Ghost Orchid flowers at Kew Gardens!

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For those of you who are interested in orchids, the Ghost Orchid has flowered "in captivity" at the Royal Kew Gardens in England.



The Ghost Orchid is a very rare leafless orchid which grows in the Florida Everglades and in Cuba. It has an unusual form, some say, looking like a jumping frog. It is endangered due to poaching and loss of habitat. The news report today said there were about 1500 plants estimated to be in the Everglades and another 500 or so in Cuba.

The Ghost Orchid is endemic to South Florida and Cuba.

Ghost Orchid

Wow.Just amazing.
I wish people would stop digging up wildflowers.Most don’t survive the shock.
Even picking them is a bad idea.

I agree. So many of the orchids in the Fakahatchee Strand and the Everglades were removed in huge numbers. When collecting oral histories of the area, I met people who talked about seeing whole glens of orchids, wall to wall orchids. I was told of people who came in a filled their wagons with orchids, hauling them out. There is even a book about one current day thief: The Orchid Thief.

Ginseng is a big crop here. The old timers didn’t harvest young roots and always dug roots when the berries were ripe and replanted them.
The greedy people now dig it all up.No respect .
There are suppose to be yellow and pink Ladies Slippers in this area.I have never been fortunate enough to see one.People also dug them up for trade.
Maybe one day, but I’ll never tell a soul where it is.

oh that's beautiful

What a beautiful.flower.