Elegance At The Market

The number of orchid species equals more than twice the number of bird species, and about four times the number of mammal species. I find this bit of... more

by Rory Siegel

Title

Elegance At The Market

Artist

Rory Siegel

Medium

Photograph

Description

The number of orchid species equals more than twice the number of bird species, and about four times the number of mammal species. I find this bit of information quite simply fascinating...as if the creators of this particular design were so in love with their creation that they could not stop coming up with more and more beautiful colors and varieties.

And it's a strange tale of how these gorgeous entities were named: The Greek myth of Orchis explains the origin of the plants. Orchis, the son of a nymph and a satyr, came upon a festival of Dionysus (Bacchus) in the forest. He drank too much, and attempted to rape a priestess of Dionysus. For his insult, he was torn apart by the Bacchanalians. His father prayed for him to be restored, but the gods instead changed him into a flower. The name comes from the Ancient Greek ὄρχις (órkhis), literally meaning "testicle", because of the shape of the root....so this seems quite fitting!

I spied this gorgeous orchid amid a huge display of flowers of every variety at the Whole Foods Market in NYC. The Market itself is gigantic and contains every imaginable kind of food, drink, and implements....a delight for the senses in every way. I had breakfast there one morning during my recent trip to NYC and before venturing into Central Park for the first time.

Uploaded

November 16th, 2013