VOLUSIA COUNTY ORCHID SOCIETIES
LOGO

The Grass Pink (Calopogon multiflorus) R.Br.
The word Calopogon (from the Greek, kalos, meaning beautiful, and pogon, meaning beard),
referring to the colorful beard or crest that adorns the lip.  
This exquisite terrestrial orchid is indigenous to damp, slightly acid loam found in the bogs in
Southern Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, and Florida, where it grows in marshy meadows and coniferous woods.  It flowers from March to July, peaking in April.
This Orchid became of special interest to the Volusia County Orchid Society when seven
members learned that a valuable stand of these orchids stood in the way of proposed new construction for the DeLand Airport. 
These people contacted the Florida Game & Fresh Water Fish Commission and asked their
permission to dig up the endangered plants and relocate them to a safe and protected location.  Under the watchful eye of wildlife officers, the plants were removed from the airport site and moved to the Woodruff Wildlife Refuge, near DeLand.
This rescue occurred at the time the Volusia County Orchid Society was organizing - - in 1989. 
What was more natural than that the Grass Pink should become the beloved and beautiful symbol of the society?
                                                  ..................Ann Mann