Mark Brunson

I’d like to tell you a crime story. But is it still a crime story if it’s about the natural world? I’ll tell it and then let you decide for yourself.

The orchid family has nearly 28,000 species worldwide, many of those are rare. The one we’re looking for, called Ute Ladies’-tresses, is on the federal Threatened Species list, which gives it legal protection from human impacts until it’s no longer at risk of disappearing.