Nature is amazing... and seriously weird! Now, I wasn't exactly born with 'green fingers', but I can certainly appreciate the pleasures that come with having a garden. The older I get, the more I see why so many people insist of living somewhere that has a garden and why they put so much time and money into it looking its absolute best.
Well, after seeing these following pictures, anybody with a front or backyard will be flocking to their nearest garden center to try and grow some of these spectacular plants. Trust me, I am completely dense when it comes to plants - but these are frickin' adorable!
Orchids are pretty traditional flowers for any home to have, either inside or out. They are one of the largest plant families on the planet, with there being up to 30,000 species of orchid out there for us to admire. Now, with such diversity, it's no surprise that there are some varieties that are slightly bizarre-looking.
Introducing the Monkey Orchid - which got its name because the flower literally looks like an adorable little monkey face.
Native to the forests of Southeastern Ecuador and Peru, the Dracula Simia (which translates to "little dragon monkey") or Monkey Orchid, is the cutest flower I've ever seen. Found in cloud forests between 1,000 and 2,000 meters above sea level, their "faces" are created by unique blooms formed by the flower's petals and stamens.
The flower species was christened by botanist Carlyle A. Lueren in 1978, and despite looking like poop-flinging simians, they certainly do not smell like them. In fact, the Monkey Orchid produces a pleasant citrusy scent of ripe oranges when bloomed. (Cute and they smell great - who wouldn't want them!?)
In their natural habitat, the Monkey Orchid can bloom at any time of the year; preferring almost 70%-100% humidity, cool temperatures, and low light - which can make attempting to grow them in captivity a nightmare for novice botanist.
They can grow up to two feet tall, and if you do ever attempt to grow them at home, experts recommend potting them in sphagnum moss instead of soil.
The orchid genus 'Dracula' comprises of 118 individual species of the flower, all of which are native to Ecuador, Peru, Mexico, Central America, and Colombia.