Fourth Orchid of the Season and Others

The last outing found another orchid in bloom, Listera, now Neottia cordata var. nephrophylla, the Western Heart-leaved Twayblade.  We'll continue to see this species  well into the summer but up in the mountains.  These were found at the only low-elevation location we know for this area.  They are the reddish form, fma. rubescens, and there were only six plants blooming at the location.

Neottia cordata var. nephrophylla fma. rubescens

Along with this species we found plenty of Corallorhiza maculata var. occidentalis, the Western Spotted Coralroot, including a few plants of the golden stemmed form, fma. aurea.  Last year there were numerous plants of this form but this year only two.  Coralroots are strange plants, appearing at a location and then disappearing for several years and then often in a different place.

Corallorhiza maculata var. occidentalis

Corallorhiza maculata var. occidentalis fma. aurea

There are still some Western Fairy Slippers, Calypso bulbosa var. occidentalis, blooming, but they are getting fewer and fewer at the low elevations and are not yet blooming at the higher elevations.  We will probably see them again in the mountains in a few weeks.  One of the white Fairy Slippers was still blooming, too, and this was is unique for its complete lack of any color.

Calypso bulbosa var. occidentalis

 Calypso bulbosa var. occidentalis fma. nivea

Third Orchid of the Season and Others

Was out several times the last couple weeks to do some hiking and orchid hunting.  Found a few Fairy Slippers, Calypso bulbosa var. occidentalis, and Western Spotted Coralroots, Corallorhiza maculaa var. occidentalis, and also found the third orchid of the season, another Coralroot, the Striped Coralroot, Corallorhiza striata var. striata.The Coralroots all seem to be very few in number this season, perhaps as a result of a warm winter and an early spring, and this was no exception.  They were fewer in one location and there were almost none of them in the second location.

Corallorhiza striata var. striata

(starting to bloom)

Corallorhiza maculata var. occidentalis

(nearing their peak at lower elevations)

Calypso bulbosa var. occidentalis

(nearly finished at lower elevations)

Calypso bulbosa var occidentalis fma. nivea

(one more still blooming)

More Fairy Slippers and Coralroots

We were on the Olympic Peninsula for a few days the week of April 5-11 and visited a number of places, though not all of them by way of looking for orchids.  Some of our time was spent enjoying the wonderful scenery of the Olympics and in one case we were looking for a rare parasitic plant called the Vancouver Ground Cone, Boschniakia hookeri.  We did find Fairy Slippers, Calypso bulbosa var. occidentalis, at a couple of locations and a few of the Western Spotted Coralroots, Corallorhiza maculata var. occidentalis, were starting to bloom also.  We've found no other native orchids blooming yet.  The leaves in the last photo are of the Giant Rattlesnake Orchis, Goodyera oblongifolia, which will not be be blooming until mid-summer or later.