Bird's Botanicals

Useful Information

Location:	Kansas City, Missouri, at the southeast corner of Interstate 435 and 23rd Street.
Open:	All year Tue 10-20. [2007]
Fee:	free. [2007]
Classification:	Cave House
Light:	plant lights
Dimension:	Ar=555m².
Guided tours:
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	Bird's Botanicals, 8201 E. 23rd St., Kansas City
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

Geology

Description

Bird's Botanicals is a 555m² big underground orchid farm. It is part greenhouse, part retail store, and part laboratory. As it is a shop it is possible to visit the orchid during regular open hours for free, and buy an orchid for the spared entrance fee.

However, the secret room cannot be visited, a room behind a concealed door where the owner David Bird grows his rare ghost orchids. This epiphytes (tree dwellers) grow on pieces of bark. Those rare flowers are subject of writer Susan Orlean's book The Orchid Thief and the Nicolas Cage movie Adaptation.