Last updated on April 30th, 2024
. . . then visit a beautiful orchid farm to see how these lovely and prized plants are expertly and artistically cultivated.
Soon we are back on the road. I never tire of watching the scenery – I just wish there were opportunities to stop and examine it more closely!
Our next stop is Bai Orchids outside Chiang Mai.
As we arrive, Chris promises us lots of Paphiopedilum, which are apparently common in this part of Thailand. There are none that I can find (and I do look for them), however, there are lots of other wonderful things.
We will be having lunch here, in a lovely corner tucked between the gardens, but until then we have time to wander through the nursery, tour the grounds, and visit the butterfly house.
The nursery has row upon row of huge, healthy plants, all in full bloom.
The butterfly garden is a small, enclosed area. When we arrive we see a few butterflies, but most are resting in the mid-day heat.
However, as we move through the area, we see more moving about.
Soon we discover why – they are being released from the folded slips of paper in which they were shipped down the road from the area where they were hatched and raised to adulthood. Now the survivors of that process are being released here to breed and reproduce.
They have a shop here with jewelry and other orchid themed items, but all I want is one of the glass bottles filled with tiny baby cattleyas (well, two bottles actually, one with a lavender hybrid and one with pink). The seedlings are large enough to plant and even if I lost a few, there are at least 8-12 in each bottle.
The grower assures me I will NOT be allowed to take them into the United States. (Britain, yes. France, yes. The United States, no, not possible.)
I leave empty-handed.