Ghosts in the night
- houlihanpeter
- Jul 3, 2014
- 1 min read
The ghost orchid (Dendrophylax lindenii) is one of the rarest orchids in the world. With only about 1500-2000 known individuals in the wild, confined to patches of cypress swamp in southern Florida and Cuba, the flower has a fragile existence. As development expands throughout southern Florida, the ghost's habitat is becoming increasingly more fragmented. Yet, the largest threat is poachers. Every year these orchids are smuggled out of parks for trade on black markets - however, the ghost orchid is one of the most difficult plants to rear, and removing them from their natural habitat often kills the orchid, which is listed as endangered in the state of Florida. I am currently working in Fakahatchee Preserve State Park to better understand the unique relationship between this orchid and its pollinator, the giant sphinx moth (Cocytius antaeus). The flower photographed here is only a day old, and situated five meters up on a tree. Ghost orchids are quite a challenge to locate and photograph. Photographing them often requires balancing precariously on a ladder with a tripod!
This research is funded by the Lewis and Varina Vaughn Fellowship in Orchid Biology, with permission and support from the Florida State Park Service.
