Saturday, May 21, was a hike at Thunder Creek with the Washington Native Orchid Society. We went to see the Western Fairy Slippers, Calypso bulbosa var. occidentalis, but they were all finished. We found two Twayblades, the Northwestern Twayblade, Neottia banksiana, also known as Neottia caurina, and the Heart-leaved Twayblade, Neottia cordata var. cordata, but it was nearly finished blooming. The star of the show was the Western or Merten's Coralroot, Corallorhiza mertensiana, which we saw in a variety of colors including some very pale forms. Actually we saw a fourth orchid as well, the Western Spotted Coralroot, Corallorhiza maculata var. occidentalis, but we were near the end of the hike and the battery in my camera was dead, so I did not get pictures.
Northwestern Twayblade
Neottia banksiana (caurina)
Heart-leaved Twayblade
Neottia cordata var. cordata
Western Coralroot
Corallorhiza mertensiana
Western Coralroot (pale form)