Absolutely stunning!

It's a cross between Drac roezlii and Drac vampira. There is quite a bit of seedling variation with some showing the stripes of vampira and others being solid black. this is one of the better 'black' ones. This one is larger and shows the stripes pf vampira.

Nick

WOW!

That's real fab.

The second one out of the gate is even blacker than 'Edgar'. This is Drac Raven 'Jet', no award, needs one. These are very difficult to photograph as the camera wants to show them as being brown when in fact they are truly jet black.

Another one just opened. Drac Raven 'Black Beard' this one has a wing span of 27cm which is good, larger than the first 2. Seedling variation is being demonstrated.

27cm equals 10 5/8" for those of us that think that way...Amazing flowers!

Right, but the judges when giving awards measure in cm. 24cm plus is award territory for Raven.

Nick

Dracula vampira 'Kong', a relative of sorts. It's Dracula time in the cool greenhouse.

Nick

Going back to pic 1 .....what is needed to get those few extra points to get the magic letters FCC? Apart from that the photos with a green background show the orchids well.

Mostly size. The measurements of the one that got the AM are larger than the ones on my plant. Environment has a lot to do with it. In Pacifica, near San Francisco, on the coast, it is cold, drizzly and foggy on a good summer day. It's very difficult to duplicate that and the cold, humidity loving cloud forest plants just flourish there. Vampiras are very sensitive to that and get larger there than anywhere else.

Why I elected to make them my prime hobby plants in dry, hot Southern California is anyone's guess. Too be different, I guess.

Nick

Size, mostly. The AM plant was larger than mine. Pacifica is a delightful little town on the coast, south of San Francisco, where it is cold, drizzly and foggy on a good summer day. Hawk Hills is there and the cloud forest plants just thrive and get bigger and better than anywhere else. Besides that, John Leathers has 10 green thumbs and can grow them like no one else. In dry, hot Southern California I'm butting my head against a wall but I enjoy the challenge.

Nick

I wrote the first comment, posted it and it failed to show. Annoyed, I rewrote it and now both are there. Sorry.
Nick