Madder then hell

[Ross]

Dave, I consider you a friend after our little trip, but I must say you have been very trusting. While I could never find my way back (or make it back out ) others can/could and perchance someone you showed took the plant, but the odds are that you are not the only one who knows the location. While this is a great loss, please reconsider showing trustworthy adventurers the beauty that is the Fakahatchee.

[Royal]

I'm with Ross. You do so much for the Ghosts by enlighting others about them. Don't let one scumbag poacher stop some of the best education outreach anyone could get - seeing them in person. I understand the the anger, some people are heartless and ignorant. That just means we need more FLHikers.

[SP2340]

Originally Posted by Ross

please reconsider showing trustworthy adventurers the beauty that is the Fakahatchee.

Yeah, I said to myself that when I get a job again in this horrible economy that I'd like to go out there with you guys. I have an interview tommorrow and now this happens!

[yakatme]

Newbie here...first post.

Dave, reading your posts in numerous threads is mostly what finally prompted me to join this site day before yesterday. With my membership just now activated the first thread that I saw was this one.

I am so disappointed to hear that this very unique orchid was stolen for many reasons. Besides the obvious and what has already been stated, I now feel that you and others are much less trusting of anybody and especially so for anybody that you don't know yet. I don't know what can be done to ease that distrust (if anything) especially while it's still in the "heat of the moment" and that is very disheartening to someone who has recently fell in love with orchids and was looking forward to meeting others who have the same interests in the exploration of the wilds of South Florida in search of these beauties.

I found this site while researching on the web for places to photograph more of what I have been fnding on my own by luck and I was very excited at the opportunity of photographing this 4 or 5 stemmed ghost. I thought that my timing was perfect in finding this forum and now it has completely reversed into being the perfectly wrong time to approach you or anyone here as a unknown newcomer.

As far as whether it was your fault...I agree with the previous posters. Even if you were the only person who knew the location of this ghost orchid you don't know that who took it was anybody that you shared it with. It was not your fault even if it was somebody that you led to it. In my short time perusing this forum, it seems to me that general character of the people who post here is that of trust, and genuine concern about these plants. The spineless theif was probably someone that you don't know and would probably not want to associate yourself with anyway because you would be able to sense that they don't have the same interests that you have.

I hope that in time I will be able to meet with and gain the trust of the members of this site.

[prem]

4-phase? Is this the five-spiker that I photographed just a few days ago, or is this a different ghost? Not that it matters which one it is...it is a tragic loss whichever plant was stolen. I am also incredibly angered and saddened by this loss.

I do wonder, though, how widely known it is that ghost are available in cultivation...we, as orchidists seem to know this, but there is a lot of misinformation--including the fact that the wikipedia article on ghost orchids at one point seemed to indicate that these were impossible to grow out of flask (I, of course, corrected this). When you're at the park, there is nothing that tells you where to go to obtain legally grown ghost (and/or other) orchids. Perhaps the park staff could consider making this information more readily available so that people might think twice about taking a plant from the wild.

---Prem

[flhiker]

Thanks everyone for your kind words. I have been watching this plant for the better part of 2 years. Its feels like losing a pet.

Sorry Yakatme this is not the time. I just need time to think this through a little better.
Thanks again.

[Justin Parkkonen]

Originally Posted by prem

4-phase? Is this the five-spiker that I photographed just a few days ago, or is this a different ghost? Not that it matters which one it is...it is a tragic loss whichever plant was stolen. I am also incredibly angered and saddened by this loss.

I do wonder, though, how widely known it is that ghost are available in cultivation...we, as orchidists seem to know this, but there is a lot of misinformation--including the fact that the wikipedia article on ghost orchids at one point seemed to indicate that these were impossible to grow out of flask (I, of course, corrected this). When you're at the park, there is nothing that tells you where to go to obtain legally grown ghost (and/or other) orchids. Perhaps the park staff could consider making this information more readily available so that people might think twice about taking a plant from the wild.

---Prem

Prem,

I was thinking along these same lines. I think it would be beneficial if there was information in the park that pointed people in the proper direction for acquiring a legally grown Ghost. I am sure that whoever grows these legal ghosts would be more than happy to sponsor the signs, which would essentially be advertisements.

The only negative I see associated with this is it may create competition for home grown Ghosts, which could in turn cause people to poach plants or seed.

[flhiker]

Prem No it's not the 5 spiker. It is a plant that I found with a bud, flower, pollenated flower,and a blasted seedpod. A very happy plant.

[Justin Parkkonen]

Originally Posted by flhiker

Prem No it's not the 5 spiker. It is a plant that I found with a bud, flower, pollenated flower,and a blasted seedpod. A very happy plant.

Dave,

Do you have any shots of it with all of these stages present at once? That would be a sight to see.

[flhiker]

Yes Page 3 of my gallery top right corner. Although I can't see the blasted pod, but its there.