The balcony observer's 239th report- True & false butterflies 真假蝴蝶 (Phalaenopsis)

This spring, a flower of Phalaenopsis orchid bloomed on my balcony in Taichung, Taiwan. 這個春天，陽台的蝴蝶蘭開了第一朵。

A week later, the secondary flower of Phalaenopsis orchid bloomed. 一個禮拜後，蝴蝶蘭開了第二朵。

Two days later, the third flower bloomed. 又過了兩天，第三朵花開了。

After another week, there were five flowers in total. 再一個禮拜後，共有五朵花了。

Phalaenopsis comes from the Greek phalaina (moth) and opsis (likeness), alluding to the resemblance of the flowers of type species to some tropical moths (Schultes and Pease, 1963). In Taiwan, it is called "蝴蝶蘭" (蝴蝶 = butterfly; 蘭 = orchid).

A few years ago, my friend gave me several pots of blooming Phalaenopsis, and some of them died after the flowers were withered. This one, which was alive, is blooming again in this spring (March) after a few years of resting.

蝴蝶蘭屬（學名：Phalaenopsis）是蘭科（Orchidaceae）下的一個屬，其拉丁文學名是由希臘語詞phalaina（蛾）和opsis（觀看）構成，因為其花外觀與某些熱帶蛾類相似（Schultes and Pease，1963）。

幾年前，朋友送我幾盆盛開的蝴蝶蘭，花謝後有的整株枯掉了。沒枯的這盆，在沉潛幾年後，這個春天(三月)再度盛開。

On this day, a butterfly (Pieris canidia) was standing on a flower of white-colored butterfly-like Phalaenopsis orchid. This is so called "True & false butterflies". 這一天，來了一隻台灣紋白蝶。白蝶停在白蝴蝶蘭花上，真是名符其實的蝴蝶花上有蝴蝶，真假蝴蝶。