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Saturday, January 15, 2011

Not an Orchid Nut, But
















My mom is nearly an orchid nut; she could be a full-fledged one if she was not so tight with her cash.  But you can't eat orchids and the Great Depression made a big impression on some people.  One day she got me to take her to an orchid "show" (which I had already learned is actually a sale) to look around . . . and buy orchids.  Orchids are interesting; many of them have devious means of getting insects to pollinate them, as an example.  And the epiphytic lifestyle, using other plants as support for the roots instead of soil, enables them to grow and be grown in very different ways than soil-bound plants.  Their ways have endeared them to enthusiasts who have hybridized like crazy making a vast variety of shapes, sizes, colors, smells, etc.  Maybe I should be an orchid nut.

Anyway, a small thing labeled "Bl. Seagull's Yellowbug" caught my eye and it was the only thing I bought that day.  Since then it has bloomed a couple times, currently has two bright yellow flowers that are covered in tiny brown spots, maybe from raindrops.  Anyway, I thought they look striking nonetheless against the very blue expanded metal patio table the plant sits upon.

1 comment:

Christine said...

Nice photo! Yes, orchids are manipulative creatures and ones I just can't manage to keep alive.