Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Green . . . with Envy

It's never a dull moment in San Francisco especially on the weekends. The San Francisco Orchid Society hosted their 57th Annual Orchid Exposition this past Sunday at Fort Mason in the Marina. We headed down with a couple of friends and started walking through a warehouse of beautiful orchids from vendors throughout the US.

I have new appreciation for orchids and didn't realize how many different species there were. I learned this weekend that Dendrobium Orchids are listed as one of twenty top ecofriendly house plants. I also learned that energy from the sun is stored as organic acids during the day, then used to fix carbon at night, releasing oxygen in the process. They do this so they don’t have to exchange gasses during the heat of the day and lose excess water. Through this natural process, these orchids use carbon dioxide, release oxygen at night rather than during the day as most plants do.

Anyway, just wanted to share a few of my favorites from the exposition. I ended up buying my first Orchid plant! They seem really easy to take care of. You have to just water them once a week. Fertilize them at least once a month. As long as you find a spot in your home that isn't in direct sunlight but gets good ventilation you should be fine. Let's hope I don't kill mine!






Some of these Orchids have such crazy beautiful patterns! They almost remind me of Nudibranchs! I miss diving!!


My friend, Julia, and me . . . AND our new Orchid plants! BTW, Julia and I are running the Santa Cruz Half in April. More on that later.

10 comments:

Sean said...

They have some gorgeous orchids at this conservatory in Cincinnati. I found them to be fascinating flowers also.

Mai said...

They're so elegant, yet so quiet and delicate..... I like them.

Gemma said...

i love flower shows. wow, those first two really do resemble nudibranchs! ...which i've never seen except for your pix. :)

The Beachcomber said...

Funny! I had a terrible urge to look for flowering epiphytes in the limestone forest this weekend! Must be the universe connecting our happy energy. Good choice in getting the Phalaenopsis. I think I was about 8 or 9 when my mom trusted me with the care of her orchids, & these were some of the easier ones to care for. So if I could keep them alive at that age then...

Anyway, I'll see you in a few months (but not before I get to see the ATL Botanical Gardens, yay!). Lastly, here's an unsolicited lesson from Linnaeus: Phalaenopsis means, Phalaen-(a type of moth) like. Thanks for letting me know of your post!

Ken & Crystal Pierson said...

So are you gonna run the SF marathon or half with us??!! Beautiful orchids. They're my fav flower. xoxo miss you! :-D

Brit's Blog said...

Hey Bev! Great post...my fav part is you running the half w/ Julia! ;) You go girl =) I'll be running the rock n roll full in San Diego in June! I better start training soon if I'm actually gonna do it...

Good luck w/ your race. Let me know the next time you're in Loma. We gotta get coffee or something.I think about our time in Saipan often. Miss ya!

Angelo Villagomez said...

Glad you're blogging again. It was great seeing you and Greg.

Anonymous said...

Man, I am still hoping that I'll get to see you and Gregorio in October! I was supposed to be in Fiji last week but got denied the travel... sigh... Damned H1N1!!! Cross your fingers because I am missing the heck outta you Californians!!! Oh, did you know Marconi and Adam's there? Love you two!

JDM

Tess said...

It's really beautiful Bev. I love the pictures! How are you now? I miss you very much and love you always. The FMI members miss you too. We hope your doing find. Take care

Marites

Tess said...

I love it! can you plaese send me here in Saipan? I miss you very much sis. Take care always.