Ghost Orchid video

This video, created by photographer Jay Staton, shows the flower development of the Ghost Orchid, Dendrophylax lindenii, from spike to the seed pod dehiscing.

Ladder in tow, Jay made over 30 trips into the swamp at Fakahatchee Strand. The first stage was taken in February, when many plants start sending out a flower spike. He returned almost every week, setting up the ladder and camera in the exact position, to capture the new growth. 14 months later, after the last stage was captured, Jay combined the images in Photoshop to produce this video. From beginning to end, the process took over 500 man-hours to complete! Learn more about Jay and his photography here.