August 1, 2020 - News Post

If you read last week’s comic, or last week’s news, you know I was expecting a hurricane. That hurricane (thankfully) decided to dodge us at the last second.

Landfall or no, we still had a considerable about work to do to prepare our home. We disassembled the table outside, tied things down, and brought in all of my wife’s plants from the porch.

Once inside, the plants were calming to look at and quite pleasant smelling. A few confused lizards that had been hiding in the leaves began to explore our walls and ceiling, and nature crept its way into our home. This was nice... for the most part.

Some of the plants were orchids, and one of those orchids was a Bulbophyllum Wibur Chang.

You know how most flowers smell sweet and pleasant? This is not the case with the Bulbophyllum Wibur Chang. Unlike the many orchids of the world that are pollinated by bees, ants, and moths, this particular orchid is pollinated by flies.

Carrion flies.

It attracts flies with a rotting corpse smell.

DO NOT INVITE THIS FLOWER INTO YOUR HOME.

Within minutes of bringing it indoors, every breath of air smelled. How did it smell? Like old cheese wrapped in a sweaty gym bag locked for a week in a port-o-potty at a county fair for dead rats.

We threw the plant outside to let it fend for itself in the hurricane, but the smell lingered.

For days.

AGAIN, DO NOT INVITE THIS FLOWER INTO YOUR HOME.

I truly get sick just thinking about it.

We opened all the windows, wiped down the counter we placed it on, and did our best to forget the smell. I don’t think I ever will.

My point is, I've thought about it a lot, and I think this is my new favorite flower. You should come by some time. In fact, forget everything I said, I have a flower with a slight smell you need to experience. It's super faint though. You’ll have to get your nose close and breathe reeeeeeaaaal deep.

-Jeff