Brooklyn Orchids

I think I can, I think I can…

July 27, 2010 4 Comments

I came home from my nerd vacation yesterday afternoon fully expecting to find that The Orchid That Won’t Die had finally given up the ghost. Before I left for San Diego, its big leaf had started to shrivel a bit and curl up around the edges, so I assumed it was truly on its way out. As soon as I got home from the airport, I entered my orchid room and saw that the leaf had shriveled further and started turning yellow:

Then I took a closer look and realized that the orchid is GROWING A NEW LEAF!!

Orchid's new leaf! — New leaf growing! Amazing!!

Not only is it amazing that the orchid is growing a new leaf, I think there may be a new root starting to swell from the root base — you can see a small green pimply-looking thing in this photo:

new orchid root? — Could it possibly be a new root??

If this orchid is actually recovering I might have to declare myself the Orchid Rescue Master. I just can’t believe that this plant has started to sprout a new leaf when it doesn’t even have any roots to soak up nutrients! Unreal. Orchids are just chock full of surprises!

Off Topic

Off to San Diego for…Comic-Con!

July 20, 2010 1 Comment

If you read my blog you are probably aware that I’m a (proud) nerd, as the orchid hobby is a bit totally geeky. But I’m also a nerd in other ways, one being that I AM SO EFFING EXCITED TO GO TO COMIC-CON IN SAN DIEGO THIS WEEK!!

I went to Comic-Con for the first time last year and loved it more than I thought I would. So of course, I have to go back for Round Two!

So at the butt crack of dawn tomorrow, I leave my orchids for 5 days to geek out big time in San Diego. Me on vacation = Orchid of the Week is also on vacation.

What am I most excited about for at this year’s Comic-Con? I’m really there for TV/movie stuff – I’m not into comics. I can’t wait to go to panels for a bunch of my favorite TV shows: Dexter, Fringe, Bones, The Vampire Diaries, plus the panel for AMC’s upcoming zombie show The Walking Dead, based one of the few comics that I actually read. ZOMBIES!1!! My boyfriend and I will be feverishly catching up on Dexter on our flight tomorrow so that we are totally up to speed at this year’s panel. Last year we were a season behind and totally got spoiled…boo.

Too bad there’s no Lost panel this year…last year’s was so fun. They probably aren’t doing one because Carlton & Damon know they would get bulk jars of Dharma Initiative Ranch Dressing thrown at them on stage after their crapfest of an ending. But I digress.

Back to your regularly scheduled orchid program next week!

Orchid of the Week

Orchid of the Week: Pterostylis nutans

July 16, 2010 No Comments

This week’s orchid is the Pterostylis nutans, an orchid native to Australia and New Zealand. This orchid has a couple aliases: the Nodding Greenhood and the Parrot’s Beak Orchid. What its scientific name makes me think of is a pterodactyl, but the plant looks more Venus Flytrap than Flying Reptile. This orchid actually traps insects inside its blooms—how very Little Shop of Horrors!

Pollination is unique with this orchid. The bloom has a hinged lip that swings backward when an insect such as a gnat or mosquito lands on it. The insect is then forced to escape by crawling past the sticky flower pollen which adheres to the insect’s body, ensuring pollination of the next bloom it lands on. Neato!

Pterostylis nutans bloom — Image credit: pacificbulbsociety.org

The Pterostylis nutans pollination story reminds me a bit of the Angraecum sesquipedale (Darwin’s orchid), which was Orchid of the Week about a month ago. It’s just incredible the way orchids have evolved to reproduce the best way possible for their environment. Evolution never ceases to amaze me!

Orchids in the Media

Unfortunate Orchid Names: 2nd Edition

July 12, 2010 2 Comments

There were a lot of amused comments from readers on my blog post 10 Unfortunate Orchid Names, so I decided that a second edition was in order. Orchids have all sorts of crazy names and so many of them take my mind straight back to the gutter…I just can’t help it! For your perverse pleasure, here is a list of 20 more unfortunate orchid names…

1. The word ‘orchid‘ itself comes from the Greek word ‘orchis’, which means testicle. If you take a look at the roots on the genus Orchis, it’s crystal clear where the name came from:

My Orchid Garden

Lots of New Orchid Growth!

July 10, 2010 No Comments

I was checking out my orchids this morning and I discovered that my Iwanagara Appleblossom is already starting to put out two new roots, which is super exciting because the plant was left with only three decent roots after I cut away the bad ones. Knowing the state of the orchid’s roots, I was a little unsure whether I’d be able to nurse it to health, but things are already starting to look up:

New roots on Iwanagara Appleblossom — New roots on my Iwanagara Appleblossom

As I mentioned yesterday, there is a whole lot of new growth going on with my orchids, and I’m so thrilled that, of course, I have to share some pics here! Click on each photo to see a larger version.

Tolumnia root growth — Lots of new root action on my Tolumnia

New shoot on Dendrobium Eama Queen — New shoot on my Dendrobium Eama Queen

New shoot & roots on NOID Dendrobium — New shoot & lots of roots on my NOID Dendrobium

New stalk growing on a NOID lady slipper

New leaf on lady slipper orchid — New leaf on my lady slipper “Wizard of Oz” seedling

New leaf on blooming Phal — New leaf on my blooming NOID phal

Great things are happening! It makes me so happy!

My Orchid Garden

Post-Move Update: Orchids Lost, Orchids Gained

July 9, 2010 10 Comments

I finally got my internet connection set up, nearly two weeks after moving into my new place. You know that that means: back to blogging! Because I’ve been away from the computer for awhile, this is gonna be a pretty epic post.

My orchids all did well on moving day, which was two weeks ago as of tomorrow. I packed the plants in several boxes but left the tops open; my boyfriend and I moved them ourselves in a U-Haul van along with his saltwater fish and corals, which he placed temporarily in giant buckets of water. This cargo was too precious to allow our movers to handle.