Rare orchid says "cheese!"
Do you see dead people? You won't have to possess the ability to view anything deceased in order to take in photographer Rick Cruz's vision of the Florida Everglades and Big Cypress National Park. During a 6:30 reception tonight at the Gilded Hand (165 Aragon Ave., Coral Gables), Cruz (above) will premiere his snapshot of the ghost orchid, one of the rarest in the United States, found only in Florida's Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve. Near the top of Florida's list of threatened and endangered plants, this leafless bloom was the central character in Susan Orlean's book The Orchid Thief and later starred in the movie Adaptation. The ghost orchid's image will remain on display at the gallery through Thursday, September 23. The photo and other limited-edition prints can be found on Cruz's website, www.rickcruzphotography.com. To protect this plant species and 70 others, 10 percent of all sales will be donated to the Fakahatchee Strand. Admission is free.
By : Erica Martinez