The Orchid Thief
by Susan Orleans
Recently when I was volunteering in the Orchid Center at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, the staff was preparing for Orchid Daze, an annual exhibit in February. Most of the outdoor plants are still winter dormant. But during the exhibit, you can see the wide diversity of orchids--varieties ranging from tiny to large, from shapes similar to a lady’s slipper to blooms that resemble a tiny dragon, a large moth. Some varieties are heady and fragrant with the scent of fresh perfume or rich chocolate—and some carry no scent at all. There are over 40,000 wild orchids and more than 100,000 hybrids.
That day the incredible diversity and beauty of the orchids in the Atlanta Orchid Center reminded me of the book, The Orchid Thief by Susan Orleans. Although this is not a new book (it was published in 1998), it tells the fascinating story of the amazing lengths people will go to gratify their enthusiasm and passion for orchids.
The author, Susan Orleans, details her trip to southern Florida in 1995 where she meets John Laroche, a collector of orchids and other tropical plants. He’s the manager of the Seminole Indian Reservation nursery. Laroche, who is an unusual character, has been accused of stealing wild orchids from the Fakahatchee State Preserve in southern Florida. The Fakahatchee is a swamp, a cypress forest, a tidal marsh, and a parched prairie. Large parts of the preserve are thick and lush, but also buggy, and filled with alligators, snakes and turtles. During the story, the author follows LaRoche and others through swamps, plant nurseries and orchid shows. She meets orchid collectors, aristocrats, and fanatics, as well as thieves and smugglers. Orleans stated that, at the time her book was written, international trade in orchids was worth over ten billion dollars.
As the story progresses, the book tells the history of orchid collection, the history of the land in the Fakahatchee Preserve, and the history of the Seminole Indians in Florida along with the tribe’s connection to orchids. Orleans introduces the reader to the illusive Ghost Orchid, and takes you into the heart of the Fakahatchee Preserve. You meet large and small nursery owners, orchid collectors, creators of hybrid orchids, show competitors and winners, and, of course, smugglers and thieves.
I hope you will consider reading this interesting book. Now is a good time to enjoy orchids during these dull weather days of winter, when our deciduous plants are mostly dormant. Doing so can give a bit of dash to your day.
Holly Sparrow, Headwaters Master Gardener