Stanhopea wardii Lodd. ex Lindley 1838, first blooming in my collection

I brought this plant a few years ago from Tropical Orchid Farm.  I potted it in a basket with bark.  As most people that knows this genus would have realized, bark is not a recommended media for this species, due to its pendent inflorescence, which can become trapped in dense media.  But I judged that my plant was small enough that it would take some time to read adults size and by that time the pseudobulbs would have reached the edge of the basket and the media would no longer be an impediment to any developing roots.

I gave the plant generous watering, constant fertilizing and it thrived.  Last year the new growths reached the edge of the six inch basket, growths after that had their bases exposed rather than being sitting on top of the media.  A few months ago the latest growths showed two inflorescences, one at each opposite end of the basket.

The flowers are beautiful and have a good size.   In fact the inflorescence is impressively massive considering the size of the pseudobulbs from which it develops.  The flowers opened well but one collapsed quickly, probably due to the stress of being moved from the mountains to the hot coastal lowlands.  The plant started blooming on Friday  24 of 2014, and I feared that because I was going away for the weekend, when I returned they all might have collapsed, so I took it with me, so that I could photograph the flowers when they were freshly opened.

This plant has not represented for me a cultural challenge.  The only special thing I have made for this plant is a custom made basket I made ao I could fulfill the cultural needs of the plant without using a lot of potting media.  The plant is healthy, however it lost many leaves during this year, maybe due to unseasonably dry weather in my locality at a date where it normally rains constantly,

Sobralia decora Bateman 1841, blooming in 2014

This is the second year this Sobralia blooms in my garden.  The plant has been growing well in the warm and humid environment of the Rio Abajo Forest in Arecibo, Puerto Rico.   Although I would not call it a fast grower, it has more than doubled in size since I brought it two years ago.  This plant needs regular watering and fertilizing to produce the full sized canes that bloom best.  The bigger the canes the better the flowering.  I particularly like the fact that all the flowers opened simultanously.  Sadly the flowers are short lived and collapse in the afternoon.  

Bulbophyllum Elisabeth Ann a pale clone

Bulbophyllum Elisabeth Ann is the cross of Bulb. rothschidianum x Bulb. longissimum.  Different clones can vary in the way that they resemble their parents.  Most people prefer those clones that show the rich red color of the rothschildianum parent.  I have several clones I brought some time ago, this is the most pale of the lot.  Unfortunately the yellow color is not bright and it is noticeable only when one looks at the plant closely, the pink color tends to overshadow it.

La cotorra de Kramer Psittacula krameri, conocida en Ingles como "Rose ringed parakeet" , algunas variaciones de color

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.

Perico princesa, Polytelis alexandrae una especie endemica de Australia

Una forma mutante

La especie con su coloración natural

Esta especie de perico es endémica de Australia.  No se conoce mucho sobre esta ave en su estado natural debido a que habita el interior desértico del país y porque son nómadas.  Esta especie se reproduce en cautiverio y existen varias formas mutantes.

Bulbophyllum lobbii var, Malacca, blooming with multiple flowers for the second time in 2014

In the past I had tried to grow this orchid without sucess.  In January of 2013, I received this plant and the nominate variety.  Both were treated identically, potted in the same media and in the same type of basket, they were growing side by side.  The nominate type died a low and messy death, the var. Malacca has thrived and blooms very well.  I wonder what is the difference that caused the different outcomes in the cultivation of plants that are essentially identical in their needs.

Periquito espléndido (Neophema splendida), nativo de los desiertos de Australia

Cacatúa abanderada (Lophochroa leadbeateri) nativa de las regiones semiaridas de Australia.