Our monster plant of Brassia verrucosa is in full of flower and causing quite a stir. The plant has 12 spikes of very large spidery flower (hence the common name of spider orchid)  Remarkably, research suggests that the flowers are spider mimics and are pollinated by a spider hunting wasp that attacks the flowers. Isn’t evolution spectacular? As you can see Joshua and Kaitlin are attracted to the flowers too – though they are not great spider eaters!

The plant is native to Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua, as well as Venezuela and grows as an epiphyte in seasonally wet forest from 900 to 2400m. For us the species does best in Warm Americas where it is hung up for good light but is kept really wet during the summer growing season to build up the massive pseudobulbs that deliver the long arching sprays of flowers.