Photographs from recent ghost orchid field trip.

[Tindomul]

Nice shots! This orchid is really nice.

[prem]

Thanks for all the compliments, folks!

FLHiker, I'm from central FL...I had gone to the strand with a few orchid friends.

Mikeurquia, no, it was not with Mike Owen, although I hope to meet him someday.

---Prem

[mikeurquia]

how many ghost did you guys see or just that one anyways what a privelige I know thats not the way you spell that was it dry or some water no snakes how about bugs,and gators?????????????

[prem]

Mike,
we saw two plants in flower in this one area and a few more in bud at the time. On a trip to a different spot the next day, we saw two plants in flower. We also saw a number of non-flowering plants...I would estimate we saw thirty or so plants of varying sizes, all told. Three of the flowers were in good enough shape to be photographed. The fourth was missing one leg, which was a real shame, as it was a nice flower otherwise. I even considered trying to composite a leg onto it in photoshop, but that seemed to be bending the truth too much.

At the time it was quite dry...you could walk all the way into the ghost habitats without stepping in water at all. We did see one young gator bathing in a puddle in the middle of the road one day, and we also saw a young cottonmouth at the second site...it crawled away at the point it felt too threatened by one of our bunch who kept poking at it with a stick, hoping to get a threat display.

I can imagine that the water is quite deep in those same areas now that Fay has had her way with south FL.

---Prem

[mikeurquia]

WOW, you guys know where theres a bunch youre so blessed and your buds I will post or try to post a pic of how deep water is there now I go every week sometimes 2-times I've been going constant since April I also live in dade county miami hour and a halve away...