Cranichis tenuis Reichenbach f. 1865, found some dew covered flowers today.

Today I visited a population of Cranichis tenuis in the Maricao forest.  I was surprised to find only seven plants, when last year were dozens.  The place where they grow is not often visited by people so human influence is not suspect.  I visited the place early in the morning and found these flowers covered with dew.  I like how the flowers look.

Cranichis tenuis Reichenbach f. 1865, the population I found in the landslide last year has become larger

Last year I found a few plants of this species growing in nooks and crannies among the rocks of a decades old landslide.  In this year blooming season I found many more plants than last year.  It seems the conditions at the landslide site has become favorable for the growth of this orchid.  

Erythrodes sp. possibly hirtella, growing in the Maricao forest.

This is a relatively common, but fairly inconspicuous species.  The tiny tubular flowers are what horticulturists dismiss as "unshowy".  It is the only species of native orchid that has germinated in my orchid pots.  The plants of this species in my orchid pots are larger, with lustruous green leaves and produce many more flowers than the same species growing in the wild.  I attribute this to the abundance of nutrients in my orchid pots due to regular fertilizing. 

Epidendrum anceps Jacq. 1763, The flowers of 2015 in comparison with those I found in the same place in 2011

January 2015

January 2015

February 2011

February 2011

A few years ago I found a clump of stems of Epidendrum anceps growing in the crest of a hill in the Maricao forest. Since then, I visit these plants once a year to check how they are doing and to photograph the flowers.  In 2011 the clump had an inflorescence with green flowers.  In 2015, only one of the inflorescences had not suffered damage.  It was not clear what had damaged the inflorescences before they had finished their growth.  The only one with flowers had a distinct purple color in the edge of the lip.  Apparently, rather than all the stems being a single plant, the clump is composed of two plants growing very close together.  Hopefully next year I will be able to photograph both colors of flowers side by side.