Angraecum sesquipidale

with all that is going on, it seems weird writing a post about a flower.

but I came across this challenge and could not resist.

Angraecum are a genre of orchids that live primarily in equatorial africa, madagascar, and sri-lanka. the flowers are pure white and the plants can range in size up the a few feet in hight.

now, what makes them so remarkable is the structure if the flower.

as with most flowers which produce nectar, they make an effort to attract the RIGHT pollinator, so that the chances of successful pollination will rise. Angearicum deal with this challange by forming long funnels at the base of the flower, inside the funnel, at the very tip , the prized nectar awaits. as that it takes an effort to reach that way, only a butterfly with a long enough proboscis may gain the prize.

Angraecum sesquipidale, took this to the extreme . the funnel it grows is 12 inches long. could you imagine insects zooming around, attracted by the wobderful smell, only to get completely frustrated, as they are just not equipped to get the good stuff?

so who is the lucky winner?

Charles Darwin wondered the same thing. he was fascinated with orchids, and saw in them a good example of his theories. flowers and butterflies adapting and collectively fine-tuning their traits, to optimize survivability and propagation. for many years no one could find that wander bug, with a drinking straw that was so long. long after Darwin died, the culprit was found. a single moth , was captured making a midnight visit at the flower. the moth was never seen before, because it was night time, when it searched for the only meal, made just for him, by the eager Angreacum.

now. how does that help in life? it cheered me up, thinking how wonderous the world is. despite all the dangers, and ugliness , the boredom and frustration, despite all that, the world is still beautiful, and we have so much we can still know.

so do not make harsh conclusions about your existance, before you’ve seen an angreacum sesquapidale in bloom.