The poachers weren’t intimidated by heat, lightning, mosquitos, venomous snakes, alligators or losing their way in the South Florida swamps. They were there to steal the ghost orchid, a plant so ...

The ghost, native to only Florida and Cuba, is a leafless web of roots splayed on the trunks of native trees. It’s also taxing to find, but the orchid’s ribbonlike white bloom makes the dangerous trek ...