It’s strange how a flower can become more than a flower. Orchids do that effortlessly. They appear delicate, almost fragile, yet they carry a kind of stubborn persistence that’s woven into their history, their habitat, and the people who collect them. The more time you spend around orchids, the more you notice that they evoke something deeper — curiosity, admiration, sometimes obsession, and occasionally a quiet kind of reverence. Part of what makes orchids matter is their improbable diversity.