{"id":1579,"date":"2026-07-21T12:23:02","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T12:23:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uscnews.org\/?p=1579"},"modified":"2026-07-21T12:23:02","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T12:23:02","slug":"a-gardeners-guide-to-5-orchids-that-mimic-animals-insects-and-even-a-naked-man","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uscnews.org\/?p=1579","title":{"rendered":"A gardener\u2019s guide to 5 orchids that mimic animals, insects and even a naked man"},"content":{"rendered":"

Team Spain celebrates with the trophy after winning the Women’s World Cup soccer final against England at Stadium Australia in Sydney, Australia, August 20, 2023. (AP Photo\/Alessandra Tarantino, File)<\/small><\/p>\n

2026-07-21T11:50:01Z<\/p>\n

Like most gardeners, I occasionally stumble upon fruits and flowers that resemble something else. But a naked man was not on my botanical bingo card.<\/p>\n

Sure, tomatoes can be mischievous, taking on the shape of horned animals<\/a><\/span>, Russian dolls, large-nosed characters and even unmentionables when exposed to extreme temperatures and vivid imaginations. But I thought orchids were more polite.<\/p>\n

As it turns out, they aren\u2019t. You don\u2019t have to squint very hard to see the uncanny resemblance that some of them bear to animals, insects and even people. These are the five that impress and amuse me the most.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s get back to that naked man orchid<\/h2>\n

Meet Orchis italica, aka the naked man orchid, who smiles broadly as he hangs off the plant with his legs splayed and arms extended as if requesting a hug. Let\u2019s just say his decision to forgo pants is obvious.<\/p>\n

Sometimes called \u201cItalian orchid,\u201d naked man hails from the sunny Mediterranean region, which also may explain his decision to wear what resembles a hat. He thrives in partial shade and infertile soil, where the plant grows up to 20 inches tall before flowers make their midspring appearance.<\/p>\n

Other orchid varieties resemble babies, doves, bees and monkeys<\/h2>\n

Swaddled baby (Anguloa uniflora) is a 2-foot tulip orchid that grows only in the Andes region of South America, where high humidity is essential for its survival. The flower\u2019s pale-pink-to-white petal formation resembles a newborn baby lovingly wrapped in a blanket.<\/p>\n

Dove orchid (Peristeria elata) looks remarkably like its namesake, with blossoms that resemble the bird\u2019s head, beak, body, tail and purple-speckled wings.<\/p>\n

The national flower of Panama, where the plant is called flor del Esp\u00edritu Santo (flower of the Holy Spirit), it has upright stems that can grow up to 3 feet long, each bearing a succession of as many as 20 blooms that open from late summer through early fall.<\/p>\n

The dove orchid thrives in warm conditions and requires ample air circulation and consistently moist roots.<\/p>\n

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