Corkscrew Swamp Sactuary - Dendophylas Lindenii aka Ghost Orchid - Adventure Saturday # 12

Very overdue adventure post....

Mom and I made our way back to Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in July 2014.  We heard that the Super Ghost there had blossomed.  Twenty buds they said!  By the time we got out there, 16 of those buds had bloomed into beautiful Ghost Orchids.  It was a spectacular sight. 

 I suppose if you're not appreciative of nature and/or exotic and rare plants, then glimpsing the Ghost Orchid won't hold much meaning to you.  But this plant is special and I'll tell you why.

This wonderful flower is one of the world's rarest.  It can be found only in Cuba and South Florida and grows under very specific conditions.  I am lucky to live in one of the few places dendophylas lindenii grows... even luckier that it grows in a place where it's not only accessible, but protected.  Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary is the only place in the world with a publicized plant.   There is a reason for that...

Like all rare and exotic things, Ghost Orchid is highly coveted and sought after.  For years enthusiasts have gone to great lengths, such as sloughing through snake, alligator, and mosquito infested swamp to acquire the plant in an attempt to clone or reproduce it.  All attempts have failed.  Once the plant is removed from it's host tree, it quickly perishes.  Even though orchid hunting is a federal crime, it hasn't stopped poachers from trying, going so far as to cut down the tall trees they grow on.  It has become such a problem that any known blooms (such as in the Fakahatchee) is a closely guarded secret by the few park rangers who know were they are. Not too long ago a Ghost Orchid viewing was part of the package on some swamp tours. No longer. Because these flowers are out in the wild, they cannot be monitored or protected like the ones found in Corkscrew.  Ghost Orchid swamp tours ended when flowers started disappearing along the route.

So if you want to see this rare beauty you have a couple of choices.  You can either slough through one of South Florida's swamps and hope to bump into one as you avoid snakes and slap away mosquitoes...  Or you can go when one is in bloom and view it comfortably from Corkscrew's beautiful boardwalk.

Here are some other beautiful sightings at the park that day...

Keep adventuring!
~M