Platanthera dilatata var. dilatata

Platanthera dilatata is one of our most common native orchids, but none-the-less beautiful for that.  Its flowers are not only pure white but intensely fragrant, perfuming a whole area on a warm summer day.  Its common reflects the fact that it is always found in wet areas, often with its feet in shallow running water. For that reason, too, it is often found in roadside ditches.  There are three varieties distinguished by the length of the spur.  This variety, Platanthera dilatata var. dilata, has a spur that is more or less equal to the length of the lip.  The other varieties, less common than this, have longer or shorter spurs.

June 23
(Blewett Pass)

June 24
(Blewett Pass)

July 7
(Canadian Rockies)

 July 9
(Canadian Rockies)