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. 

Phalaenopsis cornu-cervi [Breda] Blume & Rchb.f. 1860, red flowered form

The flowers are very nice but it is hard to get a good photo of them because they are so waxy the flash bounces from the petals as if from a mirror produced areas where all details and color are erased.

Bulbophyllum sumatranum Garay, Hamer & Siegrist 1996, now larger than ever

This orchid has totally overflowed the wire basket in which it is growing.  Now many growths are growing on the sides of the baskets or between or over, older growths.  An attempt to start pieces growing in a basket with coconuts chunks was a complete disaster, the plant never bloomed and one really, really wet season, it completely rotted away.  Yes, as unbelievable as it sound it did rot, something that is almost unheard in my collection in which all my Bulbophyllum seem to  tolerate without complaint even the wettest of weathers,  I plant to start transplanting pieces of this orchid to a log of teak wood to see how it will fare growing on this type of mount.  Hopefully it will be more floriferous there.  This clone is prone to bloom unpredictably and erratically, generally between March and May.

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.

Maxillaria tenuifolia Lindley 1837, a specimen plant

This large plant was brought to the April 10 meeting of the AOS judges in Ponce, Puerto Rico.  This plant is common in local orchid collections.  Specimen plants are not rare.  Once a saw, in the garden of a very old lady that used to sell orchids, a plant of this species that was several feet across.

Blc. Haw Yuan Rose 'NN'

This plant was brought to the April 10 meeting of the AOS judges in Ponce, Puerto Rico.  The color and shape were magnificent.

Tolumnia Red Barry

This plant was brought to the meeting of AOS judges in Ponce, Puerto Rico in April 10, 2016.   Home Depot stores have been bringing Tolumnia for sale since a few years ago.  Every time I pass by them I am tempted to buy.

Ascocenda (Lena Kamolphun x Betty May Steel)

Seen at the 2016 Puerto Rico Orchid Society show in the Jardin Botanico de Rio Piedras.

Yamadara Queen Adelia

Seen at the Mayaguez Orchid Festival on May 2015.

Phalaenopsis cornu-cervi [Breda] Blume & Rchb.f. 1860, a red colored peloric form

Bulbophyllum Lovely Elizabeth (Bulb. Elizabeth Ann x Bulb. rothschildianum)

I brought this plant last year to Hausermann orchids.  I was pleasantly surprised when the plant bloomed just a few weeks after it arrived.  I has bloomed again in April.  The flowers look to me like a nicer, larger version of Bulb. rothschildianum.   I started producing a new growth in December, but a dastardly snail ate it.  The plant is now in a spot that snail can't reach.

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.

Stenosarcos Vanguard 'Fireball'

I brought this plant about a decade ago.  It grows well with the same care one gives a houseplant.   The leaves are green with a white pattern.  This orchid is terrestrial I usually repot it roughly every two years, after it has finished blooming.  I take care not to harm the flesht roots.

Calanthe (Vintage Wine 'Mendenhall' x Rozel 'Red Velvet) frist bloom

First bloom to open in my garden of this Calanthe hybrid.  I like the color.  The plants are very easy to cultivate but few people in Puerto Rico culture them.  

Rosella de cabeza pálida, Platycercus adscitus, en cautiverio y en estado salvaje

Fue un privilegio ver esta ave tan hermosa en estado salvaje.  Las vi en New South Wales en un parque en un área urbana.  Era como de ensueño ver un ave de colores tan llamativos y peculiares caminado por el césped de un parque como un pinzón cualquiera, cuando uno se tiende a imaginar aves exóticas en remotas e impenetrables junglas.

El mexcalpique de cola roja Xenotoca eiseni no tiene gonopodio, tiene un andropodio

Los peces del genero Xenotoca no tienen un gonopodio para transferir la esperma al cuerpo de la hembra.  El gonopodio es una aleta especializada de algunos peces viviparos, como los gupies y los molies.  En su lugar el Xenotoca macho tiene un andropodio, esta es una aleta dividida que usa en la transferencia de esperma.  El macho hace movimientos de cortejo y pavoneo frente a la hembra antes de la inseminacion.  Los peces en las fotos son adultos jovenes.

Lepanthes rupestris, Stimson 1970, "in situ" growing on very slippery boulders by a mountain stream

These tiny orchids grow on boulders on the side of mountain streams in the high reaches of Sierra de Luquillo.  The plants are small and easily missed.  The flowers are so small most people are oblivious to their presence.  The boulders where these orchids grow are hideously slippery, moving among them demands supreme care and a constante state of alertness.  Any slip can result in a painful fall at best and broken bones at worst.  Given that these orchids are inconspicuous and in a habitat inimical to human presence, the result is that they are fairly common even in places that humans frequent.  

Taking good macro photos of them is not easy since there is no flat surface anywhere to put a tripod.  Also you have to be careful to keep a good balance among the boulders at the same time that you are taking the photos, something that is not easy if you are handling a 100 mm lens, trying to figure out what is the best exposure and hanging for dear life from the rocks themselves to avoid falling.

On top of all that you need to be alert for flash floods caused by rain far away upstream.  These have killed many a distracted bather in these mountain streams.  Happily the day I visited this particular stream, the place was not as soping wet as usual and I could move among the boulders with relative safety.

Oncidium Sharry Baby 'Sweet Fragrance'

This Oncidium hybrid has many virtues, it is relatively easy to grow, can be forgiving of neglect and if well cared for, it can produce large inflorescences of deliciously fragrant flowers that produce a powerful chocolate fragrance.  A single large mature pseudobulb can produce two inflorescences at the same time and those can carry dozens of flowers.  I have read that some people don't like the leaves of this orchid because they are not the smooth green of other Oncidium but can be covered with tiny blemishes, but to me this is a minor defect.  The flowers are so nice that it is easy to overlook the leaves.  Best of all mature plants can be found in many places from specialist orchid vendors to department stores.  Good sized and well bloomed plants can often be obtained at reasonable prices.

How I cultivate this plant:

Light:  Young plants get bright shade, adult plants get a few hours of sun in the morning but are sheltered from the harsh midday sunlight.  Giving the plants as much light as they can stand without burning has given me the best results.

Watering:  Almost every day when the plant is producing its pseudobulbs, particularly the phase where the pseudobulb is increasing in size.

Fertilizer:  In every watering when the plant is producing new growths.  No fertilizer when it is blooming or not growing.

Potting media: It seems to grow equaly well in bark, tree fern and coconut husk pieces. 

Temperature: Summer: 85F day, 75F night, winter 75F day, 65F night.