Riley Assessing the Beallara

Riley reaches up to smell the new Beallara I rescued from HyVee. His behavior straddles the border between adorable and bad, but I trust him more than Griffin. He doesn't like human food, treats, or plants. He loves cat food, but will try to bury it if it’s too fresh.
The Beallara is ‘Tropic Splendor’ from Hawaiian Tropicals Direct.

I tried explaining to Riley that Beallara is a cross among the orchid genera Brassia, Cochlioda, Miltonia and Odontoglossum (Brs x Cda x Milt x Odm), but he's not the sharpest kitty in the house.

I want to make sure that the cats are happy with the orchids, but I also need to ensure that the orchids are happy. So, I look to the Orchid Board for advice. MisterRay says, “There are some Beallaras that require a very specific day vs. night temperature gradient to flower, hence they are difficult to get blooming indoors where the temperature is pretty stable. If you treat them like your Phals, they will love you and grow for you like crazy -- but they just won't flower. The Beallaras also want more light than the Phals but not as much as some Catts, Dens, or, Oncidiums.” Sandra Billeter cautions, “Watch the color of your plants and if it starts getting yellowish, it's getting too much light. You want the Beallaras to be light green - the color of new grass.”

Here's Griffin hiding behind the bloom.