Seventeenth Week of the Native Orchid Season - Platantheras, Neottias, Goodyeras and Epipactis

July 28 - August 3

This week the big excursion was to Olympic National Park where we found twelve different orchid species and varieties.  There, too, as around the rest of western Washington, it was very dry and most of the orchids were early.  We visited four different areas in the northern part of the park, two areas that we had not seen before, and in all of them found native orchid species.  The orchids we found were:

Epipactis gigantea, the Stream Orchid or Chatterbox

(note the picture of the double flower)

Goodyera oblongifolia, the Giant Rattlesnake Orchis

Neottia banksiana, the Northwestern Twayblade

Platanthera ephemerantha (Piperia candida), the Slender White Piperia

Platanthera (Piperia) elegans ssp. elegans, the Elegant Piperia

(there is a Crab Spider on one of the flower spikes)

Platanthera (Piperia) elongata, the Long-spurred Piperia

Platanthera (Piperia) unalascensis fma. olympica, the dwarf form of the Alaskan Piperia

(this form is found only on Hurricane Ridge in the Olympics)

Platanthera dilatata var. dilatata, the Tall White Northern Bog Orchis

(has a spur about the same length as the lip)

Platanthera dilatata var. leucostachys, the Sierra Rein Orchid

(has a spur that is longer than the lip)

Platanthera stricta, the Slender Bog Orchis

Platanthera x estesii, Estes Hybrid Rein Orchis

(this is a natural hybrid of the two previous species)

Later in the week we had a Washington Native Orchid Society field trip to Goose Rock and to Washington Park where we saw three Piperias and a lot of Goodyeras.  I had seen these previously by way of scouting for the field trip, but had helped make the arrangements for the field trip and so went to see them again, something I never mind doing.  The orchids we found were:

Goodyera oblongifolia, the Giant Rattlesnake Orchis

Platanthera (Piperia) elegans ssp. elegans, the Elegant Piperia

Platanthera (Piperia) elongata, the Long-spurred Piperia

Platanthera (Piperia) transversa, the Flat-spurred Piperia