The Mathers Foundation
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The Mathers Foundation
@mathersfoundation.bsky.social
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UK orchid conservation charity | The Brickell Award 2024 | RHS Gold medal winners 🏆| #🌿Six National Collections of orchids | 📍West Sussex, UK
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F has been tricky with very unusual species! To keep the alphabet and joy here is Cymbidium Fliquet from our new National Collection of Cymbidiums. Registered in 1990 you can see the strong influence of sanderae. 🌿

#orchids #orquídeas #nature #conservation #orchidalphabet🌱
December 6, 2025 at 7:56 AM
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E is for Eulophia roempleriana
seen on our travels in Madagascar. An interesting fact about this rare showstopper is that it climbs pandanus trees, rooting in each leaf axil. What E orchids do you want to share today? 🌿

#orchids #orquídeas #nature #conservation #orchidalphabet
December 5, 2025 at 7:32 AM
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D is for Disa uniflora. These South African terrestrials enjoy life on our flood bench in Sussex with running water to replicate the conditions in nature. Do share any orchids with a D in their name! 🌿

#orchids #orquídeas #nature #conservation #orchidalphabet🌱
December 4, 2025 at 8:22 AM
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Chysis aurea
December 3, 2025 at 10:36 AM
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C for Cattleya orchids from the display at last year’s Festa da Flor (usually held annually from around the beginning of May) #AtoZ #SharingMadeira
December 3, 2025 at 9:15 AM
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kapukamum.bsky.social
As well as the beautiful orchids B is also for Bougainvillea - whatever time of year there always seems to be some brightening up the surroundings #AtoZ #SharingMadeira
December 2, 2025 at 9:17 AM
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C is for Cymbidium King Paul which featured on one of the displays at RHS Chelsea Flower Show this year - always a winner. Which orchids beginning with C would you like to share? 🌿

#orchids #orquídeas #nature #conservation #orchidalphabet🌱
December 3, 2025 at 7:35 AM
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kapukamum.bsky.social
Aganpanthus - so prolific here #SharingMadeira #AtoZ
December 1, 2025 at 11:35 AM
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B is for Bulbophyllum ericssonii (aka binnendijki) a usual species and part of the Hartley collection. Which is your favourite bulbopyllum? 🔠 🌿🌸

#orchids #orquídeas #nature #conservation #orchidalphabet🌱
December 2, 2025 at 8:03 AM
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Starting the lead up to New Year with an A to Z of our collection🎉. Do join in by sharing your A to Z’s too! Anguloa Rolfei registered by Sanders in 1915 is a primary hybrid of cliftonii and brevilabris 🌿

#orchids #orquídeas #nature #conservation #orchidalphabet🌱
December 1, 2025 at 8:17 AM
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Ending the month with a trip to Kew Gardens - always inspirational. Lots of orchids in flower and beautiful paintings too 🎨🌸🌿

#orchids #orquídeas #nature #conservation
November 30, 2025 at 8:59 AM
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Selenipedium dodsonii is an extremely rare orchid (2.5m tall) not usually seen in the wild so this was a real highlight. Named by Phil Cribb in honour of Calaway Dodson this was seen near Puyo 🇪🇨🌿

#orchids #orquídeas #nature #conservation
November 29, 2025 at 9:45 AM
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Sobralia rosea today which was seen at several different locations on our travels. Flowers are very short lived but look stunning 🌿

#orchids #orquídeas #nature #conservation
November 28, 2025 at 8:11 AM
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Sobralia virginalis was seen on the steep roadside cliffs between Baeza and Puyo. The flowers are really stunning, large and supposedly fragrant too 🌿

#orchids #orquídeas #nature #conservation
November 27, 2025 at 10:48 AM
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Oncidium fuscatum alba is rare - usually the colours are burgundy and white. It’s native range is from Panama to Peru and North Brazil. This was also found near El Pangui. 🌿

#orchids #orquídeas #nature #conservation
November 26, 2025 at 8:28 AM
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Oncidium baueri is a species found throughout South America - this was seen close to the end of our trip near El Pangui and it is good to see another species we have in our National Collection 🌿

#orchids #orquídeas #nature #conservation
November 25, 2025 at 2:04 PM
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Cattleya iricolor has a fascinating history. Strongly fragrant with delicate yellow flowers this species was described by Reichenbach in 1874 then undiscovered until 1962 when Padre Angel Andreetta found it in the Upano valley. 🌿

#orchids #orquídeas #nature #conservation
November 24, 2025 at 8:35 AM
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Oncidium abortivum was seen close to Baeza near the Antisana National Park. Our own abortivum is a baby by comparison! Here taking measurements for our database. 🌿

#orchids #orquídeas #nature #conservation
November 22, 2025 at 9:34 AM
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Maxillaria erikae (aka Trigonidium grande) with yellow flowers. This was seen on the road leading to Gualaceo from the Amazon basin. A striking orchid with just one flower! 🌿

#orchids #orquídeas #nature #conservation
November 21, 2025 at 10:01 AM
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Stelis sclerophylla with a mass of flowers just spotted beside the road on a fence with farmland near Mindo 🌿

#orchids #orquídeas #nature #conservation
November 20, 2025 at 8:52 AM
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Maxillaria acuminata is one of many we saw on our explorations. This was on a quiet roadside tree near Baeza. Many of the trees host lots of different epiphytes of all sizes! 🌿

#orchids #orquídeas #nature #conservation
November 19, 2025 at 10:49 AM
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Pterichis pauciflora was seen in the cloudy Antisana Reserve close to the pink Elleanthus previously posted. This genus is one of approx 44 species of cool growing, terrestial orchids that grow at high altitude over 3000m 🌿

#orchids #orquídeas #nature #conservation
November 18, 2025 at 8:56 AM
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Another Telipogon today. This species is possibly williamsii - a tiny flower growing as an epiphyte on a roadside tree near Mindo, the cloud forest outside Quito.🌿

#orchids #orquídeas #nature #conservation
November 17, 2025 at 8:10 AM
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A rare unusual species today - Telipogon andicola with petite yellow flowers that are bigger than the plant. Growing on a steep cliff at 3000m. It dies back after blooming, resting until next season.

#orchids #orquídeas #nature #conservation
November 16, 2025 at 10:24 AM
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Oncidium strictum a petite cool growing epiphyte on the road from Mindo to Quito. This species has been used in nearly 180 hybrids - one of the icons in our collection is Prince Vultan (strictum x nobile) that won an Award of Merit. 🌿

#orchids #orquídeas #nature #conservation
November 15, 2025 at 8:18 AM