Warning: Squirmy Bug Alert

Today we took delivery of 1,000 superworms, 300 phoenix worms, 250 waxworms, and 25 hornworms.  It's way cheaper to buy in bulk online than in the pet store, especially considering the closest pet store is an hour and a half away.  Even with shipping, it was significantly cheaper, like less than a quarter of what I would have paid in the store for this amount.  Plus, now there's no need to worry about running out any time soon...



The waxworms, phoenix worms, and hornworms (yes, the same hornworms that decimate tomato plants... ah, revenge...) came in tidy little tubs.  The superworms came in a bag, and we provide the container, which is just a shoebox-size plastic container with a couple inches of oatmeal in the bottom.

I've got to say, 1000 superworms is really a lot.



Really, really, a lot.  Good thing they keep a long time.



Yeah, I think we should be set for a while.

Lepanthes calodictyon

The first Lepanthes calodictyon flower opened today!



These are teeny!  The whole leaf is about an inch across, and the flower is less than 1/4".  They're so delicate and intricate, and I love the ruffled pie-crust edge on the leaves.



Actually, they kind of look like a tiny insect!

Non-amaryllis, non-orchid

I have a couple other houseplants besides the amaryllis and orchids that are blooming.  This first one is fun.



This is Pinguicula moranensis, a tropical butterwort.  It's a carnivorous plant!

In addition to looking cool, this plant helps with the fungus gnats that take up residence in some of my houseplants every year.  The leaves and stems are sticky and trap the gnats beautifully - you can see some in the picture.

The flowers were the main reason I got this plant.  They look almost like violet flowers, so pretty! I've had the plant almost two months, but it was semi-dormant when I got it and this is the first flower it's produced for me.  I noticed today that there are two more flowers forming. Yay!



The next plant is an anthurium, and is the second of two plants that I bought myself for Valentine's Day this year.  The only part of Valentine's Day I like is the day-after 50% off sales!  The yellow orchid I posted yesterday was $4, and this big anthurium in an 8" pot was only $3.



Last picture for today is this.  I planted this turmeric rhizome last April, and it did exactly nothing, nothing, and more nothing for 13 months.  No shoots, no roots, nothing.  I kept peeking at it, and the rhizome wasn't shriveled or rotted, so I left it alone.  When it started to get cold in the fall, I brought the pot inside and put it on the heat mat with my orchids, and it continued to do nothing.

But this month, a shoot appeared!  And now there are leaves! So exciting!



And oops, I guess this isn't a completely amaryllis-free post.  That plant in the purple pot to the left of the turmeric is an offset bulb from my Purple Rain amaryllis that broke off during shipping.  I am very pleased that it has rooted and sprouted leaves.

Blooming orchids

In addition to the amaryllis, I also have a couple orchids in bloom right now.  This first one is a plant that I've had since 2008, called Phalaenopsis Golden Light.  I still find this name hilarious, because there's nothing gold about it.  The flowers are a deep, rich, mulberry red; very waxy and substantial.  Beautiful.



I got this next plant for myself for Valentine's Day this year, and it's still blooming away.  It's called Phal. Sogo Twinkle Golden. It's lightly fragrant, which is a nice bonus.



The next plant is from the Portland orchid show in April.  It came in bud, and the flower finally opened this week.  This is Paphiopedilum Oriental Spring.



I really like the green and white paphs; they look so elegant.  This one is very pleasingly shaped and striped.  The pretty mottled foliage is a nice bonus for when the plant isn't in bloom.



Next up is the Oncidium Sharry Baby 'Sweet Fragrance' that I also got at the Portland orchid show.  It was in bud and bloom when I got it, and is still going strong.  This is quite a large plant, and will get larger.  I knew this when I bought it, and I'm not sure what I was thinking.  I don't really have room for it, but I expect I'll manage.  I've wanted one of these for years.



Each individual flower is about an inch and a half high, and beautifully ruffled. All three spikes are blooming now, and it smells heavenly.  It smells like chocolate!



Lastly, here's a teaser for one that's not open yet. This is the Haraella retrocalla that's in my glass globe terrarium.  It's doing fantastically well, and has sent roots all the way down past the end of its stick, through the sphagnum, and into the expanded clay pellet substrate.  It's very happy.

A multitude of blooms

Amaryllis numbers ten and eleven have opened, and they are the same variety.

This is Gervase #1. Gervase is an interesting variety, because while the base flower color is pink with dark pink streaks, there are solid red stripes that show up in random areas and in random widths on each individual flower.



This bulb has two scapes completely open right now, with four flowers per scape. The scapes are slightly different heights, so it makes a really nice display.  And there's a third scape coming along!



This is Gervase #2.  This bulb has a darker pink base color, and more prominent and numerous red stripes.



It also has two scapes open at the same time, but they are nearly the same height and the flowers are really crowded together, to the point that some of them couldn't even open fully.  It's still really pretty, though.



Hopefully next year the scapes will be staggered so they don't all open at once.  Not only does it make a better presentation, it extends the bloom season!

So those are the two new ones to open.  I also have a couple others in full bloom at the moment.  This is the second scape on the Red Pearl, with four gorgeous big flowers.  A third scape is still waiting in the wings.



And this is Temptation.  I love this variety!  Two scapes, nine flowers.  This is definitely a favorite.

Another orchid in bud!

The Lepanthes calodictyon I got last month is in bud! In bud times five!

Amaryllis Eight and Nine

The eighth and ninth amaryllis of the year have opened, yay!

This one is Purple Rain.  I'm not sure what the breeder was thinking when they named it. It should have been called Fuchsia Rain or Rose Rain.  This is definitely not purple, but whatever.  It's really pretty.



And this one is Temptation.  I love it.  It looks like it's been painted,with all that feathery shading.  I also like the more pointed petals.  It's quite distinctive looking.