Greene, I had that thought, too. I have checked twice, the first time ~11:00p and the second around midnight. They looked exactly the same at night as during the day. Now that I'm researching this genus, I have not seen any indication that any of the Triphora species are night-blooming, certainly a significant fact.

However the reason I've missed the blooms may still be in the bloom pattern.

T. trianthophora, also found in Florida, though not this far south, blooms synchronously, with all members of a colony blooming the same morning. The flowers are short lived, and the colony may not bloom again for another 1-2 weeks. T. craigheadii, the only Triphora species other than T. gentianoides reported from Collier County, is said to synchronize it's blooming similar to T. trianthophora.

If T. gentianoides follows a similar pattern, I have one shot, in the morning, every one to two weeks to catch the plants in bloom. If it happens to be on a day I work, I've missed out until the next bloom cycle.

I admit I figured since I could see multiple buds that appeared ready to bloom within the group, an occasional glance should be all that's necessary to see them in bloom. It never occurred to me my window of opportunity was once every week or two, and only for a few hours at the beginning of the day,

At least now I have an idea what I'm up against.

If that were me I would be advertising for a time-lapse photography student and have him/her set up a tent in the back yard.

This is fun. Interesting that they communicate and can bloom at the same time. Such a strange little plant gathering so much attention from all of us. Was the mulch/soil imported from a different part of Florida where these plants are usually found? So many questions.

Love the time-lapse photography idea, Greene! Too bad I don't have a security camera I could aim at a colony and program to take a few pics every morning!

Triphora gentianoides is listed as native to Collier County. It's probably not even rare here, just so boring no one pays it any attention! They are certainly well camouflaged, blend into the background, and are easily overlooked. The mulch is from oak and pine trees we had taken out. The company hauled off all the lumber parts, then ground up the branches into a huge pile of mulch for me.

As for the synchronized blooming, I know a lot of plants release chemicals into the soil so I suppose it could be along those lines. I didn't find any suggestion as to what might bring about the timing, only that the triggers are unknown. It certainly is a curious situation!

Awesome discovery! Not sure if this has been mentioned yet but according to the website www.regionalconservation.org , Triphora gentianoides is listed under the status "Imperiled' in South Florida! All the more impressive of a find, if you ask me

- Meghan

And...

Guess what I found this morning!!!





I don't know how long they stayed open, as I wasn't home a big part of the day.

There were two of the orchids in bloom, with one bloom each. They were only about four feet apart but diagonally separated with a concrete pad between them. I don't know if the bloom timing was synchronized, or simply coincidental. I'll keep watching them!

All three photos above are of the same plant, as those taken from the other plant did not come out as clear. But here is a photo of the other one:

Awww, thanks Greene!

This morning I went out and found the orchids in bloom again. This time there were a total of 18 blooms, including the plants I recently dug up and potted, and one of the small shoots from the tubers I had potted last year at only ~1½" tall!

Because the plants in the pots are well away from those in the ground, I doubt this was a case of "synchronous blooming". I more suspect it is the result of the rainstorm we had last night, as in the manner of rain lilies. This was the first real rain we have had for several days.

I did get a couple good photos I'll upload later.