Botanical illustration – The Yellow Lepanthes and sad times.
In 2010 my friend Daniel Jiminez and I found several plants of, what we belived then, was a yellow form of Lepanthes mariposa high up on Cerro Arbolado in Costa Rica. The plants grew in dense cloudforest at around 2300 meters altitude. Several years later Daniel told me that they now think the Yellow Lepanthes is a new species. Time flies and in 2022 I arranged a trip to Costa Rica again for Pathfinder Travels (Swedish travel Company). When me and the group hiked up to Valle del Silencio I found many plants of the yellow Lepanthes sp between Cerro Quemado and Cerro Frantzius at around 2000-2200 meters. Later on the group and I hiked up on a brutal path to Cerro Arbolado with the guide Omar. Now choosing a more southern path than in 2010. At around 2300 meters I found several plants of the yellow Lepanthes.
There are plants of the yellow Lepanthes at Lankester Botanical Gardens in Costa Rica and I saw some of them there while visiting the gardens. Had talks with Diego Bogarin and he and his team have now started the work to publish the Lepanthes as a new species (also the green Lepanthes that I found high up on Cerro Echandi in 2015), with some help of Alexandre Antonelli at Kew Gardens (Joined Alexandre on a expedition to Colombia in 2013).
I have a lot of photos of the Lepanthes but it is hard to photograph as the flowers are 2 – 2,5 mm “big”.
As I have painted all my life in a family with artists I felt that I wanted to start painting botanical illustrations and that the first painting should be the yellow Lepanthes. I started the painting late 2023. During this time my father got more and more sick. Despite that I got a lot of input from him and he also gave me his some of his old watercolors, brushes etc as he could not paint anymore. 17 February my father passed away. A horrible time and I miss my father soooo much. But I found some inner power to finish the painting a month later.
I know my father was happy that I started painting again. And I will continue to paint until my last breath on this planet, in this universe.
So here is my first botanical illustration. Watercolor on Arches 300g Hotpressed paper. Used colors by Winsor & Newton, Dave Smith, Sennelier, Schmincke. 297×420 cm. Painting photographed with a iPhone. Soon I will take better photos of it with my Nikon camera.
Here you can see more of my art: https://www.instagram.com/art.by.pontus.aratoun/
The yellow Lepanthes in situ, Cerro Arbolado, Costa Rica. 2010. This was the first plant that we found.
The yellow Lepanthes in thick moss. Cerro Quemado, Valle del Silencio, Costa Rica. 2022.
The yellow Lepanthes at Cerro Arbolado, Costa Rica. 2022.
The Yellow Lepanthes at Cerro Arbolado, CR, 2010.
Close up of the flower. Compared to a millimeter scale.
Lepanthes Love part 1.
My favorite orchids genus is Lepanthes. It´s a hue family with over 1200 species and new species are found all the time. I have been lucky to find several new Lepanthes sp together with my orchid friends. I have found them in very humid and warm costal rainforests in Choco, Colombia and at 3200+ meters in the mountains of Costa Rica, Panama and Colombia. I belive that there are hundreds of Lepanthes sp yet to be discovered.
The strange thing is that I have seen and found new species just next to trails and roads. But as the plants can be very tiny it´s easy to pass them without seeing them.
Here are some eye candy for you….
Lepanthes obovata. Colombia.
Lepanthes sp. Cerro Arbolado. First we thought it was a yellow L mariposa when we found this sp in a remote place on Cerro Arbolado, Costa Rica in 2010. I also found theis species near Valle del Silencio in 2022. It is a new species soon to be described. Flower 2-2,5 mm.
The yellow Lepanthes sp high up on Cerro Arbolado, 2022.
Unknown Lepanthes sp. Tenorio, Costa Rica. 2015.
Unknown Lepanthes sp. Tenorio, Costa Rica. 2015.
Lepanthes hermansii. Cerro de la Muerte, Costa Rica. 2700 meters. Flower 5-7 mm.
Lepanthes tsubotae. Colombia.
Lepanthes sp. Realated to L bradei and is probably a nes sp. Costa Rica.
Lepanthes chiriquensis. Costa Rica. Flowers around 3mm.
Lepanthes velerioi. Cerro Arbolado. A tiny species where the flowers are just 3-4 mm big. Me and my friend Daniel found this on a fallen tree high up on Cerro Arbolado, Costa Rica in 2010. Below one of the plants on the fallen tree.
Lepanthes valerioi growing on a tree that had fallen down in a storm. Leafs 5-7mm.
Lepanthes sp. New species found on Cerro Chirripo, Costa Rica. The strange thin is that this sp grew next to the main trail on the mountain. I saw many plants. A beautiful species that I hope get a name soon. Found by my friend Denis who lives in the area.
Lepanthes sp growing on a tree next to the remote farm Las Tablas in Costa Rica.
Lepanthes sp that I found at 2500 meters on Cerro de la Muerte in 2010. Probably a new species.
Me searching for orchids on Cerro de la Muerte. In these tiny trees we found several orchid sp among them a mystery Lepanthes sp. This was at an altitude of 3200 meters. I deen to back to see if I can find any flowering plants.
There will be more….
Some more pictures from Costa Rica.
Here are some more pictures from the Pathfinder expedition that I arranged in November 2022. Hopefully I will be able to arrange similar trips in a near future. During this expedition I found many very interesting orchid species. At Valle del Silencio and Cerro Hoffman I found many interesting Lepanthes sp. Among them the yellow Lepanthes sp me and Daniel Jiminez found in 2010. A new species waiting to be described and named. Here a few pictures of orchids, frogs etc. Enjoy!
Lepanthe sp. Santa Marta.
Lepanthe sp, Valle del Silencio. Me and Daniel Jiminez found this species at Cerro Arbolado in 2010. This is a “new” undescribed species.
Spiny-headed Treefrog, Anotheca spinosa. Yatama rainforest.
Snake trying to hide. Yatama rainforest.
Lepanthes sp. Cerro Hoffman.
The team walking up on a peak near Cerro de la Muerte.
Stream, Santa Marta.
Me at Cerro de la Muerte. Altitude around 3100 meters. Found a very interesting Lepanthes sp in that tree. No flowers.
Lepanthes sp. Cerro Hoffman.
Lepanthes sp, Valle del Silencio.
Stelis sp, Santa Marta. Low elevation. Hot and humid forest.
Frog, Yatama rainforest.
Lepanthes sp, Valle del Silencio. Very cold and wet forest. 2200m.
Me and Omar, Valle del Silencio.
Costa Rica 2022.
In November I was guiding a group of tourists from Pathfinders Travels in Costa Rica. I had arranged and planned that trip in 2021. The trip got fully booked in a few days. We hade a great journey and among the places we visited was Valle del Silencio, Olan, Cerro Arbolado, Yatama Lodge and their fantastic forest etc. We had a wonderful driver, Juan, that was with us all the time. I hope to work with him on future trips. Our guides Juan at Yatama Lodge, Omar and Jennifer at Picoaventures in Olan was great and I miss them all already.
Before the customers came I was out with Daniel Jiminez looking for orchids. We had also a nice orchid trip after the customers left. I visited Lankester Botanical Gardens a few times to and talked a lot with Diego Bogarin about future collaboration, field trips etc. So many interesting things in the pipeline!
During our walks in the cloud forest I found many interesting Lepanthes species and also Telipogon sp, Thrichosalpinx sp, Dracula sp, Warrea sp etc etc. Among them the yellow tiny Lepanthes that me and Daniel found the first time at Cerro Arbolado 2010. Then we thought it was L mariposa. But now we know it´s a new species. Picture below. Yet to be named and published. Also among the finds was the elusive and beautiful Lepanthes matamorosii. I found one plant flowering in Valle del Silencio. The weather we had there was very…very wet and humid. We had heavy rains and fog so taking photographs with the Nikon camera was an challange. So had to use the iPhone that worked better in humid conditions.
I will post some pictures from the trip over the next weeks. Enjoy!
You can also see pictures from the trip at my INSTA: @theorchidhunter. Also at my company INSTA: @unxplored.adventures and the Facebook page: Unxplored Adventures
Do you have an travel agency or just a group of nerds that are interested in unique nature trips to Costa Rica, Peru etc. Let me know! Have a look at: www.unxplored.se.
Lepanthes matamorosi In Situ.
Spiny-Headed treefrog at Yatama.
The group in Valle del Silencio.
Lepanthes sp
Juan our guide to the left, then: Lotta, Jan-Erik, Jessica, Anna-Karin and Stefan guring a hike at Yatama Lodge forest.
Warrea costaricensis at La Marta. A very rare orchid.
Me on the way to Valle del Silencio.
Lepathes sp.
The yellow Lepathes sp. Found many of them at Cerro Hoffman, Cerro Arbolado. All at around 2200-2500 meters.
Unknown Lepathes sp.
A beautiful forest stream at Yatama.
There will be more…..
www.unxplored.se is now online!
The homepage for my travel agency: UnXplored Adventuresis online. http://www.unxplored.se
In Swedish but possible to get translated soon.
I will produce and arrange very unique trips and expedition to countries like Peru, Costa Rica, Brazil, Colombia and Nepal to start with. My aim is to arrange a few trips every year. Some just once and some of them a few time in a year. These trips will be a mix of hiking, adventure, expedition, nature, biodiversity, research, lots of orchids, flora and fauna, photography etc.
Also I would like all trips to give back to the areas we travel to. It could be to buy forest for local reserves, buy material to remote villages and schools etc.
There will be more soon….
UnXplored Adventures.
Finally a dream came true!
I have now started “UnXplored AB” – UnXplored Adventures.
The aim was to start a travel agency and produce very different nature-/photo-/expedition-like trips to places where not many tourists go and even places where no one has ever been to. This have been a dream for many years. Now it´s done!
Primarily my company will arrange nature trips to countries like Peru, Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, Sikkim, Nepal etc.
All trips/expeditions I arrange will donate funds to local projects like replanting rain forest, giving material to local schools far out in the jungle, finding new species and give them to local institutions etc. Giving back something to the areas we visit.
2022 will be an exciting year. I am blessed to have such a fantastic girlfriend and friends that helped me through this! Thank you!
STOP THE WAR! #Ukraine
My thoughts goes to the People of Ukraine. It´s horrible that a modern country can do such a evil act in these modern times. STOP THE WAR! No normal human being starts a war like that.
SHAME ON YOU!
Platystele – The smallest orchids in the world.
Platystele species are the smallest orchids in the world. Some of the smallest species are P tica (the species I found in Colombia that could be another sp), P jungermannioides, P microtatantha etc. The smallest flowers range from 1,1mm to 2 mm in size.
They are hard to find in the rain forest. A little bit like finding a needle in a rain forest. If you know where to look you will find them.
Here are some pictures of Platystele orchids In Situ, some that I have grown etc. Enjoy.
Very soon I will have some big news….
Lepanthes sp Ecuador.
Here a new Lepanthes sp from Ecuador that will be published soon. Flowers 5-7mm big.
The year 2021 and plans for 2022.
I made big decisions this year, 2021.
I have been working as a seller for five years at a big company here in Sweden, similar to “Home Depot” in the US. This wasn’t really “ME”. And all the time during that period I have been planning trips, expeditions, dreaming of exploring remote rain forests etc. Just to have some hope and survive the day. Rickard a college at my job changed his job situation and was pepping me all the time. Also his new boss Tobias. Giving me inspiration to do something else. They told me “Just do it”…
Early 2021 I decided to pursue a dream I have had for many years. A TV series. An odd idea that includes many of the things I love like exploration, rain forests, orchids etc. An unique idea I mailed out to many production companies in Europe and the US. Some showed interest and one especially in the UK. So we have had Zoom meetings and I have emailed ideas etc. Also ideas for an “one-off” film. So if there is a buyer of my ideas…then I have a LOT of work to do. This really made me think. Unique film ideas and trips is what I shall work with. Not selling nails, wood and drills. So I refine my ideas all the time and hope that there will be a buyer soon.
During this year I have also talked a lot to Josh in Peru. A great guy from the US that arrange Eco-tours in Peru, Muddy Boots . We have been planning fantastic nature trips to Peru that I hope will be out soon. He has the same kind of ideas like me and also a serious nerd. All this talking about film ideas and trips, Google Maps traveling etc with Josh really inspired me to go ahead with the plans.
I met up with Nicke at Pathfinder Travels here in Sweden at the end of this summer to present an idea for a nature/hiking/soft expedition trip to Costa Rica. We had some great days working on the idea and then he put it up on their webpage. Within 5 days it as fully booked. That´s a fantastic feeling. Someone love my ideas…! This is what I want to do…
Later on I had a slide show near Huskvarna, Sweden at UTHUSET, a fantastic outdoor shop that has it all. In my opinion the best one in Sweden. There I meet 4 people that had booked the trip to Costa Rica in 2022. That as a big inspiration boost to talk to them.
After this my brain really worked hard. 24/7. My friend Mattias and my girlfriend Linda had a serious talk to me one day and said that I should pursue my dreams and that my travel ideas are very attractive to people so why not quit my job and start producing one-off nature trips.
Three days after that I had a meeting with my boss and quit my job. A wonderful feeling and a bit scary feeling to as I am on my own. But it´s important to pursue your dreams and not get stuck in the hamster wheel with a job that breaks down your soul and inspiration day after day.
So now I will start my own company and produce very different trips to places that no tourists go to and even places where no one has been to. I will offer my ideas, packages of unique trips/expeditions to companies like Pathfinder Travels, but also arrange it all within my own company. Maybe a crazy idea but if I never try I will never know how it would be. Dreams lost in space…
I also want to combine the trips/expeditions with doing something for the areas we visit. Sponsor local projects like replanting rain forest, giving material to local schools far out in the jungle, finding new species and give them to local institutions etc. I also want to do botanical illustrations.
2022 will be an exciting year. I needed to restart as I felt something was missing. I am blessed to have such a fantastic girlfriend and friends that helped me through this.
Thank you Linda <3, Mattias, Rickard, Tobias, Josh, Nicke at Pathfinder Travels!
Lepanthes durikaensis.
Miniature orchids 
