Dear Bernard and Oliver, Actually Bernard, I have been to all three countries that you mention, and have found thousands of orchids with very little effort. The difficult part is getting to the correct sites, as Viatuer stated. In Colombia I have a favorite spot that is just off of the National highway [La Septima] within the city limits of Bogata but on private property. Ask if you can explore for orchids. Most everyone says no problem. They consider them a weed at best and a parasite most oftenYou will not see them if you do not go hiking. I for years thought there were no orchids in Colombia as I never saw them from the roads in my inlaws cars. Remember roads mean that people have been there and so anything interesting has been taken or the trees that are left do not support orchids. To find orchids you must think like one. Where could they be where no one bothers them. Look for orchids where it is difficult for a person to go. People are lazy and will hardly ever put any effort into finding an orchid. If there is a cliff side, ravine, gully, rill spate or hidden copse with [and this is the really important part] primary or secondary forests then orchids of all sorts will be there. The more difficult the spot is to access, the better the plants. In most areas that tourists can get to, all the original forest has been cleared away leaving no locations for orchids to grow. In Mexico outside and to the south of Puerto Vallarta there is a dirt road that goes to a mine. It is not a tourist road. It goes for 35 miles with only one small settlement. You must be prepared with food, water and fuel. On that road I found Stanhopea radiosa, maculosa, Epidendrum longicaule [on rocks along the stream bed], Encyclia spatella, aenicta, chondybulbon, tripunctata, trachycarpa and davidhuntii, 4 different Pleurothallis including the absolutely cute P minutalis, Anacheilum chacoensis, cochleata, and crassifolia, Cattleya aurantiaca, Bletia coccinea, B purpurea, Myrmecophila galleotiana, 4 different Scaphyglottis, Hexisea bidentata, Ionopsis utricularioides, Stenorhynchos lanceolata and Oncidium oestlundianum, cebolleta and reichenheimii. Almost everywhere else I went there were no orchids. In Costa Rica at lower elevations all the orchids grow high up in the trees in primary and secondary forests, look for fallen trees or areas that are newly being cleared for agriculture. At higher elevations they are anywhere that the original forest is intact. Generally you have to walk in a few hundred yards before you see them. Ask a Tico [term for the locals] to take you. Get on a horse if the walking is too tough. Who said it was easy? One spot that orchids grow any where in the tropics is on older fence posts in heavily farmed areas Be prepared to encounter insects, snakes and slippery situations. Have long sleeves, good shoes and be prepared to get very dirty. A hat comes in handy to keep stuff from falling into your hair as you go under and through bushes. Always keep in mind the direction you came from. It is easy to get lost if you get tooo far from the road. If you are feeling lost, stop, relax and listen. Often you can hear the traffic and you will get a proper bearing to get back to the road. In Colombia [or anywhere else], anywhere flat has been cultivated over the years so you must look towards cliffsides, mountainsides, streambanks and other areas non suited for agriculture. I find that generally you must get about 1/4 mile away from any road that is paved before orchids start to make their appearance. As Viatuer stated, ask the locals. I remember one time near Villeta Colombia that I was on a dirt road in primary forest and was up a tree photographing a mule ear Oncidium when I spotted a "campesino" [a local poor landworker] watching me from behind a tree. When asked, he asked if I was interested in the "parasitos" [local term for orchids]. I said yes and he asked me to follow him. He took me to his farm that had a lot of coffee trees that had been abandoned [he was very old] and in the trees there were hundreds of orchids. He then showed me his collection of Parasitos that he said he had found on his property and nearby over the years and it was quite impressive, Stanhopea, Gongora, Acineta, Cattleyas, Oncidium and Odontoglossum to name a few. So in conclusion, what I look for to find orchids is, primary or secondary forests, nonaccessiblility, fallen trees [many orchids grow so high up in the canopy that you would never see them], rock outcroppings, people that are clearing land [again fallen trees], ask a local campesino [requires knowledge of the local language], small streams with thickets, wet cliffsides, steep roadcuts. Behind restaraunts, gas stations and the like in the country when you stop, I have found many interesting orchids this way. Viatuer writes >>> I saw some cattleyas in bloom in the garden of a hotel in San Agust?n (Huila) ;>>> I hired a local and we went on horseback and I saw the same orchids in nature plus tons of others and all the chipcha scultures as well.. >>- anguloas, Miltoniopsis vexillaria in a private garden (El Ir?n, in Fusagasuga [Cundinarmarca]) ;>> Been there as well, it is Berta Ospinas [President's wife from the 60's] private garden [she has since passed away but the garden is still open] took a walk from there up and out of town and found several orchids there >>>- Encyclia cordigera in El Gallineral park and cattleyas in bloom at a
local restaurant (San Gil, Santander del Sur) ; Got out of town and hired a horse and saw them naturally about 1k from town center. By the way a beutiful place, did you eat the Hormigas Culonas [Giant butt ants]? They are a local delicacy, fried, tastes like buttered popcorn. Rule of thumb, get away and enjoy the natural scenery, even if you don't find any orchids it is better than hanging out by the road. -- Jay Pfahl www.orchidspecies.com _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [email protected] http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
