NYBG: Orchid Show 2016

This was my fourth year going to the Orchid Show at the New York Botanical Garden. It's safe to say that it's now a tradition, one I don't intend on breaking anytime in the near future. The orchid show always comes along right about the time I'm getting very tired of being cold and longing for the colors and warmth of spring.

The design and layout of the show doesn't seem to change much from year to year and I've begun to recognize most of the types of orchids. But orchids are so insane that it's still hard to believe that they're actually real. Nature is so strange and fantastical.

This year I became particularly obsessed with the slipper orchid. Named of course because it literally looks like a slipper ripe for slipping onto a tiny foot. With their striped and spotted wings they also look like little alien creatures that might come to life and fly away at any moment.

I took a Tuesday off of work to go with my uncle, who was in town, and it was such a more civilized way to see the show. The orchid show isn't quite the zoo that the holiday train show is, but being able to wander at a leisurely pace and actually see the flowers without having to view them through someone else's selfie stick is definitely preferable.