Elusive flora

Professional photographer R.J. Wiley captured the ghost orchid blooming at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. R.J. WILEY / COURTESY PHOTO

There’s more than one reason to celebrate the blooming of the world’s largest known ghost orchid this year.

Environmental groups are also hailing the resolution of a lawsuit that will force the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to finally decide whether or not to protect the rare orchid under the Endangered Species Act.

The first buds on the plant, dubbed the “super ghost,” opened June 22 at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Naples. The ghost orchid is iconic in Florida and beloved by many who appreciate its ethereal quality, rarity and beauty. The plant at the sanctuary is unique not only for its size and number of blossoms it can bear but also for the length of its blooming time – from about June through August – and the fact that you can actually see it. Usually, the orchid can only be found deep in the wilds of Florida. The sanctuary orchid is known worldwide and often brings international visitors to marvel at it.

However, according to biologists and environmental advocates, ghost orchids are also in danger of extinction. The orchid population has declined by more than 90 percent globally and up to 50 percent in Florida. Only an estimated 1,500 ghost orchid plants remain in Florida, and less than half are known to be mature enough to reproduce.

R.J. Wiley taking pictures of hawk nests at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. SYDNEY WALSH, AUDUBON / COURTESY PHOTO

Environmental groups, including the Institute for Regional Conservation, Center for Biological Diversity and the National Parks Conservation Association, filed a petition in January 2022 seeking the rare plant’s designation as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. The FWS found their petition had merit and, by law, was supposed to make a decision by January 2023. When pressed by the plaintiffs, the service failed to do so and said no decision could be made until 2026.

The plaintiffs said the decision could not wait that long, so they filed a lawsuit on Sept. 13, 2023. The subsequent agreement reached in the lawsuit is that the FWS will decide by June 1, 2025, two-and-a-half years later than required by law under the Endangered Species Act.

This camera, telephoto lens, tripod and flash setup is how Wiley is able to get close-up shots of ghost orchids and other flora and fauna in Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. RENEE WILSON / AUDUBON FLORIDA

Elise Bennett, Florida and Caribbean director and senior attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity, said it’s good to have a date certain when a decision will be made instead of having the ghost orchid’s fate hanging in the balance while the delay continues.

“The agency listing process for species is kind of broken,” she said, since they cannot meet the law’s deadlines. It turns out deadlines have been missed for many species seeking protection under the Endangered Species Act due, in essence, to a lack of resources and staff to process them.

“We need a process that can act with the urgency required when trying to stop extinction,” Bennett said.

The agreement by the parties, affirmed by the court, reads:

“On or before June 1, 2025, the Service shall submit to the Office of the Federal Register a 12-month finding as to whether listing the ghost orchid as a threatened or endangered species is (a) not warranted; (b) warranted; or (c) warranted but precluded by other pending proposals.”

But bureaucracy doesn’t end there. Bennett said that if the decision is made to provide protection, the service publishes a proposed rule. That opens a period of public comments which lasts a year.

While the length of the process can be “heartbreaking” for a species facing extinction, what’s positive is the fact that the decision is moving forward, Bennett said. “You can’t get anywhere unless you make a decision.”

The ghost orchid’s current range in Florida includes the Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park, Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary and additional conservation and tribal areas in Collier, Hendry and possibly Lee counties. It is also found in Cuba.

Nearly all remaining ghost orchid habitats are threatened by habitat degradation due to wetland drainage, development and overuse, changes in hydrology including water quantity and seasonality, climate change and poaching.

The orchid at the sanctuary is located about 70 feet off the ground on a bald cypress tree roughly 100 feet off the boardwalk. To see the blooms, orchid enthusiasts are encouraged to bring a spotting scope or binoculars and a recommended camera lens length of 600 mm to get a good photograph.

The sanctuary will also set up a spotting scope on the boardwalk so visitors can take turns viewing the orchid.

“We are so fortunate to be able to share with our visitors a glimpse of this amazing plant during the 70th anniversary of Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary,” Keith Laakkonen, sanctuary director, said in a written statement. “This rare plant relies on the unique microclimate found only in swamps like Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, which is home to the largest stand of old-growth cypress forest remaining on the planet.”

A free program on capturing an image of the ghost orchid will also be available on Aug. 4 on a first-come, first-serve basis. R J Wiley, a photographer in residence who has been photographing the orchid for over a decade, will hold the program at the Sanctuary’s Blair Visitor Center. The program includes discounted admission to the New Moon on the Boardwalk event starting at 6:30 p.m. Online tickets to the event are recommended. Details and event registration are at corkscrew.audubon.org . ¦

The post Elusive flora first appeared on Bonita Springs Florida Weekly .