a small epiphytic plant native to Taiwan with blooms that I think look like big fat yellow-and-purple bumblebees:
The blooms are even furry like bumblebees! Click the below photo to see all the amazing detail in the larger version. The bottom edge of this flower reminds me of a snowflake.
How adorable are these flowers?? In addition to being super cute, the blooms have a strong lemony fragrance that mimics the scent of a female beetle indigenous to the plant’s environment. So basically, these flowers seduce male beetles to ensure pollination. Such little temptresses!
On another note, I would just like to point out this random image that came up when I did a Google Image search for “haraella retrocalla.” I don’t really know what the hell this thing is, but I kind of like it:
Okay, one more Haraella retrocalla pic for the road, just ‘cuz:
7 comments
This one is so pretty. I still have to see your orchid room.
Yeah! One of these days you’ll get to see it. I’ve got a bunch of orchids that are getting ready to bloom!
These flowers are so beautiful and the lemony scent sounds fantastic! Would love to smell them 🙂
ps – congrats on your 100th blog post!
Thanks Naomi!!
Were lucky enough to have this plant in our collection, and I always think of it as having a little “monkey face”