Doodlin’ Among the Orchids
This past Sunday, in the company of several illustrious out-of-town friends, I paid visit to the orchids at the U.S. Botanic Garden. Truth be told, I’d never spent much time with these precious blossoms before, and on this day—like a lizard on a windowpane?—I was popeyed at their more than platitudinous beauty. “Oh, to be a bee,” I murmured as I communed with Their Delicacies and sought to avoid unseemly collisions with fellow voyeurs.
In fact, the U.S.B.G. plays host to so much more than orchids. On a lazy Sunday, the discerning gardengoer will find a mind-bending array of creatively christened and fussily labeled flora and fauna, including the Persian Shield, the Drunkard’s Dream, the Bat-Leaf Passionflower, the Never Never Plant, the Catnip-Leaved Lion’s Ear, the Poet’s Jasmine, the Fosperior Perfection, and—let us not forget—Giraffe’s Knees.
Stirring from my verdant reverie, I found one of my compatriots—a budding sketch artist, if you’ll indulge the pun—embroiled in an ambitious taxonomical endeavor. You will find the fruits of his efforts below the jump.
A Non-Linnaean Taxonomy of Gardengoers
by Aaron Wiener
Kindly address all questions, compliments, and scholarly addenda to Herr Wiener.
Lead photo courtesy of kevindooley
9 Responses to “Doodlin’ Among the Orchids”
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September 12th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
A healthy supply of acid - check.
A notebook - check.
Write in notebook - check.
Sounds like a winning gameplan.
September 12th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
Psychoprimitivism. My favorite school.
September 12th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
Hey, that’s my notebook!
But wait–those aren’t my sketches!
Weird. And stupefying.
Sincerely,
The Guy Who Carries a Notebook in his Back Pocket
September 12th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
Addendum:
Doesn’t the High Brow kind of look like one Sarah Palin, just a little bit?
September 12th, 2008 at 1:59 pm
Is this what passes for journalism in these depraved times? What is the world coming to?
September 12th, 2008 at 5:35 pm
Whaaaaaaat?
September 12th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
Well as long as you look in earnest
September 17th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
Thanks to the Wonkette (http://wonkette.com/402754/dc-police-ruin-13-year-olds-awesome-birthday-party) for picking this up. This man by the name of Wiener is a great American and an inspiration to all of us.
September 17th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
With such a keen eye and delicate hand, this guy is clearly going places!
…even if the “Great Beauty” does have a stark resemblance to Cousin It. Ah, but as they say, Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Mr. Wiener, Best of luck to you in your future artistic (and romantic) endeavors!