On Friday May 21, knowing that everything was blooming early, I toured some orchid sites in eastern Washington and found that things were early indeed. The Mountain Lady's Slippers, Cypripedium montanum, were well started with their blooming. I visited two locations and found many of them in bloom at both locations, mostly the form which has purple-red markings around the opening of the lip and darker marking inside the lip, fma. welchii. I also found the green and white form, forma praetertincum, but it was only just starting to open. At the first location the sun had not yet come up but at the second location the sun rose while I was taking pictures, thus the difference in lighting.
Cypripedium montanum
Cypripedium montanum fma. welchii
Cyprripedium montanum fma. praetertinctum
2 comments:
They are gorgeous. So pure and white. The yellow ones in my garden aren't in bloom yet, The leaves are out about 6 inches. They bloom around the middle of June.
Thanks, Thel. These are rather common in Washington, but the yellows are very rare.
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