Monday, April 25, 2016

More Orchids on Whidbey and Fidalgo Islands


I was out for several hours with members of our local orchid society visiting some of the sites we know on Whidbey and Fidalgo Islandz.  We found three different species and number of rarities including white Fairy Slippers (Calypso bulbosa var. occidentalis fma. nivea) and both the golden-stemmed and the unspotted form of the Western Spotted Coralroot (Corallorhiza maculata var. occidentalis fma. aurea and fma. immaculata).  We also found the dark purple form of the Western Coralroot or Merten's Coralroot (Corallorhiza mertensiana), a form which we know from only one location (this species usually comes in shades of pink, tan, yellow and white).  The Fairy Slippers were nearly finished but the Coralroots were just coming to the peak of their bloom season.  Interestingly, the Fairy Slippers and Western Spotted Coralroots were fewer in number than previous years but the Western Coralroots were much more abundant.

Western Coralroot
Corallorhiza mertensiana





Western Spotted Coralroot
Corallorhiza maculata var. occidentalis



 gold-stemmed Western Spotted Coralroot
Corallorhiza maculata var. occidentalis fma. aurea




unspotted Western Spotted Coralroot
Corallorhiza maculata var. occidentalis fma. immaculata




Western Fairy Slipper
Calypso bulbosa var. occidentalis




  
white Western Fairy Slipper
Calypso bulbosa var. occidentalis fma. nivea



Thursday, April 14, 2016

Three Orchids on Whidbey and Fidalgo Islands


Monday, April 11, we went to Whidbey and Fidalgo Islands (both driveable) to look for orchids and spring wildflowers.  We found more Western Fairy Slippers and in some locations found them near the end of their bloom season.  Among them we found two white flowers and we found two other orchids.  The Western Heart-leaved Twayblade we found at one location where we had found it before, but only two plants and both the reddish form of the species.  We usually find this species blooming later in abundance in the mountains, but this location is near the coast and near sea level.  We also found the Western Spotted Coralroots beginning to bloom at two locations.

Western Fairy Slipper
Calypso bulbosa var. occidentalis







a very pale form and a flower that is pollinated and finished







White Western Fairy Slipper
Calypso bulbosa var. occidentalis fma. nivea





Western Heart-leaved Twayblade
Neottia cordata var. nephrophylla fma. rubescens



Western Spotted Coralroot 
Corallorhiza maculata var. occidentalis