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Vida Svahnström

@vidasplants

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mostly botany, conservation, and orchids; PhD student at Kew Gardens 🌿

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Chapada Diamantina, Bahia, Brazil 🩵 by @vidasplants

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7 months ago

A highlight of my recent trip to Puerto Rico was exploring the dry coastal forests in the southwest of the island, which have an amazing flora and fauna with many rare and endemic species. Most exciting for me was finding a population of Psychilis krugii, an orchid only found in these dry forests. They are pseudobulbous epiphytes but I only saw them growing on low shrubs such as Agave and Strumpfia maritima, and in a few cases on the ground. The flowers are beautiful and very variable. by @vidasplants

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2 years ago

I’m only 2 species away from having seen all of Florida’s 22 native and naturalized milkweed (Asclepias) species! This is one of my favorite genera, and chasing them has taken me to some spectacular habitats and natural areas - most recently, a pristine seepage slope in Okaloosa County for Asclepias rubra. Here’s a selection of some of Florida’s milkweeds I’ve seen so far.1. Asclepias rubra2. A. curtisii3. A. viridiflora4. A. viridis5. A. lanceola6. A. humistrata7. A. cinerea8. A. connivens by @vidasplants

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2 years ago

Red-billed streamertail aka doctor bird, the national bird of Jamaica. I was lucky enough to have several of these stunning hummingbirds hanging out where I was staying in the Blue Mountains for a few days. Watching them dart between flowers and feeders was mesmerizing. And occasionally they stopped for a photo! by @vidasplants

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2 years ago

Blue Mountains, Jamaica 💚🇯🇲 by @vidasplants

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2 years ago

Absolutely nothing beats a day exploring creeks and climbing cliffs in search of plants with friends, especially when accessing said creeks and cliffs requires a kayak 🌱💚 by @vidasplants

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2 years ago

This is an appreciation post for all the orchids only a botanist could love. The nondescript, hard to photograph, green, brown, white, tiny orchids. I love them every bit as much as the big, showy, colorful ones. These three are all rare in FL and restricted to the extreme south, and I was so pleased to see them for the first time this spring.1-2. Cyclopogon elatus on a floating log in strand swamp3-4. Cyclopogon cranichoides at the edge of a solution hole in a tropical hardwood hammock5-6. Beloglottis costaricensis in deep hummus in a tropical hardwood hammock by @vidasplants

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2 years ago

Just back from a brief but unforgettable botanizing trip in south Florida where I got to see NINE new-to-me orchid species! The target was Cyrtopodium punctatum, a beast of an orchid I’ve been wanting to see for years. These massive epiphytic plants were once common in the Everglades but were subject to heavy poaching and are now rare in FL. This population was doing well tucked away in coastal buttonwood forest, with several large individuals in perfect bloom when I visited. Truly a special experience to get to see these unique orchids - so grateful to my botany friends in Florida for making it happen! Moments like these remind me why I work in conservation. by @vidasplants

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2 years ago

Nice to see Malaxis unifolia flowering in Marion County this week, plus I found a few new plants at the site. I haven’t been in Florida in March for a few years so I’m looking forward to catching some favorites in bloom which I haven’t seen for a long time! by @vidasplants

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2 years ago

only a few more days until I’m back in the swamps, sloughs, and backwaters 🌿 by @vidasplants

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2 years ago

Missing the wildflowers of New Mexico today ☀️ by @vidasplants

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2 years ago

2023 was the year of deserts and mountains for me. Very grateful to have spent 6 months in the Southwest US, most of it out in the field camping, hiking, and searching for rare plants. I got to know the flora of New Mexico so well and I miss it already 💚 by @vidasplants

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3 years ago