Homestead Magazine 2008

Some people love their tulips. Some people love roses. But no flower inspires the passion - or sparks the obsession - that orchids do.

Stepping into the greenhouses of Andy's Orchids in Encinitas, Calif., helps explain why. It's a journey into a strange world that's part beauty pageant and part freak show. It's a world of sex and deception, where highly specialized flowers have evolved beautiful patterns or devious traps to get birds, bees, or butterflies (or flies, gnats, or bats) to help them pass along their genes. It's a world where Technicolor blooms the size of dinner plates flash beside cascades of flowers so tiny that they could share the head of a pin. It's the world of orchids, and every bloom tells a story.

• A wine of their own: Couple starts a new life at their vineyard
• Jungle love: Orchid lovers live in a world of exotica
• Green & Growing: Fertilizer is lawn candy for your grass
• Big interest in tiny livestock: Small-statured animals fit these homesteads
• Country Views: Ready for rescue and give butterflies a drink
• Swamp gravy: A play saves this small Georgia town
• Tour-De-Prance: Endurance horse race follws Santa Fe Trail

The Gator XUV 850D has been turning heads since its introduction early last spring. Among those impressed have been judges at two, tough, utility vehicle competitions.

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