Tales from the Swamp: Orchid Conservation in South Florida

摘要

FLORIDA IS AN ORCHID ENTHUS-iast's paradise. Here subtropical species such as Bletia purpurea (pine pink), Eltroplectris calcarata,(spurred neotia), Epidendrum nocturnum (night scented orchid) and Encyclia (syn. Epidendrum) tampensis (butterfly orchid) can be found rubbing elbows with more temperate genera, among them Calopogon, Spiranthes and Platanthera. Almost half of the United States' native orchids are found in Florida. But Florida's orchids face an onslaught of problems, just as they do throughout the United States and around the world. In Florida, orchid habitat is being converted to agricultural land and urbanization. Formerly pristine habitat is changing due to fire suppression, altered hydrology and other human activities. The end resultof altered natural disturbances is shrinking orchid populations (Wheeler et al., 1998; Nicole et al., 2005) that likely decline as competition for nutrients, light and space increase.