Renanstylis Susan Lim 'Howdy Doody'

 This is a cross of Renanthera phillippinense and Rhynchostylis gigantea alba.   

Renanthera bella J.J. Wood 1981

 This species is native of Borneo.  This species was once rare, now it can be obtained at reasonable prices.  It is small sized compared with species like coccinea and storiei.  Like all Renantheras it needs exposure to strong light to bloom and frequent watering and fertilizing. 

Renanthera Akihito (Renanthera Red Feathers x Renanthera storiei)

This orchid was shown in the 2016 Puerto Rico orchid society show in the Jardin Botanico de Rio Piedras.

Renanthera Kalsom x Ascocenda Varut Fucshia

I saw this plant at the 2016 Puerto Rico Orchid Society show.  What I found interesting about this plant is that the flowers were a delightful fuchsia color instead of the usual red that is the rule in Renanthera hybrids.  The plant was large and had many flowers.  Unfortunately the way it was put in the exhibit made it difficult to photograph the flowers and impossible to get a good photo of the inflorescence.

Renanthera monachica Ames 1915, slow growing but rewarding

This small Renanthera is a very slow grower under my conditions.  Thankfully it will bloom at a size that is positively microscopic when compared with its relatives such as Ren. coccinea and Ren storiei.  The bright colored flowers are a veritable plague magnet, I had to spray mine regularly with a mild insecticidal dilution just to be able to enjoy a full inflorescence.  Even the something bit off the dorsal petal of the first flower to open.

The flowers open slowly over the course of weeks.  The first flower opened on February 8 and it took until the 19 for the inflorescence to open its 10 th flower.  The inflorescence still has a bit to go until all the flowers are open.  I recommend this plant for people with limited space and endless patience.

Renanthera monachica in Puerto Rico damaged by a native orchid weeveil Stethobaris polita

An intact flower for comparison.

Last week I was looking forward to enjoying the beauty of an inflorescence of Renanthera monachica with all its flowers open.  Distressingly, I found that something had damaged the open flowers and some of the buds.  But it was not obvious which animal was causing the damage.  I visited the flowers several times during the day and then found that the culprit for the damage was a native orchid beetle, Statobaris polita.  I checked all my other orchids and the only one that had beetles was the Renanthera.  I only use pesticides as a weapon of last resort.  What I do with these weevils is that when I find them in flowers, I put a small cup with a combination of detergent and alcohol under the flower and then I shake the flower gently.  The weevils will react by helpfully dropping into the cup and partaking of the detergent and the alcohol.  These weevils are a seasonal pest, months can go by without one showing on the flowers and then they start to appear, but never in large numbers.  At the peak of their infestation I can find five to ten a week in the flowers.  They had not been a problem before the exotic orchid Sphatoglottis plicata established large populations in the forest.  I saw the first Sphatoglottis plant in the forest, a white one, in 2004, now they are common and in some places downright abundant.

Renanthera monachica Ames 1915, one of the smallest species of a genus known for its tall plants

Renanthera is a genus that is know for being a genus of tall plants that produce large inflorescences with dozens of red flowers.  But this genus also has smaller plants which produce flowers in color other than red.  One of the smallest is Renanthera monachica.  I brought this plant last year and today it opened its first flower.  The plant is five inches tall and the inflorescence of has just a few flowers.  Compare this with Renanthera coccinea, I had a plant that was seven feet tall and produced a three feet wide inflorescence that had 144 flowers.  This orchid is doing well in the Rio Abajo climatic conditions and I expect that it will continue growing taller and blooming.  I find it slow growing in comparison with my other Renanthera.

Anolis cristatellus, the camouflage fail of rorschach patterned headed lizard

Generally the local immature Anolis cristatellus are quite a wary bunch.  Given that pretty much every predator around would love to snack on them, including the adult A. cristatellus, their alert demeanor is understandable.   The color of these immature lizards resembles quite closely the leaf litter.  When standing on the forest floor these small lizards are well camouflaged and virtually invisible.  But when these lizards step away from their normal background the color pattern makes them quite conspicuous.  Normally it is not easy to get close to these lizards because they are prone to run away quickly if they become even slightly alarmed.   But this lizard seemed to feel so comfortable perching on the flowers of this Renanthera orchid that it showed an unexpected reluctance to move away.  This allowed me to get close enough to it to take several photos against a background that highlights its camouflage pattern.  The fact that the lizard lacks the tip of its tail means that even a good camouflage is no guarantee of survival in an environment full of hungry and sharp eyed predators.