The rare beauty of an orchid reflects the patterns found in butterfly wings.

Both look very fragile, yet thrive in exotic habitats where temperatures can be extreme.

The graciously share their beauty in secret places.

These delicate orchids seem to want to take flight, but are grounded by their roots.

I could here these orchid choirs singing to me.

Joyfully singing a tune they thought only the other orchids could hear.

But I heard them singing of and to the fairies and garden spirits dancing among them.

Reaching up to the heavens with high notes and down to the earth with low notes.

All came together to create a charming chorus to keep us dancing in the Orchid Hall.

Orchids thrive on the walls of a waterfall in the atrium next to the Orchid Hall.

Their artful splendor gracefully contrasts against the stony wall and greenery that surrounds them.

Others hang Playfully over the waterfall descending from the upper floor.

All these different landscapes in the Denver Botanical Gardens create an escape from the Colorado scenery into an exotic place I would love to go visit again.

Yet my Manitou Springs home nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains is where my heart is.

I have traveled to exotic beaches and walked in a real jungle with orchids growing there. It was lovely, and I enjoyed every moment there.

But returning home, I had no regrets of leaving the steamy jungle behind and walk along paths among the majestic mountains of Colorado.