“Super” Ghost Orchid Watch is ON at the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

Around this time each year, the “super” ghost orchid (Dendrophylax lindenii), the largest orchid ever discovered so far, draws international attention when it blooms at the Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. As of June 10, 2021, Audubon staff has spotted two bloom spikes. 

According to Audubon, area biologists nicknamed this Corkscrew specimen the “super” ghost since this particular orchid has had as many as twelve blossoms, each occurring one after the other. The “super” ghost is thought to be decades old and was discovered in July 2007 when two visitors looking for barred owls spied it through an opening in the trees.  

According to the Sanctuary, there is more than one ghost orchid that grows at the Sanctuary, but the “super” ghost orchid is the largest and most famous individual plant. The ghost orchids require stable ambient air temperature and relative humidity. At the Sanctuary, the orchids are found within the old growth forest, the largest remaining virgin bald cypress forest in the world (approximately 700 acres). That is where the water is deepest, and the water helps maintain the ambient air temperature and humidity that the orchids need. Water loss and climate change are the two threats to these orchids that are only known to exist in South Florida and Cuba.

The Sanctuary has kept records of the “super” ghost orchid blooms for the past 13 years. According to Sanctuary records, it has bloomed typically in the months of June and July. 

Once a ghost orchid bud opens into a flower, it usually stays in bloom for one and a half to two weeks.

The ghost orchid was first identified by Jean Jules Linden in 1844 in Cuba. They are called ghost orchids because their delicate bright white flower appears to float in mid-air lending a spectral image. It is leafless with roots that cling to the barks of several specific host trees. The roots produce a spike that grows and bears flowers.

According to conservationist and biologist Peter Houlihan, the ghost orchid is pollinated at night by several local hawk moth species with long tongues that can access the nectar deep in the long-stemmed ghost orchid.  

The ghost orchid became a household name with Susan Orlean’s 2000 nonfiction bestseller - The Orchid Thief.  The movie “Adaptation” was about a horticulturalist and three men who were arrested trying to steal 136 plants from Fakahatchee Strand Preserve, and the ghost orchid was among their loot.

According to experts at the University of Florida, poaching, urbanization, and pesticide pollution (which cuts down on insect pollinators) are among the ghost orchid's top threats. In Florida, it is illegal to tamper with or collect ghost orchids.

If you are in Naples while the “super” ghost orchid is in bloom – it is a must-see experience. This is one of the few places where the ghost can still be seen by the public. It is one of the state’s 99 native orchid species; very rare, elusive, hard to find, and very finicky, needing the controlled habitat of the swamps of South Florida.  

If you plan to visit the Sanctuary during the “super” ghost orchid bloom, plan to bring binoculars or a spotting scope since its tree is about 50 feet high in an old-growth bald cypress tree and about 100 feet away from the boardwalk. For professional photographers you might consider using a teleconverter. 

From the boardwalk, you will have to walk just under one mile past the shortcut trail on the main boardwalk loop (toward the observation tower). The "super" ghost orchid is located on the left, just past the John Muir Landmark Tree (Number Two). There is a sign on the rail to help you locate the orchid.

According to its website, Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary is home to hundreds of alligators, otters, white-tailed deer, red-bellied turtles along with a wide variety of wading birds, songbirds and raptors that can be seen and photographed from the boardwalk trail.

Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp has been an Audubon protected site for more than 100 years. It protects over 13,000 acres including the world’s largest remaining old growth bald cypress forest. Located at:  375 Sanctuary Road West, Naples – please check website for reservation.