During the Victorian era there was a term coined for the fanaticism driving the collector who unwittingly falls under the spell of the orchid: orchidelirium.
In her book The Orchid Thief, Susan Orlean wrote about the same phenomenon: “Everyone I was meeting connected to the orchid poaching had circled their lives around some great desire … a desire that then answered questions for them about how to spend their time and their money and who their friends would be and where they would travel and what they did when they got there. It was a religion.”
The Utah Orchid Society’s annual Orchid Show is the perfect way for the inquisitive to cautiously dip their toes into such passionate waters. Not only do society members exhibit prize specimens from their personal collections, but there will also be any number of enchanting orchids for sale. Just be sure to be wary of the all-enveloping allure of these floral sirens.
Orchid Show @ Red Butte Garden, 300 Wakara Way, 801-585-0556, April 2-3, 10 a.m.-7:30 p.m., $6-$8/garden members free. RedButteGarden.org