Willis and Fry use the history of Kew Gardens as a framework to explore the evolution of botanical research. They discuss the phenomenon of "orchid fever," a period in which European collectors sought rare orchids, often at great ecological cost. The book details how orchid hunting led to the depletion of wild populations and how botanical gardens like Kew became both sites of scientific discovery and instruments of colonial exploitation. The authors also highlight the ongoing threats to orchid biodiversity, particularly the ways in which invasive species and commercial breeding practices have altered orchid populations (Willis & Fry, 2016).

My research draws from this historical account to examine how scientific visualization can either perpetuate or challenge colonial frameworks. The datafication of orchids—whether in 19th-century botanical records or contemporary digital visualizations—often abstracts them from their lived environments. By contrast, my project seeks to develop a visual methodology that re-embeds orchids within their ecological and historical contexts. This might involve using interactive data visualization tools to depict the shifting histories of orchids, acknowledging their colonial past while also exploring their resilience and adaptability.