Hi ,
I
grew up around wild orchids in South Africa. They would be growing fairly high up in the branches of the trees we played in. I never appreciated them for what they were, though. To us, they were simply big, lone, weird-looking flowers that seemed to have strange strings hanging around them. I'd love to go back and look for them now!
Did you know?...
1. One of the petals on an orchid is like a single "lip" that extends outward and serves as a landing pad for pollinating insects. This petal can also look very different, like the ones above that look like bees or other bugs! Or how about this one to the right, known as the "flying duck" orchid!
Amazing!
2. The male and the female parts of the flower (stamen and pistil) are fused into one structure called the column. This differentiates orchids from virtually every other type of flower.
3. There are over 25,000 different, very diverse orchid species on the Earth.
4. Orchids can be tiny, or weigh over 100 lbs.
5. Some orchids have only one insect that can pollinate them.
6. Depending on the species, an orchid flower may
last only a few hours, or up to six months, and they are found on every continent except Antarctica!
All of this barely even touches the subject! That's not surprising, though, given the incredible depth of the mind of God who made them!
