There’s something special about encountering a native orchid in a temperate forest woodland. Part of it is the sense of surprise at finding a lovely and often rare plant in the middle of more familiar flora. At our first stop in our Great Smoky Mountains National Park spring trip in mid April this year, I was wandering around a slope covered with early spring wildflowers when I spotted a Showy Orchis. This rather squat orchid sports a light purple flowercap and a white lower lip, and is fairly common in the Park. We found them at many of the stops on our 3-day trip.
Showy Orchis (Galearis spectabilis)
Michael says that part of the specialness of orchid species is the habitats that many of them grow in. These environments often have a magical and mysterious quality. The orchid I found at our last stop on the trip was certainly an example of this. I went off the trail into a small grove of trees strewn with moss-covered boulders shaded in soft, filtered light. Perched on one of the rocks was a Pink Lady’s Slipper orchid, a member of the royal family of US orchid species, the Cypripediums. It proved to be one of a small colony, just coming into flower, with one of the individuals in nearly full bloom. The flower stems were nodding and strongly arched. Michael took some lovely photos of these. He’s hoping to get a picture of one in full bloom later, so he can put together a set of three or four showing the flowering process.
Pink Lady's Slipper (Cypripedium acaule)
Definitely a good trip for orchids!
Charlotte
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