The Benefits of Benign Neglect

I have an Encyclia tampensis that I bought ten or fifteen years ago in Florida (where it is native) and that before last year, bloomed once, when I was able to put it out in full sun for the summer.

I've forgotten to water it for a couple of weeks, and when I finally got my act together and took care of that, I noticed that the main plant (it's been divided a couple of times) has put out four spikes, and the smallest has put out one.

I'm still trying to figure out what I did right.

Saturday Science: Chapter 2: Is It a Bug or a Flower?

I didn't want to let this one wait, because it's too interesting.

Via AmericaBlog.

One of the commenters there came up with the information that it's Hymenopus coronatus, from Malaysia and Indonesia. It does sort of look like an orchid, although I was thinking more Encyclia than something like Dendrobium.

Mimicry as a strategy in support of both predation and mating is fairly widespread, and some of the most intriguing practitioners are orchids. (It's worth noting that some species mimic not only appearance, but scents.)

The shoe on the other foot, so to speak: