Hidden Gems of the Rainforest

     Well, they’re not really hidden. I do what I can to make them as visible as possible, but there’s a lot going on in the Costa Rica Glasshouse, and these small gems may be overlooked by you — our guests!

     Among the most unfortunate victims of their own small size are the miniature orchids of the genus Restrepia. The flowers of these orchids measure at a mere centimeter’s width, but have such striking detail that they are among the most beautiful of all the orchids.  The restrepia orchids bloom on an off throughout the year, and there have been a few recent additions to the collection to increase the chances of having at least one in bloom at any given time. Restrepias, with new wooden labels, can be found on the end of the leaf cutter ant log and on two ‘fallen’ branches in the exhibit along with some other ultra-miniature orchids worth noting from the genera Stelis, Pleurothallis, and Maxillaria.

 Take a close look for some more of these hidden gems, and don’t forget the macro lens.

Columnea schideana (above) has a flower often compared to stained glass and grows as a trailing epiphyte.
	The festive spotted flowers of Sinningia guttata. (above)
		Spotted kohleria flower.
	Fuzzy leaf of Kohleria trianae with red edge (above)	Episcia ‘Suomi’ (above) is an attractive groundcover.

Posted by Nate Tschaenn

Caterpillars are eating machines. If they could eat any plant they wanted, our Costa Rica biome would probably be reduced to twigs. Luckily, most butterflies are very host specific, and the caterpillars will only eat the leaves of a few select species of plants, often from just a single genus. We generally avoid planting any of the host plants of the butterflies that we keep. Occasionally I will discover that some species of butterfly has found a newly added plant as an acceptable host plant.

     Passion vine is the host plant of several species of longwing butterflies in our exhibit. For the past few weeks, there have been several passion vines placed on the learning cart in Costa Rica, so visitors are able to see the butterflies laying eggs. The passion vines attract dozens of butterflies and allow the visitors to really see them up close.

     You can also see how much damage the caterpillars do as they munch away all the leaves.  I had to start rotating passion vines onto the cart after the caterpillars completely defoliated the first couple of plants put out. If we were to breed our own butterflies, it would take a whole lot of greenhouse space simply devoted to growing host plants and would be much more costly. As it is, our butterfly pupas come from breeders in tropical countries. They are able to grow host plants much quicker and without the use of greenhouses.  

     The butterflies were so excited to start laying eggs on a fresh passion vine that I had put out, that one of them made a mistake and laid an egg right on my shirt.

- Nate Tschaenn

Spring comes in the Glasshouse for our avian species

While it has just started to feel like spring outdoors, the birds in the Eleanor Armstrong Smith Gasshouse have been in spring mode for weeks now. They are even more active and vocal than usual and are constantly building new nests. Of course, with new nests often come new birds. Here are a couple photos of the latest additions.

Violaceus Euphonia in nest	Young Bananaquit

     It can be a lot of fun watching the birds collect their nesting material. They often seem so clumsy as they try to tug down a dried up root from the cissus vine or untangle a piece of spanish moss from a branch, but then they are able to weave together such intricate nests!

Fire finch nest in the Madagascar biome.	Bananaquit nest (left) and honeycreeper nest complete with straw wrapper (right).

    Take a closer look at our birds the next time you visit. You’ll be able to spot bird nests in both Madagascar and Costa Rica. If you are having trouble finding the nests, ask a docent to point one out for you. You might even be able to see a bird collecting nest materials.

Part 1: Water

Most of the orchids that were on display during Orchid Mania now have a new home. This last Sunday we held our orchid sale where the public had a chance to buy leftover orchids from the show.  For my next two blog posts, I am going to be sharing some orchid care tips for beginners, in case any of you have purchased an orchid recently and are wondering what to do with it.

 It is understandable to assume that since most orchids are from tropical rainforests that orchids will need a lot of water, but this is rarely the case. Most orchids are epiphytes and grow in little or no soil with roots that are often exposed. Epiphytic orchids will dry out much quicker than terrestrial plants in their native habitat and have adapted to hold moisture between rainfalls. Placing an orchid in a pot with medium that is constantly wet will rot the roots and cause the plant to shrivel up just as easily as giving it too little water.

You should check your orchid one to two times a week for water. Research your species of orchid to see how much moisture it prefers. Orchids such as Cymbidiums, Miltonias, Phragmipediums and Paphiopedilums like to remain evenly moist but not soggy at all times. They should not be allowed to dry out completely.  Phaleonopsis, and Vandas should be allowed to dry out approximately 80-90% between waterings without ever becoming completely dry. Cattleyas, Laelias, Dendrobiums, Oncidiums, and Brassias should also be allowed to dry between waterings except when actively growing. 

It is often better to error in favor of underwatering your orchid than overwatering. It is easier to revive an underwatered orchid than one that has lost its entire root system to rot. Lift the pot before and after watering so that you get an idea of how heavy the orchid should feel if it is dry or moist. Don’t be afraid to dig into the medium a little bit to feel if it is moist. The medium surface may appear dry even when there is plenty of moisture in the pot.  

Most orchids enjoy higher humidity than in the average home. If humidity is too low, emerging leaves and flower buds may not develop correctly. You may notice newly emerged leaves that are wrinkled like an accordian.  You can raise the humidity in the area surrounding you orchid with light morning misting, or by using a humidity tray. If the humidity in your home is especially low, you may want to consider using a humdifier. Watering more frequently is not a substitute for higher humidity.

My next post will focus on providing orchids with the appropriate amount of light to grow and bloom. Do you have any specific questions about watering your orchid? Leave me a comment and I will respond as soon as possible!