alien egg 4: the beast extends its reach

The petals on my Phragmipedium Grande are 13 inches long, although some people have cultivars whose petals are 20 inches or more. P. Grande is a hybrid between the long petaled P. caudatum and the short-petaled (but more vigorous) P. longifolium. The petals of P. caudatum can get even longer. I've read that the reason for this is that the petals keep growing longer until they reach the ground.  These petals attract ants, which climb the spiral staircase and pollinate the flowers. Neat, huh?

At a San Diego orchid show, I saw a number of plants that were grown in what looked like 5-gallon buckets, and these plants had dozens of flowers open at the same time. That was a serious jaw-dropper.