Cymbidium, photo by Harold Davis. View this photo larger.

In John Le Carre spy novels from the Cold War era, a Honey Trap meant an attractive snare. The original of this metaphor comes from the world of flowers. Do bees get stuck in honey traps? If I were a bee, I would be very intimidated by this orchid.

Another possible trap is to try to cultivate orchids. I bought this one. It is a cymbidium, supposedly pretty hardy here (they grow outdoors in Berkeley’s climate). It’s very beautiful–and I see myself going down a slippery slope of orchid cultivation!