Longwood Gardens Orchids – September 2015

I always take orchid pictures when I go to Longwood Gardens and our visit last month was no exception.

Orchid flowers are such a mix of unusual characteristics….signaling the path for their pollinators to follow through: shapes, colors and structures. This first one had yellow tendrils at the beginning of the runway then wings to mark the side boundaries of the path, and red to mark the spot.

The slipper shaped orchids always remind me of carnivorous plants. It isn’t as clear (to me) where flower wants the pollinator to go. Is there a surprise in this slipper?

I’m not sure what this structure would eventually become – probably an orchid flower but I liked how pure the curve looked…how solid it was with the green stain in the center.

And then there are the flamboyant ruffles of other orchids. The colors of this one must be irresistible to the pollinator.

Do orchids in the Longwood conservatory ever have pollinators that their flowers evolved to attract?

As an after note – the conservatory room with the banana palms is near the orchids. I’d never noticed how bananas are attached to the stem of their parent. They are packed very tightly. The remnants of the flower are visible on the outer end of each banana too.