Mozart loves Orchids

What’s behind Puerto Galera , literally.

Puerto Galera, one of the well know Diving destinations of the Philippines has more to offer than the surf and the beach. Last Jan 19, 2013 Ravan Schieder, the resident expert on orchids of Mindoro ( several of which are named after him D.ravani, Gram. ravani etc. ) took me through the old abandoned marble quarry a 5 hour trek that started from Ponderosa Golf course at about 400 m. above sea level.

About 15 minutes of a relatively easy walk, I found our first orchid Nervila plicata (sadly not in bloom) 

Ravan has never noticed this, but who can blame him if the orchid doesn’t look at all like a typical orchid.

minutes later we came  across more nervila plicata.

also along the way was habenaria hystrix and habenaria sp. 

along the way you can see the colourful flora and flora of mindoro, though i only took pictures of plants and invertebrates. 

like these two millepedes 

I have no Idea what they’re doing, but it looks fun.

A female Carpenter Bee

I’ve never seen a female before. just the big black male. which is seen here peeking from the inside of their nest.

this is a sight you’d never expect at 400 m 

 a hermit crab , which usually live on lowland forest close to the coast. 

snails, forest snails… 

pretty right, ok i got something better.

or better yet. 

and for full effect

 ok will stop with the snails.

something move alive I guess. 

ok, maybe not as alive. but much more interesting, this frog was just sitting there oblivious to the camera.

wasps.

Can you gues what this is? Phasmatodea .. or the stick insect.

ok, back to the orchids. here is a new Ludisia sp. so new it hasn’t been described. for over a century since the last and only other Ludisia sp. ( Ludisia discolor)was described.

Paphiopedillum henissianum at 700 m

the cloud forest at 1000 m

and my favorite orchid of all Anoectochilus sp. 

Peloric form

normal anoectochilus flower and bud

Anoectochilus habit, this jewel orchid is hard to grow.

Macro shot of anoectochilus flower

we are making a new website to highlight orchids found in the Philippines. I have stopped making entries in Wikipedia as it is very limiting and the editors are biased to one research or the other. 

though it is still under construction I’d like to hear your opinions of it. 

www.orchidiana.com

please leave a comment

R 

Anonymous asked: Where can I buy your terrarium?

Hi, please check my facebook page terrariums by raab, thank you

Naming The Orchid

By Justine Camacho-Tajonera

We agree that there is a universal dead language
that we use for naming living things.
I tell you of my regret that I do not know
the names of our island trees.
You shrug and tell me of your complete immersion
in only one flower and for that one elegant species
there are a thousand specific epithets.
You are looking for only one,
the one that you can call your own.
I imagine days and nights of taxonomy,
of careful handwritten notes in journals,
of phone calls to distant,
condescending scientists.
Love could be that slow cultivation,
the gradual uncovering of that one
uncommon color or texture
that no one has ever seen before.

For Raab

Justine Camacho-Tajonera was born and grew up in Cebu City, Philippines. Despite starting a corporate career in telecommunications, she pursued an M.A. in English Literature to keep her close to her first love of writing.

She has had her poetry published in several anthologies and local publications and she has published two books: Artemis Lets Go, a novel, and Gift: Poems, her first collection of poetry. She maintains a poetry blog, Claiming Alexandria.

She works full time on a corporate job in the Philippines, is married and has two children.

For more of Justine’s works , click here