Designed for NAOCC by Maarten Janssens, a.k.a. the 3eyedbear, orchid-gami made its international debut at the Kunstsommer Arts Festival in Germany. Here in North America, organizations have already discovered orchid-gami, finding innovative ways to include orchid-gami in the conversation about orchid conservation:
- The Smithsonian Institution’s Hirshhorn Museum included orchid-gami as part of their OrKid Family Day, giving young visitors the chance to create their own works of art.
- To celebrate “Read Across America Day,” students at the Mater Grove Academy built the Ghost Orchid as part of their class project on Florida’s Everglades.
- Graduate students at the University of Wisconsin super-sized the models and included orchid-gami at the University’s Darwin Day celebration.
Now we invite you to try orchid-gami! Enjoy the orchid-gami experience with this punch-out on cardstock.
Texas Purple Spike (Hexalectris warnockii)
The Texas Purple Spike is a rare, southwestern orchid reported only in Arizona and Texas in the U.S., though it also grows much further west on the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico. Seldom seen, this orchid hides beneath the deep shade of oaks and juniper trees that form strips of forest along limestone bluffs and hillsides. The only part of the Texas Purple Spike that appears above ground is the slender purple flower spike that emerges in summer. Along this stem, each flower has bright yellow crests that run the length of the white lip, a striking contrast to the rest of the shiny maroon flower. Don't be fooled by this elegant orchid! The Texas Purple Spike belongs to a small gang of leafless orchids called "cheaters." Without leaves, cheaters can't use sunlight to make food like most other plants. Scientists call these orchids "mycoheterotrophs." They survive underground, often for years, by digesting soil fungi. The Texas Purple Spike steals valuable nutrients and carbon not just from the fungi, but indirectly from nearby trees that support these fungi on their roots.
The goal of the North American Orchid Conservation Center (NAOCC), established by the Smithsonian Institution and the United States Botanic Garden, is to assure the survival of native orchids in the U.S. and Canada. To learn more about NAOCC and what you can do for orchid conservation, visit: www.northamericanorchidcenter.org.
The Texas Purple Spike orchid-gami project was generously sponsored by Bruce Ballengee (a Cedar Hill resident as well as a founding donor and long-time supporter of Dogwood Canyon Audubon Center) and the North Texas Orchid Lovers.
