I am rarely successful at finding wild orchids, so I was thrilled when I came across this small patch of Spiranthes while hiking. As you can see, wild orchids don't often resemble the ones you buy at the store. The flowers are usually much smaller but they're no less beautiful. Given the spiral shape of this plant, it's easy to see how it got its name. Spiranthes is derived from the Greek words "speira" (coiled or spiral) and "anthos" (flower).
