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Orchids in Nicaragua

Discussion in 'Introduce Yourself' started by Pat Werner, Mar 9, 2016.

  1. Mar 9, 2016 #1
    Pat Werner

    Pat Werner New Member

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    Hello from Diriamba, Nicaragua. I have been looking for Nicaraguan orchids for 30 years. I published a book about Nicaraguan orchids, An Introduction To Nicaraguan Orchids. Nicaragua still has substantial cloud forests, and few orchid enthusiasts. There are about 650 orchids identified in Nicaragua, and probably another 150 species to be found. It is also the most peaceful and inexpensive country in Central America. The major problem now is erupting volcanoes, three at the same time. The smoke of one,Masaya, sometimes drifts by my house and puts yellow spots on my Stanhopeas, which will start blooming in a month or so. They are my favorites, along with the Cattleys ans Sobralias. Life is tranquilo in Nicaragua.

    Pat Werner
     
  2. Mar 9, 2016 #2
    KellyW

    KellyW Orchid wonk Staff Member Supporting Member

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    Pat, welcome to the Forum. It sounds like you can contribute a lot of valuable information so I hope you become a regular. In situ photos are always appreciated (hint ;)).

    I will have to look for your book and visit your area via Google Earth.
     
  3. Mar 9, 2016 #3
    Brent W

    Brent W Owner Staff Member

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    Welcome :)
     
  4. Mar 10, 2016 #4
    Dave The Scientist

    Dave The Scientist Active Member

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    Welcome to the forum. I'm jealous of your climate. In situ pics please !
     
  5. Mar 10, 2016 #5
    jai

    jai Orchid addict

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    Welcome to the forum
     
  6. Mar 18, 2016 #6
    Pat Werner

    Pat Werner New Member

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  7. Mar 18, 2016 #7
    Pat Werner

    Pat Werner New Member

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    All I have here at my home in Diriamba are Nicaraguan orchids. My orchid book, and about 100 pictures of Nicaraguan orchids in bloom, are on my web page, nicaraguanpathways.com. Take a look.
    Pat Werner
     
  8. Mar 19, 2016 #8
    goods

    goods Well-Known Member Supporting Member

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    Welcome Pat! If you come across any amphibians in the field, I'd welcome photos of those almost as much as in situ orchid photos :)
     
  9. Mar 20, 2016 #9
    Pat Werner

    Pat Werner New Member

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    It is Easter Week and all government offices closed last week and will open the week of April 28, so I cannot get anything done. Since I am sitting here doing nothing, I am going to write a short calendar of when my orchids bloom, which may be helpful to others. In bloom now are the O. altissimum, and E. cordigera, E dickensoniana, and E chacoensis. Just finished the S. fenzliana, which has bloomed several times this year. Also flowering is the G. unicolor, which sort of blooms all year long, and the G. quinquenervis (sp). The C. aurantiaca is finishing up and the C. punctatum is getting ready to bloom. After a bit the Stanhopeas, oculata, ecornuta, and confusa will start. The confusa has a piercing fragrance of vanilla and hot chocolate. I have only found them in the northern mountains, the highest in Nicaragua, and place of legends, old gold mines, and many battles of the Marines and Sandino and of the Contra War.

    Pat Werner
     
  10. Mar 20, 2016 #10
    jai

    jai Orchid addict

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    I read about the confusa and was very interested in is culture. I have been looking for one ever since. Do they sell them anywhere?
     
  11. Mar 20, 2016 #11
    Pat Werner

    Pat Werner New Member

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    I have no idea if they are sold. I found the S. confusa on one mountain years ago. I have never found it anywhere else. It is in a hard place to reach.
    Pat Werner
     
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  12. Mar 21, 2016 #12
    Pat Werner

    Pat Werner New Member

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    To me S. confusa looks like a smallish S. costaricensis, with perfume. I suspect that there is inbreeding within the Stanhopeas and Gongoras as I find things that do not fit in the books. Someone asked about amphibians: around my house there is the Stauffer´s tree frog, and the red eyed frog, Agalychnis callidryase. At lower elevations you find the ubiquitious Bufo marinus. On the east coast you find both the Dendrobates pumilio, a picture of one is in my orchid book, and the D. auratus.
    Pat Werner
     
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  13. Apr 20, 2016 #13
    Pat Werner

    Pat Werner New Member

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    A question. I would like to buy a digital camera that works for very close up pictures of orchid flowers, details of the flower and its anatomy. I am looking for something in reasonable price range with a good macro lens, something I can get on Amazon as there are no camera shops in Nicaragua. Any suggestions?

    Pat Werner
     
  14. Apr 20, 2016 #14
    naoki

    naoki Well-Known Member

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    I've been a user of Nikon film and digital camera for 20 years or more, but I started to try Olympus micro 4/3 system about 5 years ago. At first, I was attracted by the compactness/portability of the entire system (=camera&lens). I rarely use the large Nikon camera (mine is older D300) now. Their optics are top notch, and olympus has been strong in macro since their film days. It is not a popular option outside of Japan, but you might want to consider their advantages. For multiple TTL flashes, Nikon is the king, but it doesn't matter for macro of static object since manual flash is easier. The shallow depth of field from full frame doesn't matter for macro, neither. Image quality under low light isn't a problem for macro since you'll need artificial light anyway to get enough depth of field (and you'll be using tripods). High ISO performance of modern micro 4/3 isn't as bad as you think. Obviously, it is not comparable to something like Nikon D5, but for practical use, I've never thought that it is lacking.

    Their Olympus MSC ED M. Macro 60mm f/2.8 Lens lens is pretty amazing, and you can have it pretty cheap. Usually around $450, but Olympus direct has sales every couple months, and it goes around $399. I'm not sure how warranty works in Nicaragua, but you can have it cheaper if you don't care about USA warranty via gray market. For the body, Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II is probably the good deal. It can do automatic focus bracketing, and you can easily do focus stacking for small flowers like Lepanthes (just select the correct setup, and push the button). The top end model E-M1 can do in-body focus stacking (i.e. you don't have to post-process to get the focus stacking). I decided to upgrade to E-M1, so it is on my way. I'll see how well it works with small flowers. If you can wait for the sale of Olympus direct remanufactured models, you can get a great deal. They just had one a week or so ago, so it may be for a while for the next one (usually close to the big holiday). I got my E-M1 for <$580.

    Also, Olympus and Panasonic have lots of options for fun and affordable lenses (unlike Sony). Olympus (and Fuji) appeals to camera geeks, but there are quite a lot of good advantages for orchid photos.

    If you are interested in point-and-shoot, Olympus TG-3 and TG-4 can do in-camera focus stacking, too. I received one today, and I need to check it out when I have time. But my entomologist friend was impressed by the focus stacking of TG-3.