Woman relishes role as orchid guardian

The flowers bloom along U.S. 92, thanks to a volunteer who assures they aren't mowed.

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published June 18, 2007

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DAYTONA BEACH - When Jennifer Reinoso noticed wild orchids blooming along a stretch of highway, she wanted to protect the species she loves.

The scarlet ladies' tresses that bloomed along U.S. 92 in central Florida might have been mowed over if Reinoso hadn't volunteered to look after the plants and mark their locations to alert highway workers.

Reinoso, who received permission from the Florida Department of Transportation's district office, has protected the plants for three years.

"Orchids are my passion, " she said.

"This is what I'll be doing for the rest of my life."

Florida has more than 100 varieties of wild orchids.

They are classified by the state as threatened and have become adapted to life along the state's roads, said Paul Martin Brown, author of Wild Orchids of Florida.

"It's an orchid of fields and pastures, but since we don't have a lot of grazed pasture anymore, the roadsides have replaced it as their habitat, " Brown said.

Scarlet ladies' tresses are terra-cotta-colored orchids that grow best in regularly mowed areas, but must be sheltered during the plant's two-week flowering season.

When Reinoso first notices leaves appearing on the plants, she tags their location with a white flag and removes the marker after the flowering season ends.

Reinoso said when she started this year, she counted a few hundred orchids.

This year, the stretch of highway she protects contains more than 800 orchids.

"It's beautiful when it's in full bloom, " said Reinoso, a member of the Volusia County Orchid Society and the American Orchid Society.

"It's a stunning thing when you see a whole group of them along the road. It can take your breath away."