Scene 6

Codonorchis lessonii was not easy to find. Maille criss-crossed the whole forest, balanced himself gingerly over fallen tree trunks and clambered up steep and slippery banks all along the Lapataia Bay. He came across wild mushrooms of all types, Magellan fuschia, currants and a veritable gamut of lichens; he encountered hares, preying birds and cormorants. Only the shy orchid did not reveal itself.

When he finally found the flower, he was disappointed – how on earth could one be interested in such a colourless pygmy when there were such colourful and uniquely formed orchids on Santa Lemusa - in Forêt des Orchidées for instance or in the Jardin Sidarel?

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