As we all know, rainfall max min temperatures and climate dominates how orchids live. Is there anywhere on the web which provides the origin climate info? Instead of “mid Brazil 3000 ft”.
The Orchidwiz software provides climate information (average clear days, day/night temperatures and rainfall per month) from nearby weather stations, but the software is not cheap. The information is compiled largely from the Baker culture sheets, which also must be purchased, though are sample of them are available for free (Orchid Culture -- Charles and Margaret Baker).
__________________ Camille
Completely orchid obsessed and loving every minute of it....
If the plant you're after is well documented, look for collection data.
Often times you can get where it was seen and harvested, and if you're lucky the paper will include information that can be helpful for culture: exposition, growing on rocks or host trees, in deciduous forests or swamps...
When you have a better idea of the province where your plant lives, there are plenty of websites that give you detailed weather reports.
Field botanists take specimens to dry and place in herbaria. Collection data includes location, often detailed GPS coordinates. Many herbaria have put their specimen catalog online. You can search for a species, go to the specimen, and look up the GPS coordinates.
Then you can go to a climate site and look up the climate data for that locality.
You need to do some extrapolation, as the Bakers did. Often the weather station is in a town in the valley, and the orchids grow on trees in the mountains over the town.
__________________ May the bridges I've burned light my way.