Flower power

Orchids are believed to be the second largest family of flowers. There are somewhere between 2,000 and 2,500 species of them, from the flavorful vanilla planifolia, to the elusive ghost orchid, subject of the Susan Orlean book The Orchid Thief.

Still, there’s nothing more frustrating than spotting the most beautiful one you can find, giving it to your significant other and watching it die within weeks. Well, the Sacramento Orchid Society’s annual orchid show, this year titled Orchid Adventures, will do a lot more than just teach you how to keep an orchid alive. The orchid organization was founded in 1947 as a local, membership-based educational organization. Orchid Adventures, the group’s two-day festival at the Scottish Rite Center, features seminars, classes, art, food, orchid arrangements, orchid supplies and plants—both on exhibit and for sale.

Orchid Adventures happens Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Scottish Rite Center, 6151 H Street. Admission is $6, and children 16 and under are admitted free with an adult. For more information, call (916) 489-3263 or visit www.sacorchidshow.com.