Ascofinetia Moonlight Firefly

[greenbean]

So I couldn't wait for spring after all. Winter has been so mild here that I decided to risk it!

I fell in love with this hybrid mostly for the name, as it reminds me of my stay in Washington, D.C. and seeing fireflies for the first time. However, the pics of the flowers I found online aren't bad either, and it's a miniature with a supposedly wonderful fragrance. This particular plant came from a crossing of Ascofinetia Twinkle with Neofinetia falcata 'White Flamingo'. The Neo used in this remake is supposed to have particularly large flowers. I'll have to wait and see how it will influence the cross.

Sorry, no blooms yet, just a happy little plant in a 2-inch pot.



p.s. I'd appreciate any cultural tips, as my only other vandaceous orchid is Angraecum didieri, which I haven't had long.

[camille1585]

I googled the name, and it's going to be a nice one when it blooms! Sorry I can't help you with culture, I owned a Neo for a short time, but didn't have it long enough to figure out how to grow it.

And you mean that there are no fireflies up in your area??? I grew up in the northeast, and as a kid the fireflies are the best thing in the world! I spent countless summer evenings chasing them, and then I'd keep some in a jar next to my bed overnight so I could enjoy their twinkling rear ends.

[Leafmite]

Gasp! A place without fireflies in the summer? We have a ton each summer and we love to watch them.

[nenella]

I'm not an expert but have had a Neofinetia falcata
for 5 years and it's mounted on bark with some sphag and I also have an ascofinetia cross between a Neo falcata & an ascocenda miniatum grown bare root in a vase for 4 years. What I do is give both alot of light and water when sphag dry for the Neo. I also have a Didieri in bark which I also let dry out before rewatering... hope this helps a bit.

[Vanda lover]

Originally Posted by camille1585

I googled the name, and it's going to be a nice one when it blooms! Sorry I can't help you with culture, I owned a Neo for a short time, but didn't have it long enough to figure out how to grow it.

And you mean that there are no fireflies up in your area??? I grew up in the northeast, and as a kid the fireflies are the best thing in the world! I spent countless summer evenings chasing them, and then I'd keep some in a jar next to my bed overnight so I could enjoy their twinkling rear ends.

There are no fireflies where we are either. I miss them because we had lots when we lived in Ontario. I also miss crickets. I have not heard a single one here.

[greenbean]

Thanks Camille and nenella. Sounds like what I was figuring for the care, lots of light and water when dry.

Originally Posted by camille1585

I googled the name, and it's going to be a nice one when it blooms! Sorry I can't help you with culture, I owned a Neo for a short time, but didn't have it long enough to figure out how to grow it.

And you mean that there are no fireflies up in your area??? I grew up in the northeast, and as a kid the fireflies are the best thing in the world! I spent countless summer evenings chasing them, and then I'd keep some in a jar next to my bed overnight so I could enjoy their twinkling rear ends.

No fireflies that light up, at least. There are species in the Pacific Northwest that are fireflies in all but bioluminescence. They are more active during the day and so never evolved the nocturnal displays of their eastern cousins. I remember seeing them as a kid and thinking they looked just like pictures of fireflies in my field guides, but they didn't glow. But what is the point of fireflies with no fire? Apparently there are a couple species in Oregon that glow faintly, but none in Washington state and certainly nothing like the shows east of the Rockies. Apparently almost all glowing fireflies in the U.S. live east of mid-Kansas.

But the Pacific Northwest has it's own wonders and beauty.

[camille1585]

I was very disappointed when moving to France to discover that their equivalent of fireflies wasn't so cute and exciting. They don't fly and they don't flash, they're little larvae like things that have butts that glow all night.

[Vanda lover]

My kids found a glow worm when we lived in Ontario. It's the only one I've ever seen, and I read that they are firefly larvae.

[camille1585]

Interesting, I didn't know that the larvae lit up as well! I thought that the light was related to mate finding only, but maybe not then.

The french ones aren't larvae at all. They're in the same family as fireflies, but the adult beetles retain the characteristics of the larval stage. I read somewhere that the eggs of the french species also glow!

[Vanda lover]

That is interesting! We are learning about more than just orchids here!