"The ghost orchid... A white blossom with no stem, leaves that are minuscule and a thin, spidery root that blends into its host tree...
a night hike to find the... flower. We met at 8 p.m. at the headquarters of Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park deep inside Florida's hinterland... After a brief talk with park biologist Mike Owen, we caravanned to nearby James Scenic Drive. This narrow dirt road cut through a mixture of wetland prairies and forests; in the forest portions both sides of our cars were brushed by branches. A railroad track previously covered this slit through Florida's jungle. From 1944 to 1954... cypress trees were logged here and a train carried them out. But now nature was reclaiming the land. After a few miles we parked in a clearing, then hiked farther ahead, the sky darkening but the heat staying around 90 degrees. "We still have 215 acres of old-growth, virgin cypress," Owen said as he swept his hand around. "This area was home to the ivory-billed woodpecker, panther and other animals that are now rare or extinct, and also plants like the ghost orchid." The Fakahatchee stretches 20 miles north to south and is five miles wide. An adventurer's playground of swamp and jungle, its neighbors include Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, Picayune Strand State Forest and Seminole and Miccosukee reservations. As we stepped over rocks and hopped over holes, Owen explained how "the ghost" blooms from June to early September, due to the humidity that it needs. He added that 85 percent grow on pop ash trees and 10 percent on pond apple trees, the Fakahatchee's two most common trees. ... Flashlights and headlights on, we walked... For about 50 yards we climbed over fallen trees and ducked under tree limbs, constantly wiping sweat from our brows and smacking mosquitoes on our skin. Normally the ground... has six inches of water at this time of year, Owen said, but we were in a drought. "You're very lucky tonight," the giddy park biologist soon shouted as he pointed to a plant clinging to a tree. "This is a rare vanilla orchid." ... With 44 native species, the Fakahatchee is the orchid capital of North America. ... we saw 20 ghost orchids clinging to trees... Owen. The ghost, he said... grows in southwestern Florida, the Bahamas and Cuba. Each plant blooms for about two weeks. "In 13 1/2 years here I've located 305 ghost orchids in the park," he said, "although there's a lot we don't see again so we're not sure if all are still alive." Eventually the heat and mosquitoes convinced us to leave... "The best way to protect nature is to get people out here," Owen said." URL : http://www.sun-sentinel.com/travel/sfl-ghostorcbrmay18,0,2139819.story ************** Regards, VB _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [email protected] http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
