When people think of orchids, they usually picture beautiful tropical flowers that can be difficult to care for and require special conditions. Although that may be true of some species, there are many orchids that require little or no care and can be hardy additions to any garden or landscape.
Several of these species do exceptionally well in our Central Florida gardens year-round. They're even cold tolerant in our area.
One of these great orchid species is a native. Known as the butterfly orchid, it grows wild in mangroves, oaks and pine trees. It's an epiphyte, meaning that it's an air plant growing on the surface of other plants. If you're lucky enough to have an ancient oak or pine in your yard, you may already have this plant.
The scientific name, Encyclia tampensis, refers to the place where it was first identified: Tampa! Its dainty flowers are about 1 1/2 inches across and pale yellow with white lips and rose to purple spots and stripes. However, there are many color variations available, including all white.
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