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Story and photo by Suzanne Nielsen and reprinted with permission of the
Daily Herald.
 Orchid specialist Stewart Chipka of Naples, Florida, spent two weeks on Saba in January 2003, creating a
scientific map of the location of wild orchids on the
island. He located nine species representing three
genera and expects to track down many more when he
returns in May for a follow-up study.
Chipka came well prepared for his sojourn on Saba.
Equipped with aerial maps of the island and knowledge
of prevailing weather patterns from his own experience
sailing the Caribbean, he targeted his fieldwork in
advance to promising areas on the northeast side of
the island. He expected to find orchids in these
favorable spots and his homework paid off.
He marked their exact location with a global position
system (GPS) unit. On his return to Saba, he will
relocate these plants to check their growing cycles
and will search for additional varieties in previously
unexplored crooks and crannies. He will specifically
be looking for Psychilis and Bletia specimens, which
he did not locate in January. These genera should be
on Saba since they prevail on nearby islands.
A passion for orchids
 Chipka came by his interest in orchids at a young age.
His Czech grandfather, who immigrated to the US with
the family in 1917, was a renaissance man. A machinist
by day and a pastry chef by night, his spare-time
passion was orchids. As a boy, Chipka accompanied
Gramps on trips through the Florida Everglades to
gather various specimens.
Chipka studied to be a structural engineer, but always
kept the hobby. Now approaching retirement, he has
developed his love of orchids into a serious
avocation. He is president of Encyclia Enthuasiasts,
Inc., an affiliate of the American Orchid Society,
publishes in lay and scholarly journals, and
facilitates courses at the International Orchid Center
in Palm Beach, Florida.
An avid grower himself, specializing in Encyclias,
Chipka now has at least 250 varieties in the garden
behind his modest condominium in Naples. When he
rhapsodically describes his Lime tree with more than
300 species of epiphyte orchids in its branches,
Chipka takes on the look of the true believer: the
nature lover who finds a spiritual experience in his
work.
The exotic orchid
 British horticulturists discovered and popularized
orchids during the Victorian area. Britain retains the
world's most important herbarium at Keyes Gardens near
London, where the Royal Botanic Garden has the final
say in naming any new species.
Originally, orchids were thought to be tropical plants
needing moist, dank conditions. In fact, orchids grow
in most areas of the world, including arctic regions
and thus thrive in various environments. There are
about 35,000 named species, with more discovered every
year. Adding to the population are the many hybrids.
Today, orchids are the second most purchased flower:
the Christmas poinsettia is in first place. The orchid
fascinates not only by its exotic beauty, but its
flowers are the most advanced and intricate in the
entire plant kingdom.
Saba's orchids were undoubtedly brought to the
volcanic soil by the wind...orchid seeds can be as fine
as talcum powder. Varieties grow in trees, on rocks,
or on the ground. They propagate by various means,
including cloning.
Propagation methods gave Chipka other environmental
clues. He suspects the presence of the hawk moth on
Saba, since this insect normally propagates the Lady's
lash species he found in profusion.
Working on Saba
Chipka set forth from his cottage above the airport
armed with his field notebook, camera, GPS unit, a
scientific ruler to record dimensions - and serious
hiking boots.
 A magnificent surprise was in store for Chipka during
his fieldwork in Upper Hell's Gate. A local farmer
tipped him off that an orchid field existed around a
cultivated plot of onions. For many years, this orchid
field supplied a wonderful backdrop to the Christmas
crèche at the nearby Church of the Holy Rosary.
To Chipka's astonishment, Lady's lash or eyelash
(Epidendrum ciliare) orchid plants stretched as far as
the eye could see. Farmers said they left them in
place "to hold the stone walls together. "It took my
breath away to see this amount of proliferation,"
Chipka said.
Elsewhere, Chipka found orchids had succumbed to the
weedwacker employed by Saba's trail maintenance crews
on Mt. Scenery, and the resident goat population also
takes a toll.
Chipka will submit his findings to a taxonomist. A Kew
Gardens expert in plant identification would
eventually determine if Saba has an unrecorded species
or if variations are within normal extremes.
Possible development
 Field samples may not be exported since orchids are
protected under the Convention on International Trade
in Endangered Species (CITES).
Turning Saba's orchids into a business enterprise
would need patience. It would take three to four years
before an enterprise would produce an income after
orchid cultivation techniques are mastered
Saba's orchids could be exploited in another fashion.
Tourists would undoubtedly be interested in a
botanical garden displaying some of Saba's wild
orchids. A tour map could be created to reach those
orchids flourishing in Saba's many microclimates.
Top Photo: Specialist Stewart Chipka in the orchid patch
behind a Windwardside Cottage.
Second Photo: Characteristically slow growing, these Lady's Lash
orchids at the foot of Mount Scenery are probably
seven years old.
Third Photo: Careful measurements are taken in the field.
Fourth Photo: Polystachia foliosa - small enough to overlook.
Bottom Photo: Epidendrum ciliare on the rock wall surrounding the
onion field.
 Back to Saba Scenes page.
Story and photograph © Suzanne Nielsen, 2005.
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