Several years ago, the author and traveler Susan Orlean brought the world of those obsessed with orchids to the general book-reading public. These rather entrancing flowers had a substantial following before her work, and they remain a passion for many. Working in collaboration, Michigan State University, the American Orchid Society, the Missouri Botanical Garden, and the National Agricultural...
This Web site complements the recently aired NOVA documentary Orchid Hunter, which follows orchid enthusiast Tom Hart Dyke on his mission find previously undescribed orchid species in one of the most politically unstable parts of Irian Jaya. In chronicling Tom's (mis)adventures, the program explores this "all-consuming passion that for some people seems to be more precious than life itself." This...
The home page for the American Orchid Society, OrchidWeb (1) is a robust source of information on orchids, how to grow them, their conservation status, and facts for orchid enthusiasts. The next Web page, offered by the Roosevelt Wild Life Station (2), is a brief introduction to the family of flowering plants known as Orchidaceae and what makes them unique. The Internet Orchid Species Photo...
Orchid enthusiasts may appreciate this Web site developed by Jeff Hapeman, graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Information including "photos, typical taxonomic descriptive information, a description of similar species to aid in identification, habitat information, blooming dates, a section on pollination biology (if information is available), herbarium records, and a range...
Created by orchid enthusiasts Wendell and Theresa Kozak of Vancouver Island, Canada, OrchidWire website is a great resource for anyone interested in orchids. This site is an online orchid resource directory with links to 3911 images and 1184 sites in 51 countries. Site visitors can peruse orchid resources by using an alphabetical appendix or by selecting from different categories like Wild,...
Hosted by the Orchid Society of Royal Botanical Gardens in Canada, this website features an introduction to growing orchids by Tony Capon of the Kingston Orchid Society. Accompanied by small, but beautiful images of orchids the article includes sections on Light, Water, Fertilizer, Temperature, and more. This site provides links to a nice site on the Native Orchids of Canada, and to information...
Trinidad has long been a center for botanical study, both in regards to its own botanical treasures and as a base for botanists on collecting expeditions to South America and other Caribbean Islands. The Trinidad & Tobago Orchid Society carries on this tradition with projects like the Database of Native Orchid Species. The Database "was completed in 2003 with a listing of over 100 orchid species."...