An avid orchid grower, Charles Darwin cultivated dozens of species in his greenhouse at Down House, meticulously studying their extraordinary adaptations.

This passion led to his 1862 book “On the Various Contrivances by Which British and Foreign Orchids Are Fertilised by Insects,” just three years after “On the Origin of Species.”

Examining his own plants, Darwin predicted the existence of a moth with a 10-inch proboscis needed to pollinate Madagascar’s star orchid (Angraecum sesquipedale), a theory ridiculed by contemporaries.

Twenty years after Darwin’s death, the predicted moth was discovered, confirming his theory. Darwin called orchids “the most magnificent tribe of plants,” whose intricate pollination mechanisms provided compelling evidence for natural selection.