The Orchid Show at the Bronx Botanical Gardens
Beware the Orchid, its seductive beauty, heady scent. Orchids are venomous to eat. And check out a closeup of their inner workings–looks a spotted maw with teeth. “All the better to eat you, my dear.” That’s why most poems about orchids twine death with beauty. Here’s one by Sam Hamill.
https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/orchid-flower
Fredrick Sanders, a notorious Orchid Hunter, sent men out on treacherous expeditions to bring back orchid specimens. The hunters risked their lives and often lost them, were underpaid, and underfed, while Sanders reaped a fortune. And he treated the environment the same way. He would take thousands of specimens and cut down trees, destroying the plants so competitors couldn’t get them.
Old Time Farm Crime: The Cutthroat World of Victorian Orchid Hunters
March 27, 2016 @ 9:19 pm
Up close it does look scary!
March 28, 2016 @ 11:06 am
Yes, terrifying~ Welcome home. Love, Rochelle