Air plant surprise

I had a surprise yesterday- my Tillandsia ionantha bromeliad is blooming!



I've been noticing it getting redder and redder this spring, which I knew they do before blooming, but never having bloomed an air plant before I was not expecting it to actually do its thing!

What a great surprise.  It must be happy in the corner of my east-facing kitchen window.

Rebutia heliosa

So pretty.  This is Rebutia heliosa, a cactus that originates in Bolivia.  This is repeat bloomer for me, right on schedule since I got it about this time last year.



The flowers are just so vibrant and bright.



There are still lots of buds forming, so this show should last a good long while.  It's so gratifying when a plant blooms again.

Trisetella hoeijeri

I have a repeat bloomer in my big orchid terrarium! 

This is Trisetella hoeijeri, a delightful little mini-miniature orchid. The leaves are about 1.5" tall, and the flower has a 3" spread. (This particular flower is facing the back of the terrarium, so I had to turn it for the pictures.) This is the second blooming for me since I got it a year ago.



The flowers are so cool looking, with their graceful sweep of whiskery sepals.



Even when it's not in bloom, it's a very tidy, pretty little plant.  It seems very happy in its hole in the log.



Compare that picture above to the next one, and you can see how much the plant has grown since October.  And look at the moss!  I will need to trim it back soon, it has really taken off!