Ghost orchids: There's 1,500 left in southern Florida, and numbers dwindling, groups say
The flower is literally a thing of legends, the focal point of books and movies and the victim of ecological crimes.
Now several environmental groups plan to file suit against the federal government for failing to protect ghost orchid habitat.
“The ghost orchid cannot afford further delay,” said Jaclyn Lopez, director of the Jacobs Law Clinic for Democracy and the Environment at Stetson University. “Florida’s biodiversity faces so many threats ― from climate change to sprawl pressure ― the federal government needs to step up its game and prioritize protecting our vulnerable plants and animals.”
Fewer ghost orchids in the wild
Perhaps the most famous flower in Florida (a state named after its abundant flora), the number of ghost orchids has dropped by 50% in recent decades, and it's estimated that about 1,500 still live in the wild ― mostly in eastern Collier County.
Experts estimate that only half of those remaining are capable of reproducing.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service spokeswoman Jennifer Koches said the agency does not comment on pending litigation.
An FWS website contains a post from Oct. 8, 2022, that says the plant is rare and that it may indeed need increased protections.
"We find that the petition presents substantial scientific or commercial information that listing the rare, swamp-dwelling ghost orchid as threatened or endangered under the protections of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) may be warranted," the site reads. "We will fully evaluate all potential threats during our 12-month status review."
Fed protections lacking, groups say
Environmental groups, however, say the FWS should have acted in January and that current protections are inadequate.
“If the federal government does not take decisive action to protect the ghost orchid under the Endangered Species Act, and fast, we may lose this captivating species for good,” said Melissa Abdo, Sun Coast regional director for the National Parks Conservation Association.
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“That’s why it’s heartbreaking to see the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service violate the law and drag their feet on making a protection decision. Current protections afforded to ghost orchids at Big Cypress National Preserve and other ghost orchid habitats are not enough to keep this species alive.”
Top threats to the ghost orchid's continued existence include poaching, habitat loss and destruction and climate change, experts say.
Delicate ghost orchid coveted
The plant is highly coveted among orchid collectors and garden enthusiasts, and it's largely confined to the Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park and Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary.
The delicate plant appears to hang in the air, hence the ghost reference.
"The leafless plant attaches itself by its roots high up on trees, making its white blossoms with trailing petals appear to hover in the air," an FWS website reads. "The photosynthetic roots require a special type of symbiotic fungus to obtain nutrients. Their nighttime scent attracts large moths with proboscises (or mouth parts) long enough to reach pollen deep within the ghost orchid flower."
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This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Ghost orchids need more protection, environmental groups say
