A rare 'Super' ghost orchid is blooming at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. Here's how to see it

Fireworks of another kind have begun in the wilds of Southwest Florida.

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Collier County announced July 1 that the rare "Super" ghost orchid has begun blooming. Ghost orchids are rare flowering plants that rely on extremely sensitive, wetland habitats, and are only known to live in southern Florida and Cuba.

“I love seeing the first ghost orchid blossom of summer for its beauty and hope,” said Sanctuary Director Lisa Korte, PhD, in a news release.

“This delicate, dancing, white flower shows that we are protecting Corkscrew Swamp in a manner than allows nature to thrive — we are lucky to have one of these amazing orchids visible from our boardwalk."

The “Super” ghost orchid — one of several on record at the National Audubon Society sanctuary — was discovered in July 2007. It typically returns to the spotlight each summer, although it has had blooms at other times of the year.

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The ghost orchid is one of the rarest flowers in North America. Other spots in Southwest Florida where they bloom include Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park, Big Cypress National Preserve, Collier-Seminole State Park and The Everglades.

The ghost orchid became popularized in modern culture years ago in the 1998 Susan Orlean nonfiction book "The Orchid Thief." The book is about the arrest of a poacher and Seminole Indians for stealing rare ghost orchids from Fakahatchee.

A 2002 movie based loosely on the book, "Adaptation," starred Nicolas Cage, Meryl Streep and Chris Cooper, whose performance as the poacher won him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Blooming ghost orchids often draw international attention, especially from orchid enthusiasts including many who travel to Southwest Florida to observe them.

Ghost orchids are “epiphytes” — plants that cling to the surface of certain species of tree trunks and limbs. They receive all their food and water through the atmosphere or from the surface of their host tree but do no harm to their host, Corkscrew said in its news release.

"Ghost orchids have no actual leaves and throughout much of the year, the plants are barely visible. Once the blossoms drop off, only their roots remain," it said.

"As soon as summer rains and humidity return to the forest, ghost orchids spring to life, producing multiple spikes, buds, and blossoms. Most of the blooms occur between June and October."

For those who want to see the “Super” ghost orchid at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, 375 Sanctuary Road W., it's about 70 feet off the ground on a bald cypress tree roughly 100 feet off the boardwalk, Sanctuary officials said.

And the Sanctuary encourages those who want to see the blooms to bring a spotting scope or binoculars and a recommended lens length of 600 mm to get a good photograph.

"The specific climate and ecology of Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary make the growth of this rare orchid possible," the Sanctuary said.

"Ghost orchids only grow in sub-tropical wetlands and are most common in remote swamps, where they are only easily seen when blooming. Threats to the orchids include poaching, loss and/or degradation of habitat, and climate change.

"Over the past several decades, human activities have significantly reduced the quantity and quality of wetland habitats across Florida. The future of ghost orchids depends on vigilant habitat protection and respecting and admiring this captivating species from a distance."

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary spans more than 13,000 acres, including the largest remaining, old-growth bald cypress forest. An estimated 100,000 visitors annually explore the Sanctuary’s 2.25 miles of boardwalk through ancient forest, marsh, and upland habitats.

Learn more at Corkscrew.Audubon.org.

Dave Osborn is the regional features editor of the Naples Daily News and News-Press. Follow him on Instagram @lacrossewriter and on Twitter @NDN_dosborn.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: 'Super' ghost orchid blooming in Southwest Florida: How to see it