These colonies of Sphatoglottis plicata and Spa. plicata var. alba were obliterated when the road was repaired from damage

These orchids were growing on a fern prairie next to highest point of highway 10 in Puerto Rico.  Unfortunately, the road on this spot, started cracking and slumping.  A massive rework of the down slope side of the road was done to protect the road from further damage and to repair it.  The whole area was denued and reshaped.  Some day I will return to see if the orchids have returned.  However these particular orchids are abundant in the extreme in certain estreches of this road.  In this places even constant removal of plants by people that stop to uproot them, seems to make no dent in the populations.

Sphatoglottis plicata, a weedy invasive orchid, near Mt. Britton, El Yunque, Puerto Rico

I found this orchid blooming on the roadside near Mt. Britton in el Yunque forest.  Unlike Spathoglottis populations at lower altitudes, plants were widely scattered and seemed confined to disturbed areas.  No white flowered plants were seen.  The plant whose flower I photographed had several developing seed capsules.  I recall finding Eulophia plants in this spot in the early nineties, I have visited the area several times in the last few years and have never found them.  Of all the terrestrial orchids in this part of the forest, Spathoglottis is the most conspicuous due to its brightly colored flowers.  No evidence of damage to the flowers by beetles was seen in the plants near Mt. Britton.