Wild orchids pictures taken 4/15/07

[flhiker]

1

[smartie2000]

Cool epiphytes! Thanks for sharing them what are they?

[flhiker]

I think the second pic is a clam shell orchid (Prosthechea cochleata) Dont think the third pic is a orchid, The fourth pic I thinks is a florida Star orchid (Epidendrum floridense Hagsater). the last pic I dont know what it is. If Iam wrong dont hesitate to correct me. Thanks for looking

[Jonatan]

Thanks once again for the pictures. Keep on posting. I'm heading to great Smoky Mountain NP in early may to get my legs working again.
Good hiking!!!

[flhiker]

Lucky you,are you planning to walk the AT and if so what part?
I have hiked the section at Fontana Damn to a fire tower at Shuckstack Mountain about 8 miles out and back. And have done a lot of mountain biking in Tsali recreation park in North Carolina.

Happy Hiking

[Jonatan]

No I'm not planning on walking on the AT I presume there will be alot of people at this time of year. Do you have any suggestions? Is Fontana Dam pretty nice? I'm heading out with my girlfriend so I wouldn't be doing anything exceptionnaly hard. Thanks for your help.

[flhiker]

The AT has hundreds of miles of trail thru out the Smokies, The trail leading to shuckstack Mountain I believe it has a elavation change of about 1200 feet in 4 mile, it felt like I was walking up all the way there. The view is spectaular for the fire tower but the walk up is most in the woods. I loved it but a little strenuous.

[Mahon]

Great pictures, Dave!
The first one is a Polyradicion lindenii in spike... and the second is Anacheilium cochleata var. triandra.

The third one is not an orchid, as you said... the fourth is another Epidendrum amphistomum, with an Epidendrum nocturnum just above it (the longer, thinner canes). The last one is Pleurothallis gelida... great finds!

-Pat

PS: For a second, I thought the second picture was Brassia caudata... you would have rediscovered the now extirpated species

[flhiker]

Hi Pat, thanks for the info. Now you have givin me a goal, I looked up the Brassia caudata and it does look very much like what I have been seeing. I hope like many to find one in bloom just to know there not gone. The area that I found the second orchid is usually under water all the time, we have very low water table due the water being drained for expected Hurricanes that never came. It really is hard to tell what most of these orchids are till they bloom.

[Tindomul]

Great pictures. For a lot of people, including me, when they think of orchids, they think of the Amazong Rain Forest or Africa. Not Florida