Friday, April 3, 2015

More White Fairy Slippers and Other Orchids


White Fairy Slippers are very rare.  I've seen less than a dozen of them among thousands of Fairy Slippers.  They are the albino or alba version of a flower that is ordinarily pink and mahogany or pink and yellow.  These are the white form of the Western Fairy Slipper, Calypso bulbosa var. occidentalis fma. nivea  I had found one earlier in the season and found two more when I was out on April 3 and April 6.  I found them in places where I had not seen them before.








The last pictures above show a flower that was not fully open.  Those shown below are the ordinary form of the Western Fairy Slipper and the pale flower is one that is fading.  The Fairy Slippers turn an off-white color as they begin to fade, but this one still shows some pink color in the petals and sepals and has the mahogany spotting and striping on the lip, so it is clearly not an alba form.  The last photos are of the Western Spotted Coralroot, Corallorhiza maculata var. occidentalis.








6 comments:

Unknown said...

Those white Calypsos are so beautiful, so pure and clean. The one that is not completely open reminds me for some reason of the statue of liberty. Calypsos are such a sight. Also really love the twin flowers. Very nice pictures again. I love how you bring the spring to my heart.

Well finally on goodfriday I saw our first native orchid flowers. It was a beautiful warm and sunny spring day.
This year seems like a regular season with a start in early april. Lots of rain though, which is a good thing. However I expect that I have to wait for another two weeks or so until I see the next species in bloom,

Ron said...

I can see what the one reminds you of Liberty. It looks a bit like her rayed crown. You are right, too, about the white forms. They are special and not only because they are rare. White flowers always have a purity and radiance that others lack, IMO.

Glad your season is started and wish I could share the excitement of seeing the season begin there. That will have to wait for another time, I guess.

klaraau01 said...

What a privilege to see this beautiful orchid in nature, thank you for sharing

Ron said...

It is indeed a privilege and we take every opportunity to enjoy it. Thanks for your kind comments and visit.

Tatyana@MySecretGarden said...

Hi Ron! I got to your blog from Klara' blog My Orchids Journal. Your pictures reminded me about my childhood in Russia when I used to walk in the forest (Far East, close to China) with my parents and saw wild orchids. I also remember seeing wild peony, Asiatic lilies, Lily of the valley, but Lady's Slippers were the most exotic among all of them. I particularly remember white/brown ones. I don't know how many of them are still there, because of the intensive logging in that area.
Anyway, thanks for your pictures and info!

Ron said...

Thanks for looking and commenting, Tatyana. Appreciate the visit and kind comments. We have the same problem here - a lot of orchid habitat is being destroyed by logging and development.