Fairchild laboratories bloom a million orchids

Sereena Gee, Staff writer

One hundred years ago, vibrant, beautiful orchids covered South Florida. As urban development and agriculture expanded, the abundance of orchids rapidly declined. Today, existence of native orchids in South Florida remains minimal. Miami’s Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden decided to put forth efforts in restoring the once-beautiful orchid land.

The spark of the Million Orchid Project came from a 1990s effort in Singapore to revive their orchids. In the past two decades, Singapore saw 18 of their 170 extinct orchids re-introduced, and then eventually reproducing on their own. The Million Orchid Project’s members hope their project will mirror this achievement.

Fairchild hopes the re-establishment of native orchids also brings back native insects. Schoolyards, roadways, and other public places welcome the flourishing of these natural beauties.

The Fairchild mission takes more than just planting flowers. Seeds must extract from seed capsules, planted in growth medium, and transplanted until the seedlings prove grown enough for outdoor growing. A lab in Miami’s Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden contains many busy scientists and volunteers working hard on the seed establishment.

According to the director of the Million Orchids Project, the project is simply an experiment. No specific guarantee that the money and time invested into reviving the once-colorful South Florida state provides a given result. However, the project’s members feel the benefits outweigh the risks.

“I think it’s wonderful,” junior Brittany Leonard said. “Being a flower and nature lover myself, I think it’s wonderful that they are doing this.”