So, I got a call back from the lady in charge of planning here in Halifax, she said she was going to make sure the developper knows about the Orchids and that she would encourage them to keep as many as possible. She speaks with authority and it sounds like she genuienly wants to help. The message I left with the Condo company has gone unanswered.
Obviously I wish that they would all be spared, but I am still glad to see that some other people are at least taking their existence into consideration. It is really easy to simply give up on these things, but even a slim compromise is worth working for in these situations. I hope that the developer will take this seriously, so some of them can be saved. This orchid is beautiful, showy and complex. Finding one plant alone is special, but this colony as a whole is really stunning and only something you can only truly appreciate by being there. I think most potential condo tenants would love the idea of being able to go out back to the “Orchid garden” and sit under a tree. I can tell you from experience it is a lovely way to spend a summers day, especially with a good book.
There is also a lichen colony growing alongside these orchids, this lichen is what I used to dye this silk. I think it’s amazing that the silk looks so much like the lady slippers! This particular dye takes a year to make, so it’s not something I would try at home.The lichens themselves are sensitive to pollution and very slow growing. The lichens I use are collected from the forest floor after stormy days. I never remove any from the rocks so I never run out of lichen .(I was lucky enough to be taught about lichen dyes by Karen Diadick Casselman, expert dyer and lichenologist. Her dye books are available on the internet, they are a fantastic reference. I highly recommend them.)
Unfortunately it’s not just loss of habitat that threatens the orchid gardens survival and that of other lovely spots in our neighbourhoods, it’s also human carelessness. People throw their bottles and garbage down the hill from the condo that towers behind it. Some kids burnt up most of the biggest lichen colony last year with a fire extinguisher. I think they’ve also been picking the orchids, I found a lot of broken ones this year. Since their blooming period has been interrupted, these ones will never grow back.
It just goes to show that as a society we should be more mindful of our effects on other living things and their interrelationships. The kids are just playing and they don’t know better because we haven’t done enough to set a good example. I don’t think they realize that common object’s are often dangerous and full of chemicals. It is easy to assume that plants and mosses will pop right back in spring, but that is not always the case. Some parts of our ecosystems are really fragile, in order to responsible it is important to familiarize yourself with the natural world around you before you decide to change it. We also need to cultivate and nurture a stronger reverence for the life that surrounds and sustains us
