BRANDON'S ORCHID COLLECTION
In the world of plants, nothing arouses passion like an orchid. Those who have fallen prey to it’s lure, be it insect pollinator or human enthusiast, find them irresistible. I have been collecting orchids for 25 years and confess my obsession. At times, I have had over 100 specimens growing in makeshift, climate-controlled closets or crowded windows.
My fascination with orchids is multi-faceted. Their otherworldly beauty, their endless variety, and their history play a part. But more than anything else, they unlock my imagination. As an artist, this is fuel for creativity. When I look at an orchid, my mind travels to a scene high in the cloud forest canopy where the plant clings to a swaying branch. It’s spectacular blooms may open in splendor and fade in the absence of human gaze- beauty created for its own sake. Or I can easily imagine a wide-eyed Victorian collector spying his prize. Traveling into the dark heart of the jungle, he would risk life and limb from cutthroat poachers or the fangs of a jaguar for this bounty. Regardless, I see an object of beauty worthy of lust and obsession- an artistic masterpiece of Nature.
"Orchids and Hummingbird" painting by Martin Johnson Heade ~1870
Click on a thumbnail below to see full-size image.
To see my orchids when they bloom, follow me on Instagram
VIDEO: showing Bulbophyllum frostii's delicate hinge mechanism used to ensure pollination
One of my favorites, this little orchid from Vietnam is also known as the "Dutch Shoe orchid" because the flowers look like little shoes. It has a fly pollinator and the coloration and smell have evolved to imitate something dead therefore attracting the fly. Honestly, I find the odor very faint (a good aged cheese with a hint of licorice?) The video captures the delicate hinged mechanism the fly trips when entering, temporarily pinning it against the pollen packet and therefore ensuring it's attachment.
