The Moose Who Sniffed Orchids

I took my moose along to the Scotia Barrens and we discovered something new. Of course, you have heard of the famous truffle-sniffing pigs of France. Well, my moose has learned a new trick. He knows how to sniff out lady's slipper orchids!

You may see the moose sitting along my favorite path through the Scotia Barrens. Look at how green everything is. Well, you can see where the orchids are. Yes, they are sitting right along the main trail. Easy-peasy! Their scientific name is Cypripedium acaule, and they are informally called moccasin flower. I have only ever seen pink or pale green ones in these woods, never yellow.

What does the moose do when he finds an orchid? Well, he likes to walk right over to it, and sit down by it, or stand by it. Sometimes he whistles a favorite show tune and does a little song and dance; whatever it takes to get the message across!

Now, you have heard that truffle pigs do this sort of thing with truffles. And a really good truffle pig is worth big money. Maybe as much as $25,000! Though they say you can get a hog with a good record for $2,000 or less.

The problem with the pigs, they say, is that pigs adore truffles. And once they find a truffle, well, guess what. They are loathe to give it up! This is why some truffle seekers are replacing truffle pigs with truffle dogs. While the dogs can be trained to the scent, they just don't adore truffles like the pigs do, and won't secretly eat them while you're looking the other way. ("Truffle? WHAT truffle? I didn't see any truffle!")

This moose, on the other hand, was free. I picked him up last year at a free giveaway table in the neighborhood, just a hop, a skip, and a jump from Stonerow. In springtime, I nabbed a polar bear family and a sock monkey. In the fall, I got a free moose. I am wondering what this year may bring!

The moose says the dark pink orchids actually smell different than the pale green ones. (The green ones are earlier along in their life cycle.) I'll have to take his word on that! Our soundtrack for this orchid-sniffing moose is Lynyrd Skynyrd, with That Smell.