A bollockwort by any other name

The rain that seems to have become part of everyday life is now turning to sleet and the forecast is for 6 inches of snow to fall over the weekend. So, a blip from warmer climes.

A few weeks ago we were visited by friends from Malaya whom we hadn't seen for over a decade. These orchid flowers, set in resin, were a gift from them. Man's creative and technological ingenuity never ceases to amaze.

The name Orchid is derived from the Greek órkhis which translates as testicle, and is based on the the shape of the plant's root. Older English names for these beautiful plants were even more explicit - Ballockwort, bollockwort, and ballwort! Wort comes from the Old Saxon word wurt, meaning a plant, especially one used as a medicine.