Indonesian farmer helps orchids to bloom again

Dedicated to his work: Musimin planting orchids on a tree in the forest at the foot of Mount Merapi in Sleman, Yogyakarta. — AFP

Orchids in hand and a bamboo ladder on his shoulder, farmer Musimin scans the forest at the foot of Indonesia’s most active volcano to point out clusters of the indigenous flowers he has been salvaging for years.

The 56-year-old, who goes by one name like many Indonesians, is a self-taught conservationist with no formal background in botanics.