Info on Rare Orchid Handled Like Nuclear Secret

A rare hybrid orchid that has reappeared after not being seen in Maryland for 20 years is being subjected to unusual secrecy meant to protect it from boots and trowels.

The Canby's bog orchid is somewhere at the Nassawango Nature Preserve, owned by the Nature Conservancy, on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Its manager recently showed the orchid to Washington Post reporter Brigid Schulte -- but with some unusual restrictions: "No photos of the horizon or any landscape feature that might identify this place. No naming the back road that leads here."

• "Environmental Intrigue on the Eastern Shore," Washington Post, August 22, by Brigid Schulte.