Jim, I am happy you have so many beautiful plants in bloom!! No complaints here for sure!
The Aranda is lovely and I like anything with Penny Kuroda!

Sorry, I don't have an Orchid in bloom right now, so as a test here are some wildflowers.
No problem uploading from my IPad Air. Hmmmm.
I can only say, I restart the IPad if it gives me trouble like that - and Fred, perhaps is the file size too large?

Jim, wonderful show!! I love them all, but the Elephant is simply awesome!
Roberta, pretty blooms!

Who doesn't love an orchid with Pink Elephants in the name?



This is my only new-ish bloomer this week, the big NOID cattleya. It sure does smell delicious. Hoping it doesn't attract the @%*&% raccoon one of these nights!

Elaine, with such a beautiful, striking flower, someone should/might be able to put a name to it. I wonder if it has some Lc. SJ Bracey "blood" in its veins? Here is my one and only variety with 'Pink Elephants' parentage.

Lc. SJ Bracey 'Waiolani' AM/AOS


C. Brabantiae 'Pink Elephants' x Blc. Sunspots 'Exotic Spots'

Ken, it's possible I will find a tag when I ever get around to breaking the pot (some more) and repotting that big NOID. I'm sure it had a tag when I got it, but that was in the early stages of my orchid addiction so I wasn't very careful to preserve the names.

From what I've seen there are a lot of cattleyas that look like this one. It's vigorously healthy and flowers at least twice a year, so I'm very happy with it, name or no.

So pretty, Elaine and Ken!
I love Spotties!

Holy cow! We just had 5 years of California's average annual rainfall thunder through here. Local news says there is a run on snorkels at the sporting goods store

Elaine, nice NOID and Ken, love the C. Brabantiae 'Pink Elephants' x Blc. Sunspots 'Exotic Spots'. Great form and color.

Back out in the OC, here is Procatavola [Pcv.] Walnut Valley Lime Stars (Ctyh. Lime Sherbet x B. Little Stars).


And then there is Bsn. Maikai 'Louise' (B. nodosa x Gur. bowringiana). This was a Bc. the last time I looked. Big plant, lots of flowers.


A last look at Dendrobium Chan-Chao.


There is a nice flower on Psychopsis Butterfly, var. alba.


Then there are a couple of mini-Phals in bloom. The first is Phal. Mancervi (Phal. mannii x Phal. cornu-cervi)


The other is Phal. Peter Blue Sky (Phal. Siam Treasure x Phal. pulcherrima).


Looks like someone blasted a hole through a sepal on that last flower. I've not seen that before.

Jim

Uh oh, Jim I'd take your magnifying glass and check for a little snail or slug on that last baby with the hole in the petal. Looks like something lunched on it. Go out after dark with a flashlight and ambush them!

I found a huge slug climbing up the glass patio door inside my pool cage yesterday! I figure the only way they're getting in is if I bring them in on something from outside, or through the drains around the edge of the patio. We put copper strips across the doorways and that reduced the influx tremendously, but still . . .

Gorgeous color on Peter Blue Sky, and lookit all those roots on 'Louise' ! Is there a pot or basket in there somewhere?

There is a 4 inch cube of tree fern in there somewhere.

I will take your advise and go snail hunting tonight. At least it stopped raining. That was some storm.

Yup, and once again you got it all and we got nada. Bands of rain on either side of us, and a lot more up your way, but we missed it entirely.

That's the one advantage of our drought...too dry for slugs and snails. I've only seen 1 trail, and that was several months ago. Our "normal" annual rainfall is 13.74". I've had 6.74" this year, but northern Ca. has had plenty of rain. They keep teasing us with El Nino, but I won't believe it till I see it.

Procatovola! Those names get to be increasingly weird!!
Beautiful Show, Jim!!

Btw I found that Crickets can take a bite out of leaves and blooms too.

Hi everyone!

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. I've been on vacation since July 3 and trying to get projects done. A few things blooming and I need to take photos. I have been remiss.

I had the opportunity to attend the OSOGSL annual orchid seminar in conjunction with monthly judging. The speakers were Mary and Martin Motes and it was an all day event.

Martin discussed Vanda hybridizing, new species discovered, and culture. Mary spoke about her book, which is a funny novel about orchid growing/growers.

Student judging is really intense but fun. I had the opportunity to count the inflorescences on a HUGE plant (132 inf. and 1000+ buds, can't remember the number of blooms).

It has been super hot here this summer. We had a storm blow through yesterday at 4pm and it knocked out the power. Power restored at 4am. That was a hot and humid night.

Vacation continues until Monday. Off to get more projects done. I'll pop in now and again.

Good to hear from you Melissa. We're all pulling for you while you are learning to be a judge. Please keep us informed.

Jim

I don't know how you accomplish anything outside, Melissa. The heat index yesterday was 108F and is predicted to be no less than 110F today and the rest of the week. I can't stay outside (mostly in the shade!) for more than a half hour at a time.

Carol's Gerberara Snow Ballet (Now called Collierara [Col.] Snow Ballet) just opened last night.


Here is another prospective on the big Den. White Fairy:


Jim

Oh, I love that big Den and the Gerberara is always beautiful, too. Be sure to keep us updated on its color changes?

I have more buds on my Thunderstorm Orchid after 3 thunderstorms in the last 4 days. It does seem to do what the description says!

My Gerberara is recovering from a bug battle and putting on some nice new growth so I hope to see it blooming again soon.

That's so weird, Elaine. People in CA could never grow or at least bloom that orchid. My wife was born and reared in CA and she swears to this day that she never experienced a thunderstorm until moving to Mississippi.

Must be dependent on the static electricity.

Or voodoo.