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
8 comments:
C'est vraiment un plaisir de parcourir ton blog
Tres inspirant et tres instructif .
Bonne semaine mon ami.
Thanks, Malik. Appreciate the visit.
Wow those fairy slippers are gorgeous. My son lives in
Vancouver and has done a lot of hiking. He now has 2 young children so he is doing less.
I did do a little with his family on Backcomb Mountain. We didn't go far because of the children. I did notice some wild flowers there.
You could find all of these orchids on Vancouver Island, Thel. The island has some great orchid populations and some really rare stuff as well.
That's good to know Ron. I must tell my son to make him aware of the orchids and if I have the chance when I visit again, I will look out for them. Thanks.
Hope you find some!
Whoa, a white farislipper! I’d love to see one of these.
Sorry I missed your comments. If ever you want to see them in the spring contact me in mid-April.
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