Look once, look again. This is not a butterfly taking a rest on a piece of shrubbery. It is Psychopsis papilio – better known as the butterfly orchid. It has petals of an incredible length which look like antennae and its speckled brown and yellow sepals look like outspread wings. Little wonder that this amazing orchid reputedly started the orchidmania of the 1800s. Image Credit Image Credit Flickr User LadyDragonglyCC Image Credit Flickr User Jose Pestana The sixth Duke of Devonshire, William Cavendish, (pictured above top) happened to have his estate next to the Royal Horticultural Society. While on his daily walks he would often drop in to view new plants brought from over the world. This serendipity would have a profound effect on him and change the course of his life. This casual interest first became a hobby and then developed in to a life-long obsession with exotic plants, principally orchids. What began as a casual interest would lead him, eventually to become President of the…
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